LEONGATHA locked in another Senior Grand Final appearance with an accomplished display against last year’s Premiership conqueror Traralgon despite the Maroons taking charge early.
Dyson Heppell’s vast AFL experience was critical, the popular Leongatha identity racking up over 40 possessions and handling the finals pressure adeptly, being best afield.
Parrots coach Trent McMicking was delighted with his team’s commitment and the improved efficiency the Parrots showed after quarter time, noting that while it wasn’t the side’s best performance, the players dug deep, ground away and stuck to the system.
“You won it at the source,” he told them at three quarter time, pleased at the improvement in that area from earlier in the match, along with better use of the Sherrin by foot, and those attributes continued to shine in the final term.
In glorious sunny conditions early in the game, Traralgon booted the first three majors before a couple of Jenson Garnham goals sparked the Parrots into life, leaving them just five points adrift at the first break.
While Traralgon extended that margin by a point by halftime, Leongatha dominated the second half, Traralgon’s defence holding up admirably but placed under siege and having to contend with 19 Leongatha inside 50s during the third term alone but keeping the Parrots to a goal during that period.
The dam wall finally cracked in the dying stages of the game when the Parrots put the margin beyond reach through a Garnham goal in time on, following a major at the seven-minute mark from Zavier Lamers after he won a holding the ball decision.
Leongatha threatened to put Traralgon away earlier in the final stanza, but dependable Maroons skipper Tye Hourigan was among those thwarting the Parrots’ forward forays, continuing to mark strongly as he had throughout the game.
Hourigan was doing all he could to ignite his team, dashing out of defence and having three bounces during the last term as he strove to inspire positivity among the Maroons.
In a low scoring but enthralling affair, Garnham’s four majors were decisive, singles to Nick Argento, Patrick Ireland and Lamers rounding out the Parrots’ goal kicking list.
Garnham featured in the winner’s best behind Dyson Heppell and Kim Drew.
Tenacious small Jay Walker again excelled for Leongatha and delivered a treat for Parrots fans early in the last quarter when he was three times involved in a terrific passage of ball movement from halfback, finishing with a pinpoint pass to Garnham in the forward 50.
While Garnham marked cleanly, his set shot was off target, but Leongatha maintained its attacking mindset and the rewards came.
A few minutes after Walker’s classy delivery, it was Dyson Heppell hitting Garnham with a perfect pass, and while the set shot again missed, the forward made no mistake when another chance came in time on.
Such was Leongatha’s second-half dominance, Traralgon was kept to just a couple of behinds after the long break, but commendably the Maroons never gave up.
Dylan Loprese performed admirably for the beaten team, with three of Traralgon’s five goals, being the next best Maroon after Hourigan, the dangerous Jackson McMahon kept to just one major as was Sammy Hallyburton.
While Traralgon now needs to take the long route to the decider by beating Moe in the Preliminary Final, Leongatha will enjoy another weekend off to freshen up before taking on the winner of that match.
That’s unlikely to be enough time for Sean Westaway, the experienced Leongatha backman’s rotten run with injury continuing when he hurt a calf.
