AN INSPIRATIONAL passage of play from young Parrot Ned Hanily summed up a stunning last term from Leongatha that ended Sale’s strong challenge and delivered a 3-goal win.

Hanily ran hard with the flight of the footy to effect a spoil, with the lightly built player then chasing hard and laying a fierce tackle, causing the ball to spill free and setting up a Leongatha goal.

After the match, Hanily summed up what was going through his mind at the time.

“Just attack and pressure and not letting them get away,” he said.

Despite his heroics, Hanily was surprised to receive the radio team’s player of the day, having not played much senior footy this season.

Leongatha found a higher level in the final quarter after leading by just a couple of points at the last change.

“You will work harder, run harder, hit up to the ball harder and get the job done,” Parrots coach Trent McMicking told his players at three quarter time, expressing confidence in their ability to do so. 

McMicking was delighted with the way his side finished the game, praising their response to a challenge.

“Our run, our burst, our ferocious forward footy,” were some of the final term attributes he praised.

Jack Ginnane and Aaron Hillberg were among those providing that ferocious forward footy, marking strongly and helping each other out with pinpoint passes.

They combined early in the last term, with Hillberg marking and finding Ginnane on the lead to set up a goal, providing the tone for the remainder of the game.
Despite his delight with how the match finished, McMicking said the Parrots’ second term effort will be reviewed.

After an impressive start, Leongatha led by 22 points at quarter time, but Sale hit back with four goals to one in the second stanza to cut the Parrots’ lead to a couple of points.

Leongatha’s Kim Drew, playing his first senior of the season, caught the coach’s eye.

“His inside contested work was really good,” McMicking said.

Ruckman Ben Willis again performed well throughout the game for the winning side, featuring prominently on the best players list, behind only Hanily.
Five Leongatha players managed two goals each.

Magpie Brad Dessent kept Leongatha’s defence busy, marking strongly, and his goal approaching time on in the last term cut Sales deficit to just 12 points.
Leongatha won’t have long to savour its hard-earned win, with the Parrots setting their sights on tough rival Wonthaggi.