Gippsland Grand Final: No changes for Moe or Leongatha

BOTH the Gippsland League Grand Final favourites Moe, and their opponents Leongatha, go into Saturday’s grand final at Traralgon unchanged from the teams that last turned out for the clubs’ senior sides.

There has however been one change from the teams that represented the two clubs in that epic second semi-final at Morwell a couple of weeks ago.

Premiership defender, Sean Westaway, hasn’t fully recovered from a calf injury suffered in that game and while he has been named in Leongatha’s reserves’ team for Saturday’s grand final against Traralgon, he hasn’t been risked in the senior grand final line-up.

And if the four-point thriller at Morwell is anything to go by, Saturday’s senior grand final could be a game of millimetres.

Coming into the team that soundly defeated Warragul at Sale in last week’s preliminary final was Jay Walker, and he has retained his position after performing well in that game. A member of Leongatha’s 2025 premiership team, he offers Parrots’ coach Trent McMicking flexibility in the midfield and at either end should the need arise.

Westaway will be a loss however, both as a lockdown and attacking defender who has figured in all of the club’s past nine past grand final appearances.

There was disappointment too, on the other side, with Moe unable to fit one of the Lions’ spiritual leaders, Jacob Wood, into their star-studded line-up as they chase Moe’s first senior premiership in 59 years.

Moe deserves their favourite status, coming into this Saturday’s grand final, after winning 17 of their 18 home and away matches this year, and only lowering their colours once to Maffra, in a high-scoring affair, by five points back in June.

But, it needs to be balanced by the fact that Leongatha won last year’s grand final against Traralgon by 95 points, with substantially the same team.

Both go into Saturday’s grande finale with realistic chances of raising the cup.

The day starts at Traralgon at 8.30am with what should be one of the contests of the day, between two very talented under 16 teams, Traralgon and Leongatha, with a high level of skill sure to be on display in fine, fast conditions.

While Leongatha was out-gunned by Traralgon in the second-semi, they came through the preliminary final against Bairnsdale strongly and will definitely have benefitted by the extra finals’ match. Should be a beauty.

Leongatha is also represented in the 15&Under netball (9.45am start) and B Grade netball (1.30pm start) and reserves football (12.30pm start).

The Gippsland League Senior Grand Final starts at 2.30pm.