WONTHAGGI Power have kept alive their slim hopes of making the Gippsland League finals with an upset, 16-point victory over their neighbouring rivals and ladder-leaders Leongatha in a dour struggle at Wonthaggi on Saturday.
Either Warragul or Morwell have to lose games next week against lower ranked opponents, Drouin and Bairnsdale respectively, and Wonthaggi have to repeat the heroics of last Saturday against Moe this week, away at Ted Summerton Reserve, to make it.
But it’s a long shot.
So, how did they beat the top side on Saturday when little more than a month ago, they lost to the previously winless Drouin by 11 points?
Power was without the likes of Kyle Reid, Jakeb Thomas, Josh Bates and their recent addition Anthony Anastasio, who was recalled by Port Melbourne, but they also targeted Leongatha’s playmakers out of defence, including Sam Forrester and Cade Maskell, locked down on the Parrots’ forwards in a masterful display down back, and matched them at the stoppages.
Sounds easy enough but they needed to maintain concentration on that task all day, something they haven’t always done in games this year, to pull off a remarkable result.
Not that Leongatha wasn’t missing players too with prime movers Luke Bowman and Tom Marriott among those on the sidelines and Sean Westaway another of the first-choice players out.
But, no excuses. The teams were well matched on the day, so much so that the play shifted end to end throughout with not much scoring being done, the heavy conditions and occasional showers of rain playing into the defenders’ hands where a number of the day’s best players featured on both sides.
Wonthaggi’s Shannon Bray was well matched on burly Leongatha forward Justin Pellicano, young Jarvis Harvey on returning Leongatha sharpshooter Jenson Garnham, Jaxon Williams on prolific Parrots’ goal kicker Patrick Ireland and the talented Power defender Isaac Chugg playing the clean-up role to perfection.
They had the Parrots’ scoring power neutralized for much of the day, allowing them just 4.11 and many of those points being “rushed” but they relied heavily on the ruck-roving of Brodie Mabilia, Ryan Sparkes accountable on Aaron Heppell or Kim Drew and Kaj Patterson busy throughout and Aiden Lindsay stepping up to the midfield again in the absence of Bates, to stop supply.
In the end, it was Cooper McInnes, leading up strongly to some well-weighted passes that made the difference, kicking three goals in a low scoring affair.
Watching from the sidelines Leongatha champion, Curly Salmon, nailed it at half time, when he said Leongatha was being led to the ball by Wonthaggi, especially in the opening quarter, weren’t hard enough at the contest, and needed to get the ball in quickly to their key forwards so their small forwards could go to work.
Leongatha coach Trent McMicking acknowledged it was Wonthaggi’s first quarter, in which they peppered the scoring zone for 3.5 to the Parrots’ one goal that proved the difference on the day.
“They could have been further in front at that stage,” he said later.
Wonthaggi coach Jarryd Blair was full of praise for his team afterwards, especially after the poor showing the week before against Traralgon.
“Just think about how that feels and what it took to get there today,” he said singling out a number of players for their roles including Jaxon and Jai Williams and Ryan Sparkes, to name a few.
Match details: Little more than a minute in, Jarryd Blair capitalised on a turnover by Jai Williams and Hunter Tiziani to run on to the loose ball and kick the opener but it was to be sometime before either side kicked another.
Isaac Chugg was already punching the ball clear in defence and both sides had shots before Patrick Ireland kicked long and straight for the equaliser. But Wonthaggi had more of the play and Aiden Lindsay got the answer quickly followed by a late one to Hunter Tiziani which was reward for effort just before the siren sounded.
To the Parrots’ credit, they came back to hit the front in the second quarter with Ned Hanily in the right spot to capitalise on the fall of the ball and later, Tallin Brill passing to Jenson Garnham on the lead. Hanily and Heppell combined in a good scoring chance later but it was touched.
In a key passage of play late, Jarvis Harvey was awarded a free on the wing, but complaints from the Leongatha crowd mostly, resulted in a generous 50 metre penalty and a goal against the run of play for Power.
Cade Maskell was having a purple patch down back and Aaron Heppell was busy but there were to be no more scores with Leongatha attacking at the end of the first half.
There was only five points in it at the long break but in an absorbing man-on-man contest during the third quarter, just one more goal was added after Cade Brown earned a free kick and found McInnes on the lead with an expert pass.
The sun was coming and going as Leongatha’s Kim Drew had a late shot which hit the post, and it was still heavy going as Wonthaggi went into the last quarter 10 points up.
Power had lost young Jayden Burns with an injured ankle and were reduced to one on the bench but coach Blair urged them to redouble their forward pressure when they had it in their scoring zone.
Trent McMicking told his players they needed to make the most of their chances when they came.
Again it was a low-scoring affair with both defences on top and the midfield evenly matched. Crucially Wonthaggi got the first at the 13-minute mark, with Jarryd Blair and Aiden Lindsay linking up and a fine pass to a leading McInnes.
Kim Drew drifted forward and passed to Jack Hume to tighten it again but there were to be no more goals until late, after the play of the day by Wonthaggi.
Isaac Chugg cleared it, instead of marking, Ryan Sparkes tapped it cleverly forward to Jai Williams and they were away through Harry Dawson. Up forward, Jarryd Blair provided the outlet and McInnes ran on for the winning goal.
The siren sounded for a famous Wonthaggi Power victory, against the odds over the Parrots, but will it be enough?
Final scores Wonthaggi 7.9.51 to Leongatha 4.11.35.
