UNDERDOG Warragul worked hard to stay in touch with unbeaten Leongatha, with the Gulls just 16 points behind at the long break.
The Parrots were creating opportunities but struggling to make them count on the scoreboard, managing just 4.7(31) in the first half.
“They had a heap of kids playing so they were enthusiastic and I thought they played really well in the first half, and you could tell they had a fair bit of energy about them,” Leongatha coach Trent McMicking said of the spirited opposition his side encountered.
The Parrots slammed on five goals to one in the third term, ensuring their winning run wouldn’t yet be halted.
Justin Pellicano returned to action for Leongatha after time on the sidelines recovering from a nasty knock to the knee, and had an impact with a couple of goals.
That scoring output was matched by fellow Parrots Tallin Brill, Kim Drew and Lachie Wright, showing once again that Leongatha has plenty of avenues to goal.
Jed Lamb was again a focal point for Warragul up forward, booting a couple of goals to take his season tally to 57, which has him leading the competition’s spearheads.
Lamb could have finished with a more profitable return were it not for a few shots registering behinds, but was well contained by Jackson Harry in the second half.
Another prominent goalkicker for the Parrots, Jack Ginnane, has just one less major than Hillberg but appears to have had his season ended by a hefty suspension of eight matches following a round 12 incident in which Wonthaggi’s Jordan Staley was injured.
Jack Hume sits next on the Parrots’ goalkicking table but couldn’t add to his tally of 25 during the encounter with the Gulls.
The victory gives Leongatha the edge in away contests at Warragul, with the Parrots having now won 31 of those battles to the Gulls’ 30.
Leongatha has now won its last three clashes with Warragul, with the Gulls holding sway by a solitary point before that run commenced.
On Saturday, Jake van der Pligt featured prominently in Leongatha’s best, winning the footy impressively in close, as he makes strong progress since his return from injury and illness.
Luther Juric, up against his old side, excelled on a wing and up forward for Leongatha, using his strength effectively and topping the Parrots’ best players list.
“His work rate and effort and his run both ways, defensive and offensive, was a real highlight for us,” McMicking said.
Cam Stone and Luke Bowman were solid as usual for the Parrots, with Ned Hanily again impressing with his hard work and pressure.
Cade Maskell made a welcome return for the Parrots having recovered from a hamstring injury.
“He had an influence straight away and took a heap of marks in the first half,” McMicking said of Maskell’s importance across halfback.
Despite falling away in the second half, Warragul’s losing margin of 63 points was a slight improvement on the sides’ round 6 clash in which the Parrots prevailed by 68 points.
