Parrot heartbreak despite brave effort against Traralgon

By Andrew Paloczi

ENTERING the match missing a handful of key personnel, disrupted by the red carding of an in-form Justin Pellicano and with further injury exacerbating its rotation challenges, Leongatha led reigning premier Traralgon late in the match before a Dylan Loprese goal settled the issue.

His decider followed a major to Zavier Lamers earlier in the last term that put the Parrots four points ahead, Traralgon ultimately prevailing by three points.

Loprese finished with four goals, a total matched by his teammate Jackson McMahon.

Jack Hume almost carried Leongatha to victory with a stunning performance in which he played critical roles around the ground.

Hume was instrumental in the Parrots breaking even with the Maroons by the first break despite Traralgon seeming in charge for much of the opening stanza, the Leongatha number 11 bobbing up repeatedly with critical defensive work.

He also booted a couple of third term majors, including the TRFM radio crew’s goal of the day and drove Leongatha into attack on a number of occasions throughout the match.

Entering the contest still missing skipper and midfield powerhouse Tom Marriott and forward Jenson Garnham, and with the additional absences of backmen Sean Westaway and Cade Maskell and the late withdrawal of the tenacious and versatile Tallin Brill, the Parrots faced a big challenge.

However, while Hume’s determined defensive work helped keep the Parrots competitive, so did the forward presence of Pellicano who kicked a couple of majors late in the first term and another shortly after the opening break.

Pellicano’s send-off left Leongatha a man short for the final 13 minutes of quarter two and the first seven minutes of the second half.

While onfield numbers then evened up, the lengthy numerical disadvantage no doubt took a physical toll on the Parrots and the big forward’s presence was greatly missed from the moment he was given his marching orders.

Hume was the clear standout as Leongatha’s best but was ably assisted by the likes of Kim Drew, Aaron Heppell, Sam Forrester, Jay Walker and Travis Nash.

Along with Pellicano and Hume, other multiple-goal scorers for the narrowly beaten side were Patrick Ireland and Ty Hall with a couple each.

While the radio crew saw Jordan Cunico as best afield, the triumphant Traralgon viewed the situation differently, naming the consistent and eye-catching redhead Tristen Waack its top performer ahead of Loprese, Tye Hourigan and Mitch Membrey, Cunico next on the club’s list.

Cunico during his radio chat after the game said the Maroons were told at three-quarter time, when trailing by 16 points, to stick to their game, the winning side using its speed effectively in the final term against a tiring Leongatha.

Leongatha looks to bounce back in an away clash against Sale, the Magpies striving to regain confidence after a heavy loss to Maffra.

Given his send-off, Pellicano seems likely to face suspension, although the nature of the off-the-ball incident that wasn’t captured on the match day coverage hasn’t been revealed.

As of Sunday evening, the Parrots expected to receive formal advice of the charge on Monday from Head of Umpiring Peter Carey.

Leongatha continues to be ravaged by injuries, with Hayden Lindsay appearing to suffer a rib issue, the specifics of the injury to be determined.

Marriott is expected to be out of action for six or seven weeks due to syndesmosis in his ankle, having had successful surgery a bit over a week ago. Maskell is facing around four weeks on the sidelines with a foot issue.

Mitchell Bentvelzen’s season was previously ended by a knee injury and another backman Tim Sauvarin hasn’t played since Round 7 due to travel and is still a few weeks from returning to the field.

Brill and Westaway are both dealing with lower back issues, with hopes they won’t be out of action for long, while Garnham has a hot spot in one of his feet and is expected to be unavailable for four weeks. 

Third-placed Traralgon now hosts top-of-the-table Moe in what should be a beauty of a contest.