LEONGATHA has come on strong after a solid opening quarter by Wonthaggi to run away with the first South Gippsland Showdown of 2025 in impressive style.
The Parrots and the Power were sitting equal top after seven rounds, 6 and 1, and the game shaped as a ripper between two evenly matched teams.
But the inclusion of Dyson Heppell for his second game of the season proved crucial as he used his elite running power and skills to set up the hometown win.
But he wasn’t on his own with Luke Bowman equally impressive of the ball and there were plenty of others besides, front and back, as the Parrots hit their straps in the second quarter and went away with it from there.
The sun popped out for the start of the game but there had been enough rain prior to make it a slippery-ball start and the in-form Ryan Sparkes summed it up from the outset, toeing the ball forward from the very first centre bounce.
Cooper McInnes was alert to the opportunity and ran on to the loose ball and slotted it through for Wonthaggi’s first goal within 30 seconds.
Only a few minutes later, Jarryd Blair got the ball away from another stoppage and combined well Kaj Patterson and Jaxon Williams, also with Brodie Mabilia making a good contest when the ball came in. Jai Williams was awake to the chance and got it to Jaxon Williams who was looping around for a well worked goal.
Tallin Brill was busy around the ball and combined with Luke Bowman to get the ball forward for the Parrots but just as Isaac Chugg and Ethan Dickison looked like sweeping is away from the danger zone, Ty Hall threw himself in for a great smother and followed up with the Parrots’ first goal, a much-needed one, bouncing through, out of reach of the chasing Power defender.
The 150-gamer Shannon Bray was taking a turn in the ruck, sharing it with Jasper Shone, while Ben Willis was the main stay for Leongatha with Jacob Warne pitching in now and again.
Luke Bowman, Kim Drew and Dyson Heppell were the other Parrot on-ballers against Ryan Sparkes, Kaj Patterson, Kyle Yann and a few others going through there.
In a purple patch from him, Jai Williams might have kicked a couple more for the Power, but his first shot resulted in a point, and he missed a sitter running free towards goal after good work by Noah Anderson and Cooper McInnes.
The Parrots were trying to get their defence sorted but despite their talented personnel back there, including Kade Maskell, Sam Forrester, and Sean Westaway, Wonthaggi was creating plenty of opportunities.
Wonthaggi’s forward pressure was good not only from the likes of Josh Bates and Jarryd Blair but also with Shannon Bray coming in off the ball.
Jye Gilmour into his work down back following his return this week, Isaac Chugg and Kyle Reid, at his intercept best, were winners for Power as the Parrots had trouble penetrating the scoring zone.
Wonthaggi’s McInnes, Jai Williams, Sparkes and Mabilia combined to bang it forward again, but Cade Maskell was camped under the ball and took a pressure mark to relieve.
The Wonthaggi Williams brothers Jai and Jaxon combined well for another goal at the 25-minute mark.
Leongatha, meanwhile was blazing away into the forward line, without an obvious target and Wonthaggi was constantly clearing it away with ease. An adjustment was going to be needed at quarter time.
Dyson Heppell and Ryan Sparkes were facing off at the stoppages and it was interesting to see two quality footballers plying their trade. Both Bowman and Brill were doing well for the Parrots.
Quarter time Leongatha 1.1.7 to Wonthaggi 3.2.20.
At the first centre bounce after the break it was Ben Willis opposed to Jasper Shone, Ryan Sparkes and Dyson Heppell with an arm across, Luke Bowman and Tom Marriott in there, Josh Bates and Kyle Yann for Wonthaggi as Leongatha went into attack first via Heppell.
Heppell’s work rate was elite and he continued to get to contests. Luke Bowman to Jenson Garnham was a better look for the Parrots and they closed the margin after three minutes.
Not to be outdone, Sparkes got the next centre clearance and with Blair, Bates and Mabilia getting a hand in and McInnes kicking it out of the air, the ball finished up in the arms of a fast-leading Shone in a promising attack that ultimately amounted to nought.
Leongatha had lifted the tempo and after Justin Pellicano took a shot for a point, Tom Marriott used his strength around the packs to snap a beauty for the Parrots to make it one point the difference in a tight contest at a packed Parrot Park.
Leongatha were pressing again soon after and when Garnham earned a free 25 metres out and slotted it, the home side had hit the front.
Dyson Heppell, Ben Willis, Bowman, Drew, Brill and co had lifted and the Parrots were suddenly running in twos and threes, finding space and looking the team most likely to score halfway through the term where they had previously been on the defensive.
Luke Bowman wrapped up Kaj Patterson, was awarded a free and his long-shot for goal capped off a great quarter and a half by the Leongatha onballer, getting back to some of his very best footy.
Now Leongatha’s forward pressure was in evidence as they held the ball in the scoring zone against the top-flight Wonthaggi Power back six including Kyle Reid, Isaac Chugg, Jye Gilmour, Josh Schulz, Eathan Dickison and co.
Reeve Moresco, Spakes, Tom Macmillan and Hunter Tiziani team well to get it forward but the long ball was easy pickings for Kade Maskell and with Westaway and Travis Nash switching to Sam Forrester the ball was away again.
Jarryd Blair inserted himself into the fray and his well-weighted pass found Jai Williams on the lead, taking a fine contested mark overhead and kicking a pressure goal.
At the next centre bounce, Brodie Mabilia was taking a turn in the ruck against Ben Willis, Luke Bowman was opposed to Ryan Sparkes, Dyson Heppell was being closely checked by Kyle Yann and the two number ‘8s’ Tom Marriott and Kaj Patterson were closing in on the ball together.
But it was Leongatha who got it forward next to where Garnham and Nick Argento combined for the answering goal within seconds, Argento something of a contortionist as he screwed it around.
The high-level talents of Dyson Heppell were on show next as he got on the move away from the stoppage, received the ball on the logo from ruckman Ben Willis and kicked a beauty to round out the first half with Leongatha’s sixth for the term, against one from Power.
Leongatha were in charge going into the long break and Wonthaggi all-of-a-sudden had the task in front of them
Half time: Leongatha 7.3.45 to Wonthaggi 4.2.26.
Wonthaggi was first to score after half time when Cooper McInnes earned a free kick but they really needed him to kick a goal given the state of play.
Bray was back in the ruck after a spell on the sidelines after a knock and was throwing himself in and making a difference at the stoppages.
But it was Leongatha who got the first in the second half, Nick Argento sharking the tap, on to Dyson Heppell and then Garnham who marked and went back and kicked their eighth after eight minutes.
Even at this early stage, 24 points in front, Leongatha had the match well and truly under control.
Leongatha’s Ty Hall was busy and the Parrots had their tails up across the ground.
Dyson Heppell continued to get to every contest, Luke Bowman was marking Ryan Sparkes and still getting his fair share himself, it getting it out to Tallin Brill for the next Parrot goal.
The sting had gone out of the contest by halfway through the third quarter and it looked ‘how far the Parrots’.
Bowman was proving just as damaging as Dyson Heppell, and from a distance, with the same haircut, it was hard to pick the difference at times but either way, they were destroying the Power at the stoppages.
A fumble by Tallin Brill, his only clanger for the day messed up a certain goal but first-gamer Aydan Williams made amends. He was making presence felt, going back to take a mark at half back, following the good work of Maskell and Forrester, then running forward once more to be an option close to goal.
A fine tackle by Ben Grabham-Andrews on Sparkes kept the ball going Leongatha’s way, Justin Pelicano won a contest, Nick Argento chipped in with a handball to Dyson Heppell, and with Drew, Warne, Garnham and Brill getting a hand on it, Aydan Williams was there to cap it off with a fine snap. They all got around him after his first goal.
Not long after that Brill delivered the coup de grace when he marked near goal, gave the Jack Ginnivan salute, and popped it through.
Dyson Heppell combined with Justin Pellicano to set that one up and they provided the ammunition soon after as Garnham kicked one more. It was all over in the shadows of three-quarter time.
Right on the siren, Cooper McInnes took a good contested mark in the teeth of goals and after the siren, went back and kicked Power’s only one for the quarter.
Three-quarter time: Leongatha 12.4.76 to Wonthaggi 5.4.34.
It was more of the same in the last quarter, Dyson Heppell getting it forward to where Brill took a contested grab before goaling, and Luke Bowman earning a free kick and 50 metre penalty the hard way before goaling from 40 metres out.
There wasn’t a lot of joy for the Power as Leongatha kept up the pressure, with Aydan Williams getting his second for the day after a nice mark.
The Power combined well to get one against the run of play through the good work of Shannon Bray, Sparkes, Jaxon Williams, Hunter Tiziani and finally Noah Anderson on the run for a beauty but again the Parrots had the answer.
They repelled the Power’s next attack via a Westaway tackle on McInnes and down the other end it was superb footy as Luke Bowman cleared the ball from the stoppage with a handball to Aaron Heppell, Argento chipping in again with a creative handball to the running Dyson Heppell for a classy strike.
Ty Hall on the burst away from a stoppage up forward soon after and this time it was Argento capping off a fine game by him with a late goal.
It was all over and Leongatha had won the latest version of the South Gippsland Showdown by an impressive 72 points.
Final score Leongatha 17.10.112 to Wonthaggi 6.4.40.
