Power and Parrots face off as finals’ glory beckons

ALL of the remaining chess pieces will be in play on Saturday during the penultimate round of the Gippsland League’s 2026 season.

Likely combatants in the Gippsland Qualifying Final at Moe on Saturday, August 29, Leongatha and Wonthaggi, will face off at Leongatha this Saturday, August 15, with more on the line, it must be said, for Leongatha than Wonthaggi.

Leongatha is yet to secure the “double chance” and a position in the top three, whereas Wonthaggi have already locked that season KPI away.

However, Power will still want to put in a good showing, mindful they’ll likely meet the Parrots again when the whips are cracking, under finals’ pressure, in two weeks’ time.

Leongatha has some level of comfort, sitting in third place on the ladder, on the same ‘premiership points’ as Warragul (46) but well clear of the Gulls on percentage, 180.53 versus 152.35.

Warragul faces a full-strength Moe team this week, and while the game is at Western Park in Warragul, the Lions have made some handy inclusions as they tune up for their best shot at a Gippsland senior premiership since their last success in 1967. They include the likes of James Harmes, Ben Crocker, Declan Keilty and Nathan Scagliarini; not a bad quartet!

So, you’d confidently tip Moe in that game but, as Maffra proved back in June, stranger things have happened and a very motivated Warragul side could still cause an upset.

If they beat Moe, Leongatha would have to win against Wonthaggi on Saturday to protect their position, with a winnable game for them, against Drouin the following week.

Warragul meet Morwell in the last round, one that you’d expect them to win.

So, there’s a lot at stake this Saturday:

• Moe has picked their best side as they get ready for the finals adding James Harmes, Ben Crocker, Declan Keilty and Nathan Scagliarini.
• Warragul has made four changes, bringing back Patrick Mulqueen (no senior games since April) and James Harrison, with Heath Jinks and Sam Grummisch back after stints in the reserves.
• Leongatha has made three changes; welcoming back multiple-premiership players Cade Maskell, Aaron Heppell and Luke Bowman, while losing Will Littlejohn, Ben Forte and Aydan Williams.
• Likewise, Wonthaggi have made three very welcome inclusions in Jakeb Thomas, Jarryd Blair and Lachlan Ferguson for Sam Carter, Nate Pugh and Ollie Dawson to be somewhere near their best 22, the main exception being Daniel Bourke making strong progress in rehab after a broken pelvis.

So, who wins the local South Gippsland derby between Wonthaggi and Leongatha?

Well, Wonthaggi would have to start slight favourites, not because they won the first meeting between the two teams back in June by just three points but because they limited Leongatha to just 13 scoring shots, against 21 of their own, stopping their key forwards including Jenson Garnham and Justin Pellicano, from having much impact.

The Parrots’ goals came from Aaron Heppell and Zavier Lamers, and while they would be expected to chip in with two or three again, it’s going to be hard work for the Parrots’ forwards against a strong and talented Power defence.

Leongatha will be greatly strengthened by the inclusion of Maskell, Aaron Heppell and Luke Bowman, and with former Essendon champ, Dyson Heppell, with a run under his belt last week, could be expected to continue his rise.

But the match is full of interest, especially with the prospect these two neighbouring clubs will meet again in two weeks’ time in the finals.

With that in mind, there will also be a subtext for the coaches, trying out some likely match-ups and watching the flow of the game but also keeping a few tricks up their sleeves for the important work ahead.

At other levels

In netball and other football matches, there’s also something at stake at various levels.

• In the Reserves, Leongatha sits on top and are favoured to win against 8^th-placed Wonthaggi Power
• In the Thirds, a good game is in prospect between the 5^th placed Parrots and 6^th placed Wonthaggi, but without a place in the finals at stake for Power
• In the Fourths, Leongatha is having a good year, sitting in 2^nd, and should account for Wonthaggi

• The A Grade netball sees the 4^th placed Leongatha up against 5^th placed Wonthaggi in a contest that’s unlikely to change ladder positions. These two teams will meet again at Drouin on August 30.
• Leongatha is on top of the ladder in B Grade but Wonthaggi is having a good season too, sitting in 4^th with some prospect of pushing up into third. A great game and an upset is not out of the question for a motivated Power team.
• The C Grade match is a contest between 5^th and 6^th but with no prospect of Wonthaggi pushing through into the finals even with a win over Leongatha above them on the ladder.
• The underage netball matches will also be of interest with the Under 17s and Under 13s close to each other on the ladder but with Leongatha’s Under 15s eyeing a strong finish to the season in second.

The all-important weather will be cool, with 40% chance of a light shower and a top of 15 degrees. The ground is in pretty good condition, given the challenges of recent rain, and despite a few heavy patches, will be playing pretty well on the day.

Authorities are planning three weeks of work on the oval, ahead of hosting the First Semi-final on Sunday, September 6, likely to feature one of the local teams, Leongatha or Wonthaggi.