Great ruck battle in prospect

PLAN A for both clubs in the Gippsland League Senior Grand Final this Saturday, September 23 at Morwell, Wonthaggi Power and Leongatha, will be “play your role”.

Both sides have their strengths forward, back and in the middle and you’d be a fool to ignore that, but across the lines, you’ve also got player-after-player who knows how to do their job.

Plan B, of course, would have to include locking down on Leongatha’s playmakers Tom Marriott and Aaron Heppell and the in-form forward Cameron Olden but equally, both Connor McInnes and Jack Hutchinson for Wonthaggi are capable of getting off the chain in attack, while Isaac Chugg provides blistering pace and a super boot off the wing; so how far do you go?

Also, up forward for Wonthaggi, Troy Harley, and a revelation in attack this year, Noah Anderson, can turn it on in bursts, as too can Jack Hume, Jenson Garnham and Jack Ginnane for Leongatha.

Wonthaggi gets a lot of its drive from Ryan Sparkes, Isaac Chugg, the coach himself Jarryd Blair and both Jack Blair and Tim Knowles coming out of defence but Leongatha’s Cade Maskell at half back and Sean Westaway on the full back line lead a defence that is at least the equal of Wonthaggi’s.

So, overall, simply matching up the opposition’s strengths isn’t really an option, which makes this game such an absorbing wildcard in prospect.

But, there will still be some terrific matchups to look out for.

Key among them will be in the ruck, and around the ground for the team’s two main ruckmen, Ben Willis of Leongatha and Toma Huther for Wonthaggi. They are the classic contrast in ruckmen, Ben Willis with the strength and bulk, but with an uncanny ability to capture the loose ball around the packs to put it to advantage. Huther is the complete big man, highly experienced as a tap ruckman, capable mark, athletic, mobile and instinctive.

Expect them both to play crucial roles for their teams but the secret as to who wins the rucking role on the day could come down to Wonthaggi’s ability to have several players sharing the load; Jakeb Thomas, Troy Harley and Jordan Staley among them while Leongatha’s go-to relief ruckman is Aaron Hillberg, admittedly in some of the best form of his life.

On-the-ball too, both teams have matching strengths; the 2022 Trood Award and Rodda Medal winner Tom Marriott starting to hit form at the right time of the year, Aaron Heppell, Noah Gown, Kim Drew, Jake van der Pligt and Luke Bowman for Leongatha and the likes of Ryan Sparkes, Aiden Lindsay, Brodie Mabilia, Jarryd Blair, Tom Murray and Mitch Hayes for Wonthaggi.

Either Aiden Lindsay or Brodie Mabilia may have an accountable role on Marriott, while also doing their own thing, but the others will most likely be playing to their own strengths, a contest-after-contest battle for the ball, with history in the making.

They say that premiership teams are always built on defence and here, in Leongatha and Wonthaggi, we have defensive units of the highest order, admittedly with two similar intercept marking and distributing stars, Kyle Reid for Wonthaggi and Guy Dickson for Leongatha missing, more’s the pity.

The unavailability of these players, for different reasons, cancel each other out but there’s a lot to like about the “back six” both will put out on Saturday; for Wonthaggi Shannon Bray, Jakeb Thomas, Jaxon Williams, Fergus O’Connor, Tim Knowles and Jack Blair with Josh Schulz and Jordan Staley also likely to work through there as well. And for Leongatha Sam Forrester, Cade Maskell, Will Littlejohn, Travis Nash, Sean Westaway and Harry Jackson with tall Gippsland Power defender, Wil Dawson also a possible inclusion, dependent on match-ups.

Both groups are capable of matching it with the different strengths that the opposition forwards bring; their high marking, fast leading and creative skills, and each team has midfielders and flankers capable of lending a hand. So it won’t be easy and you’d have to expect a low-scoring affair, with the defence of both sides on top, regardless of the weather which is expected to be absolutely ideal for the grand finale to the 2023 Gippsland League competition.
 

‘What we do stacks up,’ says Blair

JARRYD Blair’s influence is all over the Wonthaggi Football Netball Club, from junior development, which he has insisted involves the club’s senior players, right through to the club’s development squad in the reserves and the senior team.

You can see his meticulous preparation in the players, his own skill set including clinical passing, personal responsibility to get the ball, and willingness to provide selfless options and support.

There’s also a calm understanding of what’s required, built on his own stellar career at Collingwood, where his never-say-die attitude won him a place in the 2010 Premiership team, life membership and several club honours that were more about the man than the ball.

Getting him back to Wonthaggi at the start of the 2021 season, after two years as a playing assistant at Port Melbourne, was a recruiting coup for the Power and they’ve rallied around him, with quality local players coming through the ranks or locally, adding pace, balance and enthusiasm to the nucleus of an already competitive unit.

Despite the challenges that come with being at the furthest end of the Gippsland competition, they finished on top and earned only their third place in a Gippsland grand final at Morwell two weekends ago.

“It’s even better that we got challenged a number of times and I thought we had more to give. We stuck to the task all day. It’s like this boys, all of the opposition you come up against at this time of the year are quality but we know that what we do stacks up,” he said after the game.

It was then all about preparation and if ever a Wonthaggi team is ready to win the town’s first Gippsland premiership in 100 years, it’s this Power team under Jarryd Blair, and don’t underestimate the value of having a coach on the ground who can influence the result firsthand.

The players had a one-and-a-half-hour competitive session last Saturday, with Jordan Staley training and available. All players, apart from Kyle Reid, are available for selection.
 

Clash ‘enormous’ says Leongatha coach

CHECKING his phone for a final score from the Tarwin Reserves versus Yinnar grand final, at Morwell East on Saturday, a delighted Leongatha coach Trent McMicking had time to reflect on two happy events on the day, after Leongatha won through to successive Gippsland League grand finals.

“Yes, they won,” said McMicking of his former club, the Tarwin Sharks.

Brother Johnathan McMicking had kicked a goal in the Sharks’ 32-point victory.

But the focus soon turned to next week.

“Rest and recovery to start with, it was pretty warm up here today and then, I think, we just go ahead and enjoy it. We’ve got the South Gippsland clash a lot of people wanted, which is enormous for us all, and we just go forward with whatever we’ve got and try and get it done.”

Whatever happens, it will be a virtual clean sweep of local premierships with Fish Creek and Inverloch-Kongwak also claiming the Mid Gippsland and West Gippsland titles at the weekend.

Asked about the preliminary final against Moe, he said it was physical.

“Slugfest would be the first thing that comes to mind. I thought we were super early, super-skilled, super-polished and we were able to put the pressure on in the second half. We had a lot of opportunities but couldn’t quite get the goals, kicking I think 2.8 in the second half. But our pressure was A1, and, thankfully, that’s why we go into another grand final.”

McMicking said the team had a strong contribution from all 22 players, an improvement on the previous week against Wonthaggi, with a pleasing response from on-field leaders including Tom Marriott and Aaron Heppell on the ball, Marriott also helping to kerb the efforts of Moe star Riley Baldi. Cade Maskell and Sean Westaway, in his best form of the season, were others mentioned.