Power crush Moe in 70-point statement win

THEY couldn’t all have been injured.

So, did Moe do the right thing when they made eight changes to the team that beat finals’ contender Warragul the week before when they met the visiting Wonthaggi Power side on Saturday?

They already had second or third spot on the ladder locked away, and a date set with Traralgon in the Qualifying Final at Maffra next Saturday. So, what was the upside of playing them?

Missing were Jaryn Makepeace, Trent Baldi, the coach Leigh Poholke, Matt Heywood, Scott Vandyke, ruckman Chris Prowse, Callum Nash and Nathan Scagliarini, the latter suffering a broken jaw and fractured eye socket the week before and unlikely to return.

Also missing was intercept-machine Declan Keilty, set to return on Saturday, but with at least two of those eight changes clearing the way for first-choice players, including Harrison Sim and Ben Daniher, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

But a committed Wonthaggi side made the opposition look terrible on the day, in front of their fans, with the Power defence led by Jaxon Williams, Isaac Chugg, Shannon Bray and Jye Gilmour, on the likes of Ben Crocker, Nick Prowse and Harrison Pepper especially miserly. They stopped them from kicking a major until the 20-minute mark of the third quarter.

Only time will tell if they’ve flirted with winning form or rested players in order to make an impact in September.

Wonthaggi, however, showed no mercy from the outset, controlling the play until Ryan Sparkes opened their account from the angle after just three minutes.

Power was switched on, front to back, Jaxon Williams putting his stamp on the defence with several clearances, Isaac Chugg punching clear and covering the ground between contests and the tackling was ferocious.

Jasper Shone copped one over the shoulder but young James Lewis took the initiative, ran on and slotted the second.

Just as a thrilling B Grade netball match, between two finals contenders was being decided in Wonthaggi’s favour, allowing them to finish top in the ladder, Power continued to pepper the scoring zone on the footy field, and rob Moe of all opportunities to reply.

Kaj Patterson got it forward to Cooper McInnes, who should have been awarded a 50-metre penalty. A point was the result, but Anthony Anastasio scooped up the loose ball out on the boundary and kicked an absolute beauty. Power was hard at the contest, harassing in numbers and making the most of their chances, Harry Dawson kicking one from 50 metres to extend the lead.

Sitting on the sidelines for Wonthaggi was talented forward Noah Anderson with a hamstring injury and a broken finger, while Kyle Reid was running water for the players. They both liked what they were seeing from their teammates.

Finally, Moe had their first set shot at goal, via big Nick Prowse, but Jaxon Williams cleared it off the last time, starting a transition that saw Cooper McInnes open his account at the other end.

Brodie Mabilia was controlling distribution from the ruck, where Aiden Lindsay, Sparkes, Kaj Patterson and Anastasio were Jordan Shields was playing something of a lone hand, trying to hold back the tide, but another by McInnes, set up by Anastasio and another to Shannon Bray, floating forward, made it seven goals to nil at quarter time, the result already in Wonthaggi’s keeping.

Moe’s sharpshooter Ben Crocker wasn’t getting the delivery he had been accustomed to this year, and the home side simply didn’t have the cattle to compete with a Power side winning in all positions on the ground.

The game continued in that vein, Wonthaggi winning every quarter to stretch the result to a 70-point win at the end.

The Power named Ryan Sparkes, Brodie Mabilia, Cooper McInnes, Anthony Anastasio, Jarvis Harvey and the coach himself, Jarryd Blair, as best on the day, but you could just as easily have added Isaac Chugg, Hunter Tiziani, Josh Schulz, Aiden Lindsay, Harry Dawson and several others to an impressive, four-quarter, team performance.

Final scores: Wonthaggi 17.13.115 to Moe 6.9.45.