THE crucial game between Traralgon and Wonthaggi started just as the home side would have wanted it to.
The contest was fierce at the first ball up with Jye Gilmour, Ollie Dawson and Jai Williams coming in quickly to help their onballers; Jasper Shone, Ryan Sparkes, Josh Bates and Anthony Anastasio but it was ultimately Traralgon who got the first clearance.
Matthew North to Connor Ambler was to become a well-worked combination throughout the day but on this occasion, it was key defender Shannon Bray who left his direct opponent Dylan Loprese in his wake to return fire, passing to Noah Anderson and on to Bates who hit up the leading Cooper McInnes in exactly the sort of play Wonthaggi fans hoped to see.
McInnes sprayed his shot wide from 50 metres but the attack was to lead to the first goal of the day, Wonthaggi kicking to the town end favoured by a two-goal breeze.
The umpires got it right when they awarded a free kick to Shone, after Luis D’Angelo dropped the ball in the tackle, but they missed an incorrect disposal free against North directly in front and failed to pay a mark to Bates after a clever kick from Gilmour.
Mabilia to Tiziani was the Power’s first score for a point.
Jai Williams marked the kick-in by Hourigan, dropped it into the hot spot, where McInnes made a good contest for the ball, and a soft bounce favoured Ollie Dawson who finished it off with a clever snap for goal.
It was just what the Power needed after peppering the scoring zone in the opening minutes.
Blake Cornellis was a late inclusion for James Lewis, and did well with two goals, Jack Blair and Jakeb Thomas were still missing with season-ending injuries and Kyle Reid was unavailable, but on the plus side, Port Melbourne recruit Anastasio was in for his third game for the Power and really complementing the team’s efforts with pace outside and effort at the stoppages.
Wonthaggi had the first three inside 50s and deserved the first goal, with Traralgon yet to get the ball into their scoring zone in the opening minutes. A great contest looked in prospect, especially given the same start in Round 7, with Wonthaggi desperately needing to beat the in-form Traralgon to retain their spot in the five.
The effort by Anastasio was good after the next centre bounce, and the attack on the ball by Jarvis Harvey and Hunter Tiziani, coming off half back and getting the ball across to Jarryd Blair in his 100th senior game for Wonthaggi, was also a promising sign. Anderson to Tiziani for the next shot on goal was reward for effort but again only a point resulted.
At this stage, Wonthaggi was showing the way and Traralgon’s players had barely got their hands on the ball.
But all that was about to change, the run of play, you would have to say, ruined by the trigger finger of an over-zealous umpire.
To give them their due, Traralgon worked it well out of defence through Membrey, Hourigan, Neocleous, Waack, North and finally Willaton who marked the ball but coming down, collided with Jarvis Harvey in an innocuous incident which resulted in a 50-metre penalty that was to change the course of the match.
It was a courageous effort by Willaton to go for the mark, but he was certainly putting himself in harm’s way, as you do, and Harvey was committed as well. It wasn’t a 50-metre incident.
From 40 metres out, he missed the shot, but Scholtes marked the kick in, found Jackson McMahon, then Dan McKenna for the first Maroons’ goal, and they were on their way.
Not to be deterred, Wonthaggi went into attack again through Shone out of the ruck, Ollie Dawson and the coach Jarryd Blair combining, and with good forward pressure they kept it in their scoring zone, needing to make an impact with the wind advantage.
The Power weren’t picking up the dangerous Waack, coming into the stoppages off his wing, but it was the Power which manufactured the next scoring effort, Kaj Patterson into the path of Anastasio who soccered through for a point when a goal would have been more welcome.
But the attack on the ball and forward pressure was commendable at this stage and forced a kick-out error from Traralgon, with Aiden Lindsay taking a tough shot from the boundary for a point.
Isaac Chugg and Jaxon Williams returned fire, setting up the wall across the centre line as Traralgon tried to clear the ball but a push in the back and 50-metre penalty to Tate Marsh allowed them to get the ball out of the danger zone. A Wonthaggi player had apparently strayed into the exclusion zone, but with the play on the boundary line, there wasn’t anywhere else to go.
Chugg was in the action again down back, but it was Traralgon’s Dunbar who sharked the ball and found the in-form McMahon, who kicked 10 against Drouin the week before, and he put the visitors in front for the first time in the match.
D’Angelo and Anastasio both had an arm across each other at the next centre bounce, but a tug of the jumper by the Wonthaggi player was seen by the umpires and Traralgon got the free, then a 50-metre penalty when Kaj Patterson followed an opponent into the protected zone. It was there but the harsh penalty resulted in a goal by Tristan Waack running free into the Traralgon 50.
Thereafter, Traralgon started to take control, with Hourigan locking down on his opponent McInnes, providing plenty of drive off half back and the talented Traralgon side more than capable of capitalizing on Power turnovers or errors.
In fact, they held Wonthaggi goalless from there through to half time, leading 9.6 to 1.7 at that stage, and realistically having the game in their keeping by the long break.
Wonthaggi narrowly won the second half, and especially in the last quarter, admittedly with the heat out of the contest, they played some pretty good footy, but they weren’t helped by poor kicking for goal.
Asked afterwards if he thought the umpiring ruined a good game, Wonthaggi coach Jarryd Blair said he couldn’t say much, but acknowledged it was “disappointing”.
“We generated a lot of scoring opportunities, but we didn’t help ourselves with a lot of points and too many errors. A good side like Traralgon is going to make you pay,” he said afterwards.
With Morwell pulling off an upset win over Moe and having the easier run to the finals through Sale and Bairnsdale, they look well placed to hold on to fifth spot now especially with Wonthaggi needing to beat Leongatha and Moe in consecutive weeks just to stay in the hunt.
