By Ken Moore
DROUIN mounted a spirited revival to come from 20 points behind and, with only five minutes left, secured a draw with Moe on Saturday.
In a real heart stopper the Hawks, courtesy of two ripping goals by Daniel Barrand and another to lanky tall Bob McCallum, grabbed two match points that appeared only a remote possibility a few minutes earlier.
And if the Hawks had kicked truly, they could well have stolen victory because McCallum and Chris Dunne also missed late opportunities and new recruit Cam de Gooyer had a shot on the siren from 45 metres out that fell less than a foot short.
Drouin held the upper hand in the first half and established an 18-point lead before Moe hit back and took control to lead by 10 points at the final break and looked home late in the term.
Once again the Hawks were well served by midfielders Andy Soumilas, Pat McGrath, Sam Proctor and Daniel Barrand, the latter also doubling as a terrific forward target kicking four goals.
Cam de Gooyer was steady and hard at the ball across the half-back and looks a handy recruit and Bob McCallum, who returned from VFL team Frankston, rucked for most of the afternoon and made his presence felt.
Lions coach Troy Makepeace directed play well in and around the midfield, Stuart Robertson tormented the Hawks’ defence with five goals and Peter Ainsworth and Tommy Long initiated many attacking moves from behind the centre.
Adam Kennedy used his ample body strength to good effect at centre-half-back and Kain Aidrie drew upon all his experience in the last line of defence.
TRARALGON stays in pole position after an impressive 31-point victory at Leongatha. Kicking with the aid of the wind in the first quarter, the visitors raced to a five-goal lead that set up a sizeable advantage given the heavy conditions.
While the Maroons did not kick a goal against the breeze, the likes of Jamie Aitken and Sam McCulloch were able to stop the home side from making any significant inroads.
The physical presence of Mark Collison, back from Frankston, Steve Hazelmann and Kane Grinstead-Jones played a big role in the Maroons’ victory.
Leongatha lifted to get within 15 points in the third quarter but was left to lament a number of turnovers the opposition was able to seize upon and draw away to a match-winning 41-point lead at the final change.
For the Parrots, wingman Dylan Westaway and Julian Stone impressed with their aggressive running and good ball use, ruckman Chris Rump put his body into many contests with good results and Paul LePage and Jack Hughes shored up the defence.
WARRAGUL continues to languish at the bottom of the ladder and are still winless after an 89-point loss to Bairnsdale. The Redlegs, the home team, wrapped up the game in the opening term with eight goals while keeping the Gulls goalless.
Warragul was outscored in every quarter and, with several injuries, looks to be in for a lean second half of the season.
Bairnsdale forward Mark Sellings exhibited canny judgement and strong hands by kicking 10 goals, many set up by fellow forward Michael Preston.
Half-backs Owen McKenzie and Joel Waters linked the defence with the midfield well and Daniel Perrin did little wrong in the last line of defence.
For the Gulls, winger Ash Blackwood, midfielders Mitch Nobelius and Darcy Brown and half-back Joel Morgan all tried their heart out. Tom Carey and Josh Helliwell put in sustained efforts at the back and experienced ruckman Mark Bradley was seldom pushed off the ball.
WONTHAGGI romped home by 53 points against Morwell. The Tigers showed plenty of fight in the opening term but could not maintain the intensity over the ensuing quarters.
The Power dominated the centre clearances and used the ball far more crisply. Half-backs Dean Jenkins and Andrew Seccull offered tremendous drive and teamed well with ruck-rover Lucas White, who was strong overhead.
Coach Leigh McDonald (five goals) and ex-coach Paul Brosnan fed the Power forwards on a regular basis. Matt Kremer and Aaron Winter, four goals apiece, both capped off the good work up field.
Morwell centre-half-back Jack Brown produced another stellar effort and the usual suspects Joel Soutar, Rob Michaelides and Mannon Johnston all laboured hard in and around the midfield.
AFTER three losses in a row, Sale returned to the winning fold with a hard-fought 10-point victory over Maffra on Sunday.
The Magpies appeared to have the measure of the Eagles at three-quarter-time when they led by 32 points but had to withstand a strong last-term comeback by Maffra.
The Eagles kicked three goals but threw away the opportunity to snatch victory with some wayward kicking that yielded a further eight behinds, another four shots on goal sailing out on the full.
Sale half-back Jamie Sweeney and centreman Corey Scholtes played commanding games, Taylor Collins curbed Maffra dynamo Gary Jones and Kane Fraser quelled the influence of key Eagle forward Daniel Stubbe while Andrew Quirk was rock solid in defence.
For Maffra, its runners Ben Coleman, Kelvin Porter and Daniel O’Brien provided spark, centre-half-back Ben Batalha marshalled the defence and half-back Josh Stubbe was superb in the last quarter.
ROUND 11 TIPS:
Warragul v MORWELL
WONTHAGGI v Sale
MAFFRA v Leongatha
TRARALGON v Drouin
MOE v Bairnsdale
