Parrots down Tigers with blistering final term in dreary conditions

A TORRENT of last-quarter goals led Leongatha to a 55-point win over Morwell in what had been a tight and tough game until the final change, the Parrots earlier toil rewarded with eight majors to one in the concluding term.

Morwell’s set shot goal just prior to the final siren was the Tigers’ only major of the second half, the Parrots asserting their authority despite a second quarter hamstring injury to experienced backman Sean Westaway, and Dyson Heppell on the sidelines after the long break.

Leongatha coach Trent McMicking was thrilled with his team’s commitment throughout the contest, albeit urging them early on to cut down on the handballing in the damp conditions and take a more direct approach.

While praising Morwell’s tenacity, he commended the Parrots’ ability and willingness to do the sustained work required in challenging conditions.

“That’s exactly what a really good team does in conditions like that; you just have to hang on, and then your systems and structure, work rate and skill level and ability to work for each other comes to the top,” he said.

Although Leongatha responded to McMicking’s call to go more direct and put Morwell’s defence under greater pressure, the rewards didn’t come until the last term.

Popular ruckman Ben Willis won the admiration of teammates by playing the entire second half, no small feat when one is slugging through patches of mud, albeit the ground wasn’t too bad considering the substantial recent rain.

Leongatha gained much of its drive from a powerful onball display, Luke Bowman and Ben Harding again outstanding, racking up contested possessions and feeding the footy to teammates, Kim Drew and Aaron Heppell also winning the hard ball, the club naming the latter as its top performer.

He was listed ahead of Bowman and the versatile and hard-at-it Jack Hume, Harding, Willis and Drew rounding out the best players list.

McMicking remarked on the last quarter efforts of Zavier Lamers, who finished his strong work with a couple of goals during that period, and Jay Walker whose final term he labelled “huge”.

Having the bustling presence of Tallin Brill and Justin Pellicano back in action was a boost for the Parrots.

Patrick Ireland and Drew matched Lamers’ scoring output with a couple of goals each, with six Parrots booting a major apiece. 

Tigers skipper Aidan Quigley set the standard for his team, named Morwell’s best ahead of Stephen Mills.

Josh Galea kicked half of the beaten team’s four goals, his pair of majors coming in quick succession, the second putting the Tigers ahead briefly as quarter time approached.

While that threatened to give Morwell the momentum, Ireland responded to restore the Parrots’ lead.

That lead edged out to 14 points by the final change before Leongatha’s commanding last stanza.

The Parrots are ready for a challenge when they host Warragul, McMicking describing the Gulls as a “good side” and knowing Leongatha needs to be at its best.

He spoke of the importance of managing players and how many minutes they play, conceding a number of blokes are sore, and explaining that Dyson Heppell would have come back on in the last quarter had the Parrots not broken away early in the term.

Morwell’s loss proved costly as Wonthaggi powered past the Tigers into fifth place, Morwell hoping to bounce back when it hosts Maffra.