Power hold its ground

A STRONG second half allowed Wonthaggi Power to hold onto the win against Warragul on Saturday.

Power welcomed Warragul to its home ground and went into battle in the wet conditions to win by 22 points.

Both sides went into the game with some key outs, but were determined to put up a good contest. 

A scoreless first quarter had Power on the backfoot.

However, Warragul only managed to gain an eight-point lead.

Power regrouped in the second quarter and started to look dangerous.

Power capitalised on its opportunities to add three goals to the tally. 

Cooper McInnes led Power’s goal scoring effort with a four-goal haul for the game.

Jaxon Williams added two throughout the game, and Brayden Duve and Hunter Tiziani scored one each.

Tiziani and Jye Gilmour are among Power’s young guns proving to be real assets in the lineup. 

The Power defence, as a unit, applied enough pressure to ensure Warragul’s scoring opportunities were restricted to two goals.

Jakeb Thomas played another consistent game, controlling the backline and winning many critical contests. 

Power trailed by two points heading into the halftime break.

Overtaking Warragul in the third quarter, Power added four more goals to its tally to create a 15-point lead.

Power looked after the ball and was a lot cleaner down the field, returning to its usual style of play. 

Jack Blair had started the game at half back flank, but was moved into the midfield and really turned it on for Power.

Adjusting to a new position in the ruck, Shannon Bray also gave a strong performance and was competitive all day. 

Warragul only hit the scoreboard once, but remained competitive, keeping Power accountable. 

Scoring opportunities were limited on both sides in the final quarter, but Power kept the game on its terms and maintained the lead until the final siren. 

Power will be facing a trial next week, coming up against the top of the table Leongatha Parrots.

Focusing on playing week by week rather than on the ladder, Power is confident it is well positioned to challenge the Parrots and will be playing to win.

Power has been continuing to build its game all season and is looking to head to the Parrots’ home ground with a reasonably full squad.