LIKE Traralgon and Maffra before it, the Leongatha Parrots look to have entered an era of dominance in the Gippsland League with four premierships and a minor ‘COVID’ premiership in the past seven years.
They’ve also claimed three reserves premierships in the past four seasons of completed competition.
Last Saturday they went back-to-back in both divisions with an all-the-way win in the seniors over near neighbours Wonthaggi, a team that had beaten them convincingly in two of the three meetings during the year, including in the Second-Semi-final at Morwell two weeks earlier.
But unknown to many, the Power’s spiritual and figurative leader, their playing coach Jarryd Blair had suffered a debilitating calf injury in that game and it was to seriously hamper his efforts in the grand final.
The Parrots dominated the opening quarter to have four goals on the board, without answer, Mason McGannon, Aaron Hillberg, Cameron Olden and Jemson Garnham the scorers before Brodie Mabilia could reply with an opportunist snap at the midway stage, after a spectacular mark by Jack Hutchinson, who had been launching himself into the play.
Rising star for the Parrots Aaron Turton responded following good lead up work by Tom Marriott and Aaron Heppell, who were going about their business on the ball but hopes were raised of a Power revival when Isaac Chugg found Wonthaggi captain Aiden Lindsay 40 metres out.
His ‘captain’s goal’ was just the tonic the Power needed after a slow start and soon after Jack Hutchinson had the ball again, on a tough angle with only a point the result.
It was shortly after that when the game started to go a little pear-shaped for the Power when goal kicker Tom Davey was ‘yellow’ carded and sent to the bench for 15 minutes for an unsighted incident, in the play.
But the Power had settled somewhat and they went to the first huddle shaken by the Parrots’ opening and stirred by Davey’s expulsion but not beaten.
However, within minutes of the restart, Mason McGannon received from an elusive Cameron Olden and snapped a goal after which Tom Marriott received a free kick and banged it through from 50 metres out. It was a stunning blow.
Leongatha were playing well, kicking with uncanny accuracy and also getting the ‘rub of the green’ from the umpires in a clinical display only slowed by Wonthaggi’s courageous defenders among them Fergus O'Connor on Olden, Tim Knowles and Jack Blair.
After a period of tight defence at both ends, and a competitive period on the ball, it was Leongatha who broke through first; Aaron Heppell decisive to Jack Hume who passed superbly to Kim Drew for a goal… Leongatha was six goals up and unlikely to lose it from there, as the first half ticked down.
Leongatha created the overlap with run-on play and could have had another soon after through Olden and McGannon again but a rare point resulted and Wonthaggi raced it up the other end to where Cooper McInnes received a free kick while going for a pack mark.
He slotted his only goal from close range, a “much-needed one” being very much the understatement at this point.
McInnes was another of the Power players hampered by injuries to his hands, stopping him from finishing off a stellar season for Wonthaggi in style on the big stage.
At this point disaster struck the Power when the umpires ‘red carded’ Tom Davey after what looked to be an innocuous bump, he was sent off, the Power were down to 17 men and adding insult to injury Jake van der Pligt was awarded a free kick and 50 metres for the easiest of goals.
The Parrots’ six-goal lead was restored and even at half time, they were the dominant side, getting a contribution from everyone, looking much better on a fast track at Morwell, and clearly having run themselves into form during the finals after an indifferent end to the home-and-away season.
There was to be no coming back from there with the Parrots literally answering every Power challenge with five goals to the Power’s four in the second half.
You had to hand it to the Parrots for the way they’d played on the day and that’s just what a magnanimous Power coach Jarryd Blair did on the presentation dais afterwards.
“Congratulations to Leongatha. They’ve been the premier club of the past few years and just too good today,” said Blair.
He said he was however “super proud” of his own team's season, he said that they would go away and learn from the experience and come back stronger.
Tom Marriott and Aaron Heppell were named the umpires' best player and Stan Aitken Medal winners, but you could have thrown a blanket over 10 or a dozen winning Leongatha players.
Final scores 14.5.89 def Wonthaggi 7.7.49.
