Team’s full Power at long last

By Marc McGowan
IT MAY have taken six matches, but the Gippsland Power everyone’s been waiting for finally turned up against the Western Jets at Burbank Oval on Sunday.
And the Power boys did it without their Victoria Country team-mates, who took part in a trial match against Victoria Metro on the weekend.
Gippsland’s opponent was also missing its representative players, but the visitors handled their absentees better in their comfortable 66-point victory.
It was the likes of unsung Power players Mannon Johnston, all 168cm of him, and ruckman Chris Wylie (22 hit-outs) who stepped up to help demolish the Jets.
Western booted the opening goal of the game before Gippsland managed 10 of the next 11 majors to half-time to establish a match-winning 48-point advantage.
The Power used the ball beautifully and constantly had the Jets under pressure going the other way.
Johnston kicked three goals in the opening two quarters and had a hand in two others in a breakout game at this level.
He added a fourth in the second half.
Experienced campaigners Jordan Dessent, Dean Woodhead, Nick Sing, Mitch Dowse and David Donchi were others who rose to the occasion.
Gippsland coach Damian Carroll also singled out Michael Ross for his performance after sitting last year out due to injury.
The game evened up after the long break, but the Power managed to extend its lead to 56 courtesy of a four-goal-to-three term.
Western scored the first major of the final quarter, but Gippsland switched on again to slot four of the last six goals of the contest.
Carroll was delighted with his side’s second win of the season.
“We probably felt that two of our losses have resulted just from what’s happened in the first 15 minutes of the game, so we set a real focus on starting the game well,” he said.
“To the boys’ credit they really did that and, even though the Jets kicked the first goal, we were pretty dominant in the first half.”
Power stars John Butcher, Koby Stevens and Nathan Vardy will play for Victoria Country next week, while Russell Lehman and Edward Carr are also in contention.
Mitch Golby was another in the mix before injuring his medial ligament in the trial match.
“It’s really exciting to see them step up to another level and it gives a lot of others the chance to see them in terms of coming into Gippsland Power,” Carroll said.
“(The ones who missed out) just have to persevere.
“A lot of the players who play in the championships don’t get drafted and a lot that don’t play do, so they just need to keep working at.”
Gippsland locks horns with the in-form Bendigo Pioneers at Dandenong’s Shepley Oval on Saturday from 2pm.