Wonthaggi Power’s fate could be decided on Saturday
AFTER a couple of key injuries and some high-profile departures before the start of the season, most notably by talented forward Jack Hutchinson, who has been named on an extended bench for Sunday’s crucial West Coast Eagles’ clash with Carlton...
AFTER a couple of key injuries and some high-profile departures before the start of the season, most notably by talented forward Jack Hutchinson, who has been named on an extended bench for Sunday’s crucial West Coast Eagles’ clash with Carlton, Wonthaggi Power has been fighting a rearguard action in 2024.
They lost five of their first seven matches and looked to be in trouble, but by putting faith in local youth, they’ve been able to turn their season around, winning seven of the next nine games to be on the brink of securing a place in the ‘final five’ this Saturday.
First part of the equation is beating a very competitive Drouin on their home deck this Saturday, almost certainly set to be a wet track, and very much to the Hawks’ liking.
Drouin has run Traralgon, Moe, Sale, Morwell and Bairnsdale to close losses in the past five weeks and could easily have more than four wins on the board this season.
Wonthaggi will be strengthened by the inclusion of key defender and sometimes ruckman Shannon Bray after injury but his time on the sidelines wasn't all fruitless with the Power finding a worthy replacement for Toma Huther (and Bray himself) in the ruck with Jaceb Thomas taking all before him in the role.
If Wonthaggi does win away, as they are expected to do, they will be keenly interested in the result of the Morwell versus Sale game at Tigerland. A win by fourth-placed Morwell over sixth-placed Sale will almost certainly end the Magpies’ season and decide the make-up of the final five, leaving Sale a game and percentage behind Wonthaggi in fifth.
Wonthaggi’s final round match against Moe at Wonthaggi would then have no bearing on ladder positions, if Traralgon and Moe win contests against lower-ranked opposition this week.
A win by Sale over Morwell this week keeps the competition very much alive, and should Sale win and Wonthaggi lose this Saturday, Wonthaggi’s future in 2024 would again be in the lap of the gods the following week.
It’s ‘game on’ in the Gippsland league with two rounds to go and general manager Daniel Heathcote couldn’t be happier with the standard of the competition.
“It’s been an exciting Gippsland League season so far and to have multiple matches in Round 17 and 18 deciding the make-up of the finals is a positive for the competition now and into the future,” Mr Heathcote said this week.
“Whatever the composition of the final five is come September, the premiership race is wide open and each side will give themselves a chance to make a run in 2024.”
The final five is already decided in the other Gippsland League grades; Reserves, Under 18s and Under 16s.
Key netball contests
The whips will be cracking on the Drouin netball courts as well this Saturday with spots in the finals on the line.
Wonthaggi’s A Graders are sitting in fourth, a game and a half clear of the drop zone but by no means secure.
They play Drouin second and Moe first in consecutive rounds to decide their fate this season and realistically, will have to be trying to get the job done this week.
Both Traralgon fifth and Bairnsdale sixth have better draws in their last two rounds, Bairnsdale against 7th-placed Leongatha and 9th-placed Sale, while Traralgon don’t looked to be dropping out with games against Maffra 10th and Morwell 8th still to come.
The variable could be the A Grade match between Leongatha and Bairnsdale up in East Gippsland. While Leongatha is sitting in 7th, they looked to have Bairnsdale's measure at the last change when they played back on June 1.
But Bairnsdale rattled home with a 17-10 last quarter to snatch the win 46-44. Expect the Parrots’ girls to be motivated to turn the tables on Saturday, and, at the same time, do their neighbours at Wonthaggi a huge favour.
Places in the finals are wide open in other grades as well.
Matches in the Gippsland League this Saturday, August 17 include:
- Bairnsdale v Leongatha at Bairnsdale City Oval
- Morwell v Sale at Morwell Recreation Reserve
- Maffra v Traralgon at Maffra Recreation Reserve
- Moe v Warragul at Ted Summerton Reserve Moe
- Drouin v Wonthaggi at Drouin Recreation Reserve
Finals venues decided
The Gippsland League will enter the second year of its community finals series on Saturday, August 31, 2024.
In 2023, the Board of Management decided to implement this series over the next two seasons. The goal of the ‘Community System’ is to highlight member clubs and their facilities throughout Gippsland and to promote the Alinta Energy Gippsland League's key events across the five local government areas it covers.
This shift from a Centralised System, advocated by several member clubs, is made possible by the recent off-field stability and success of the Gippsland League operations.
The only change to the original schedule will be the Qualifying Final which will be moved from Drouin Recreation Reserve to Maffra Recreation Reserve due to the announcement regarding the upgrade to Drouin Recreation Reserve and the proposed commencement date of the works clashing with the original schedule.
All other finals will be as originally scheduled with the grand final again being played at Morwell.
THE FINALS – 2024 Schedule
WEEK 1
Qualifying Final: Saturday, 31 August – Maffra Recreation Reserve
Elimination Final: Sunday, 1 September – Bairnsdale Recreation Reserve
WEEK 2
2nd Semi Final: Saturday: 7 September – Leongatha Recreation Reserve
1st Semi Final: Sunday, 8 September – Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe
WEEK 3
Preliminary Final: Saturday, 14 September – Traralgon Recreation Reserve
WEEK 4
Grand Final: Saturday, 21 September – Morwell Recreation Reserve.
