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Wonthaggi a picture for opening day of Gippsland finals this Saturday

THE Wonthaggi football ground looks a picture for the opening day of the Gippsland League finals series this Saturday with the feature match between Moe and Leongatha set to start at 2.20pm. After rain during the week, there’s plenty of give in...

by Michael Giles

Published September 01, 2023

Wonthaggi a picture for opening day of Gippsland finals this Saturday — The Wonthaggi football ground is in ideal condition for Saturday’s opening day of the Gippsland League finals, featuring Leongatha and Moe in the seniors at 2.20pm.

THE Wonthaggi football ground looks a picture for the opening day of the Gippsland League finals series this Saturday with the feature match between Moe and Leongatha set to start at 2.20pm.

After rain during the week, there’s plenty of give in the surface of the Wonthaggi oval, but players will certainly be running on top of the ground, with no advantage for either defenders or forwards.

The oval is well grassed for the main part but there are a couple of bare patches that may be affected by the three curtain-raiser games, starting at 9am with Maffra and Bairnsdale in the Under 16s and Leongatha and Warragul in the under 18s.

But the surface is unlikely to change or improve much during the day with light winds predicted, a “mostly sunny” forecast and a top of 16 degrees.

The bottom line is, it’s ideal for footy with enough “sting” out of the ground that players will be able to attack the ball and tackle with confidence.

Both Moe and Leongatha go into the game with changes, and also with players missing.

A big out for Moe, if the selected teams are correct, is Harrison Pepper missing from the Lions’ forward line. Pepper was the right man in the right place at the right time for the Lions last time these teams meet and will be one less person for the Parrots to worry about.

Into the side, however, comes Chris Prowse who looks to have recovered from an arm injury to add height and talent to an already formidable Moe lineup.

Leongatha welcomes back Tom Marriott and Luke Bowman, into the engine room, with the versatile Cam Olden also coming back in this week.

Still missing are the likes of Jack Hume, Jake van der Pligt and Kim Drew; but expected to be available for Leongatha’s next match.

While the club also has the option of bringing in Xavier Lindsay and Wil Dawson from Gippsland Power, should the opportunity arise.

But it’s all about this Saturday and there are two things that Parrots’ fans have to be worried about, where to park their car and the form of Declan Keilty.

The last two times Leongatha have played Moe, the Parrots looked to have the Lions’ measure early but Moe finished on to claim the Round 7 match at Leongatha by 27 points and Round 16 at Moe by 22 points in a low-scoring affair for Leongatha.

And the main offender, intercept half back, Moe’s coach Declan Keilty.

The former Melbourne and Casey Demons player is a defensive and rebound machine at this level and has been the bane of Leongatha’s existence all year and looms as a problem again for the Parrots this week.

Will they change tactics and play a defensive forward on Keilty or will they try to avoid him like the plague, mindful that the Moe coach’s ability to read the play is probably his best attribute.

Watch for an intriguing game within a game around Keilty on Saturday.

The Gippsland League is playing its curtain-raiser games according to the book for Qualifying and Elimination finals but it would have made more sense for Wonthaggi and Sale to play their Reserves Elimination Final at Wonthaggi on Saturday, not at Warragul on Sunday. Leongatha and Moe could also have played the Under 16s Elimination Final at Wonthaggi on Saturday, not Warragul on Sunday.

Also of interest at Wonthaggi on Saturday is the A Grade (Qualifying Final) between Morwell and Leongatha with the Leongatha girls pushing Morwell all the way at their last meeting on July 29, producing a final score line of 42-41 in Morwell’s favour. Should be a cracker.

And as for the parking problem, consider finding an all day parking spot elsewhere in the town and walking down.