Did Easter crowds see three West Gippsland finalists?

ANY team that beats a fleet-footed, fit and well-drilled Warragul Industrials side this year will go a long way to winning the flag in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition in 2026.

It’s a small sample size, granted, after just two games to kick off the West Gippsland season, both in front of huge Easter Saturday crowds, in the tourist towns of Cowes and Inverloch.

But fans likely saw three of the comp’s finalists with Inverloch-Kongwak easy winners over Kilcunda-Bass and Phillip Island down but not out against Dusties at home.

IK unveiled the likes of Gippsland League MVP Ryan Sparkes and his Wonthaggi goal-kicking mate Jaxon Williams who finished with four, adding their strengths to an already talented line-up.

And while Phillip Island ultimately lowered its colours to a slick, stacked Dusties’ outfit by 38 points, they showed enough to suggest that they’ve improved too, adding former beanpole Moe ruckman, Chris Prowse, to an essentially homegrown but talented team.

Where Phillip Island’s group totalled practically the minimum 28 points under AFL Victoria’s Player Points System, Dusties put out a team with the maximum 42 points after adding the likes of forward Lachie Bambridge, onballer Boadie Motton and Hayden Baker in the offseason, with Goy Lok returning from the NT and recent additions Jeremy Monckton, Kuiy Jiath and Robert McCallum.

They looked good, very good, not only with Baker, Herbert, Motton and Will Gibson impressive around the contest, but also with Michael Debenham outstanding on the wing and tall timbers McCallum and Damian Leslie holding their own under the new rules with the 209cm Prowse.

For the Island, Kai Mackenzie was a major winner down back, single-handedly stopping lots of Dustie’s scores, Jack Taylor was a threat up forward throughout and Cam Pedersen moved himself forward and on to the ball as required to provide a spark.

At half time, Phillip Island were keeping pace with the visiting Dusties side, trailing by just two goals at that stage, but Warragul put on the first three goals after the restart, a controversial one off the turf by Mason McGarrity, another through Bambridge after a “hanger” in front of the clubrooms and a third from Kuiy Jiath, unstoppable on the lead, to take control.

They never relinquished it.