By Marc McGowan
Luke Tynan and his Gippsland Power team-mates recorded their fourth straight win at Morwell on Saturday. 31254 Picture: Luke Plummer
GIPPSLAND Power moved closer to a top-four spot with a 31-point victory over the Eastern Ranges in TAC Cup action at Morwell on Saturday.
The win was the Power’s fourth straight and fifth in six matches ahead of a blockbuster clash with unbeaten Geelong at home.
Both sides showed rust coming off the competition’s bye the previous weekend and the wet Morwell surface didn’t help.
Gippsland had its opportunities, but it was the Ranges who stole a slender six-point quarter-time lead courtesy of the game’s sole goal.
Eastern also slotted the opening major of the second term before a much-improved Power outfit snatched the ascendancy. Key forward Shaun Marusic booted Gippsland’s first goal and it seemed to break the shackles and majors to Russell Lehman, Jed Lamb and skipper Dean Woodhead soon followed.
Lehman (34 possessions) was his usual reliable self after returning from Victoria Country duties.
But the Ranges scored their third major on the cusp of half-time to restrict the margin to five points just as the Power looked set to enter the long break with all the momentum.
In-form forward trio Lamb, Marusic and Woodhead rose to the occasion in Gippsland’s match-winning third quarter.
Lamb slotted the Power’s first two goals of the term – either side of an Eastern major – before Marusic repeated the dose as the hosts well and truly established control.
Woodhead and the hard-working Kele Asa Leausa also managed majors before three-quarter-time as Gippsland amassed a 37-point buffer.
The Ranges kicked the first goal of the last term to threaten an unlikely fightback, but Lamb snuffed out the challenge with his fourth of the match after a long pass from Dyson Heppell (27).
It was Lamb’s third bag of four this season and he has 10 from his past three contests.
The Power booted two of the next three majors and looked headed for a big victory, but the visitors kicked two consolation goals to prevent a whitewash. Tim Northe (22) continued his rich vein of form in a best-on-ground display, while defenders Michael Ross (26) and Jack Weston and ruckman Chris Wylie (25 hit-outs) also impressed.
Gippsland coach Damian Carroll was pleased to notch up another victory.
“We probably struggled a little bit early, but we got on top throughout the course of the game – especially in the third quarter,” he said.
“So that was really pleasing to get on top and have a good win in the end fairly convincingly.”
Carroll is already looking ahead to what looms as his side’s biggest challenge of the year against the Falcons.
Geelong handed the Power its biggest loss of the year by 40 points in round two.
But Carroll feels his players are more prepared to take it up to the Falcons this time around.
“We’ve played some really good footy over the last six weeks and we’re looking forward to the challenge of taking them on in a crucial game,” he said.
“We’ve got to kick straighter – we kicked 2.8 in the first quarter last time.
“We’ve also had some guys come into the team who didn’t play last time – so we’re looking forward to seeing how the boys go against a quality opposition.” The much-anticipated clash starts at 1pm on Saturday in Morwell.
