GARFIELD kept its slim finals hopes alive on Saturday when it notched its fourth consecutive victory in a nailbiting affair against Leongatha at Garfield.
The Stars trailed at every change but after a fivegoal burst in the last quarter they sneaked away to a 19point leads late in the last quarter before the neversaydie Parrots launched a final assault to get within a kick.
Down by just five points, Leongatha had the ball on the wing and was about to go deep into attack when the siren sounded to save Garfield from defeat.
It was an enthralling battle between the two clubs which shared the same colours, but are now developing a healthy rivalry in their first year in the same competition.
The game was played in front of one of the best crowds seen at Garfield this season and the close finish ensured the supporters were in full voice right to the final bell.
Garfield entered the game with an injury cloud hanging over star centreman Andy Soumilas, who was forced to play deep in the forward line. Even not fully fit, his value couldn’t be underestimated and he finished with five goals.
Soumilas’ absence could have left the Stars vulnerable in the middle of the ground, but the performances of Ben Marsh and Jake Hower in recent weeks have more than filled the void.
Marsh is in careerbest form and he was again prominent on Saturday, laying countless tackles and giving the Stars great drive out of the middle.
Hower, still just 21, seems to have relished the stepup in competition this year as his game continues to improve each week. He stood up when it counted most on Saturday, winning the ball out of the middle a number of times in the tense final quarter.
Garfield’s onballers were helped by the excellent ruckwork of Tom Marsh. The younger Marsh has hit his straps in the past three weeks and has been one of the keys to Garfield’s improved form.
Garfield’s defence was held together by coach Ben Soumilas, who took 10 strong marks across the halfback line and repelled the Parrots on many occasions.
Up forward, Andy Soumilas had good support from Neville Bow, Matt Cunningham and Mal McKenna, whose four goals took him past 500 for his career.
Garfield needs to beat the undefeated Maffra at Maffra this week, or hope Moe loses to Drouin, to have any chance of making the finals.
While September action is unlikely, Garfield’s form in the past month has shown it is far from out of its depth in the new West Gippsland Latrobe competition.
RESERVES
Garfield entered Saturday’s game against Leongatha full of confidence after last week’s win against Drouin, but their hopes were dashed and they lost to the Parrots by 11 goals.
The Stars started well and trailled by just four goals at halftime before Leongatha ran away with the game in the second half.
Ryan Naylor continued his outstanding season for Garfield, kicking three goals, while Warren James, Justin Tivendale and Brendan Cremin were also good players.
Garfield could also take heart from the good form of 2004 senior premiership players Shaun Slama and Jim Marsh, who both put in solid games.
Slama and Marsh have both missed most of the season through work commitments and injury but are now back on track to playing their best football and will give the senior list some depth for the rest of the season.
