Mighty Sharks go down to Magpies

By Rob Popplestone

AS GOOD as some players, and indeed some teams have been throughout the 2022 season, it is always around this time of year that reputations can be made or lost.

Performing in the big games, in the big finals is what good footballers and great teams do.

The league had welcomed six former Alberton League clubs into the Mid Gippsland competition in recent years making it 13 teams strong.

But it was only this season after the dreaded COVID pandemic that provided the first opportunity to reach a Grand Final.

Newborough had already booked their place in the big dance, and there was strong support for Tarwin to fly the flag for those who had for so long followed football in South Gippsland.

Sharks go down

The questions on most football fan’s lips prior to the weekend’s preliminary final, centred around whether even Tarwin, the team that sat atop the MGFNL ladder for almost every week of the year could stop the unbelievable run of success enjoyed by Yinnar over the past month and a half.

The Magpies may have fallen into sixth spot on the back of some lucky results, but there was no doubting their belief that they deserved to be where they were.

“Another outstanding performance by the boys, we came in with a plan to put it on Tarwin early as we thought they’d be feeling the pressure, to their credit they came out firing and really put the pressure on us early,” said Daniel Taylor, Yinnar coach.

“We settled and worked ourselves into the game and went in at quarter time probably lucky to be within a kick. 

“After quarter time the boys got to work and really started to dominate the game, our tackling pressure was right up which was led by the midfield group, and then our decision making and ball use going forward was fantastic. 

“It was just another really good team effort right across the board which is what you need at this time of year to win big games of footy.

“Really happy and proud of the boys’ effort, we’ve had our backs to the wall a lot this season but the character, fight and determination the group has shown all season has been second to none.

“I also want to give a shout out to Troy and the Tarwin boys, they’re a really good team and Troy’s done a really good job to get them to the pointy end of the season in his first year at the club.”

The result was obviously not what the Sharks wanted, but for a young group the potential is obvious to the coach of the year.

“Yinnar just had a little bit more experience than us, they have a lot of quality players,” said Troy Hemming, Tarwin coach.

“We made some critical errors in bad areas of the ground. Ben Ellen, our captain left everything on field and shows why he is captain of the team of the year.

“Noah Hickman fought hard all day! We are a very young group and it’s been a privilege to coach these boys this year.”

It can be heartbreaking for a side that finishes on top and then is bundled out in straight sets. 

But this year like no other, the margin for error that determines a win or loss is so small that you might not have lost but just been behind when the final siren has gone. 

As good as the entire season has been, you cannot help but be excited at what lies ahead on Saturday, September 10, at the Morwell East football ground as Newborough now prepare to take on Yinnar.