Rovers fall to young Hawks
Last week’s season opener was the perfect entrée for the round one main meal in Mid Gippsland football served up on Saturday.
Morwell East v Hill End
Morwell East, already up and going, were looking to start the year with back-to-back victories after an inspiring victory over respected Foster just seven days earlier.
The Hawks, young that they might be, had shown coach Paul Henry that enthusiasm could match it with experience. However, the question remained, could they do it consistently? The answer was yes, scoring 11.16-82 to defeat Hill End 8.3-51.
Henry praised his team’s consistent work rate, effort and belief.
“Our skill level in the first half was not where it should have been,” Henry said. “Hill End’s skill level was excellent. We had to fix that quickly if we were going to win, and we did.”
“It was a different win to last week, but just as special,” he added. “We wanted to go into our bye week with two wins under our belt, and we did just that.”
Certainly the Hawks have surprised a few, given the amount of experience lost in the off-season. However, Henry has managed to harness both the youthful enthusiasm and playing with a freedom that can be exciting to watch.
Hill End have seen some massive changes in their preparation for the season, namely 18 new players to the club. That was always going to take some time to harness.
Coach Mike Santo said Morwell East was good and Lucas Towns had a huge impact on the game.
“We were right in it, and I was proud of the boys’ effort all day,” Santo said. “We just ran out of legs after half-time with no bench.”
“Hopefully some scans go our way early next week, otherwise our depth will be pushed further than it already is currently against Toora.”
As much as preparation is key to success, luck can also play a major role. The injury list for the Rovers at the moment will make it a tough task, at least in the short term.
Boolarra v Thorpdale
The stage was set for a most intriguing contest.
Boolarra wanted a positive start to start their season on their way to a finals appearance. Thorpdale, a side that had worked so hard to attract talent, wanted to be a more formidable and respected opposition.
The clash turned out to be what was hoped for - a close encounter.
Boolarra’s win, 13.14-92 to 13.9-87, saw both sides walk away with some sort of satisfaction.
Boolarra coach Tony Giardina said “it was good to get a first up win for the season”, acknowledging Thorpdale for recruiting well and taking “the game right up to us”.
“Plenty of room for improvement as our skill, at times, let us down,” Giardina reflected.
Boolarra, like most in the league, will take some time to find their feet.
“We showed some promising signs after quarter time by winning the last three quarters overall against a team we think will feature in finals again,” Thorpdale coach Jason Winderlich said.
It’s great to have Thorpdale a more competitive unit than in recent years. Although it’s not expected that 2023 will be their season, you can bet on Thorpdale causing some headaches for opposition.
Yinnar v Newborough
A grand final rematch saw Newborough send a strong message with a 20-point win over last year’s premiers.
Newborough coach Craig Skinner said it was a brutal start to the season.
“Tac Taylor had his boys bring unrelenting pressure and filled some player voids with ready made juniors,” Skinner said. “I was proud Saturday of our team’s fight to overcome some adversity and find a way to win. It’s the first time I’ve seen that from this group. Belief is a hard thing to create.”
An already strong Bulldogs side, that is starting to believe, will make it a tough team to beat, as Yinnar coach Daniel Taylor witnessed first hand.
“Didn’t get the result we were after, but I can’t question the boys’ effort,” Taylor said. “We threw everything at them and, in the end, we were out on our feet.”
Taylor said his young blokes were fantastic, in particular 16-year-old Luke Cheffer.
“He’s a tough little bugger with the class to go with it, I thought he was brilliant,” he said. “Full credit to Newborough though, they moved the ball well and the better team on the day won.”
Tarwin v MDU
Tarwin, starting 2023 as they did 2022, had an impressive nine-point win over MDU.
Tarwin coach Troy Hemming said the 9.1165 to 8.8-56 win was important against a much-improved MDU who moved the ball well.
“For us, we had everyone stand up at different stages of the game,” Hemming said. “We had a few new players play their first game for the club, and they all played well and fit right in at Shark Park.”
A close loss was obviously not what the Demons wanted. But there were some significant signs of improvement.
“We fought hard, but were unable to sustain the effort for a full four quarters,” MDU coach Nathan Allen said. “Tarwin were able to capitalise when they gained the momentum.”
“I guess that is what good sides do, jump on opportunities to turn a game, to expose even the smallest weakness,” Allen said.
Toora v Mirboo North
Mirboo North, coming off the disappointment of missing finals football for the first time two decades, recorded a strong 63-point win.
Mirboo North coach Peter Mongta said the 12.22-94 to 4.7-31 win was a good result.
“We felt like we had control for most of the day and conditions didn’t favour any side,” Mongta said. “We could have kicked straighter, but I was pleased to have nine goal kickers hit the scoreboard.”
The Magpies probably showed more than the scoreboard suggests, but they will need to give more for longer to be a force.
“After a very competitive half in which we were able to control the game in patches, injuries and a lack of match fitness saw the margin blow out,” Toora coach Jack Weston said.
He praised his well-drilled opposition.
Stony Creek v Fish Creek
Not the fiercely contested and close contest expected, Fish Creek’s consistent effort earned a 31-point win.
Reflecting on the 12.8-80 to 7.7-49 win, Fish Creek coach Jarrod Walker said it was “always great to start the season off with a win”.
“Really happy with the contribution of the whole team, everyone played their role with a few notable standouts,” Walker said. “It was great to see us run out the game well to show our pre-season work is paying off. Still early days, but a lot of positives to take out of the game.”
There was disappointment from those at Stony Creek with coach Chris Verboon knowing they have work to do.
“Fish Creek played some good footy, but our boys need to be more disciplined with a number of 50-metre penalties costing us goals,” Verboon said. “In the end, they can be the difference between winning and losing.”