By Nick Duck
The reigning premiers are on the board courtesy of a hard-fought win over a fellow contender while the league got another reminder of just how powerful another one can be.
Here's what you might have missed this week.
Moe vs Traralgon
Traralgon's premiership defence is off and running after they were able punish a wasteful Moe side on Saturday.
The Maroons trailed for most of the day at the Ted Summerton Reserve but came home with a wet sail, thumping through four of the last five goals to prevail 12.12 (84) to 10.18 (78).
That the door was open for them to walk through was in large part thanks to some poor conversion from Moe, who controlled the early stages of the game without being able to make it count on the scoreboard.
The first quarter alone saw them register nine more scoring shots than the reigning premiers only to lead by 14 points at the first break.
That was the tale of the tape for the Lions who, without last week's forward half hero Leigh Poholke on the ground, couldn't find their kicking boots.
It was Tye Hourigan again the hero for Traralgon as the swingman skipper got it done at both ends, making life hard for Moe's forwards while also booting three goals in the last – including the winner - when his side needed a spark.
With the two teams trading blows in the fourth and the win up for grabs, Hourigan's pack mark and goal with minutes remaining as the scores were locked at 78 apiece is exactly why he's still one of the best players in the Gippsland League, the Maroons skipper lifting his side to a famous victory.
Aside from Hourigan it was Luis D'Angelo, Hugh Dunbar, Mitch Membrey, Jordan Cunico and Liam Willaton starring.
Moe will be ruing a chance gone begging here, despite a strong performance from Declan Keilty, whose own move forward late almost proved a matchwinner.
Ben Crocker (four goals), Jacob Balfour, Alex Dijkstra, Max Woodall and Riley Baldi rounded out their best.
Leongatha vs Sale
If the league was hoping for a drop-off from Leongatha, they may have to keep waiting.
The Parrots were at their brutal best on Saturday in a ruthless 84-point dismissal of Sale.
Eight unanswered goals in the final term paved the way for the 21.7 (133) to 7.7 (49) pounding, the home side reminding the competition just how demoralising a trip to Parrot Park can be.
Leongatha looked the better team for much of the day, and as the day wore on the gulf between the sides began to look more a chasm.
Tallin Brill was magnificent throughout and also got to enjoy one of the best individual quarters you're ever likely to see, booting five majors in the fourth to finish the day walking on air.
Outside of Brill it was Benjamin Harding, Kim Drew, Mitchell Bentvelzen, Ty Hall and Tom Marriott getting the job done.
It's not panic stations yet for Sale but the fact remains they are zero and two and needing a response fast.
It's a small sample size but the way they're running out matches is a concern. In their first two weeks they've been outscored 2.8 to 14.6 in the fourth quarters.
Their next match against Warragul will be telling.
Maffra vs Wonthaggi
Wonthaggi managed to see off a dogged Wonthaggi to bounce back from their shock round one loss.
Six straight goals across the back of the first quarter and the second set them up for the 15.9 (99) to 11.4 (70) win, allowing them to hold the persistent Eagles at arm's length for the rest of the day.
The home side certainly weren't going to die wondering, at one stage drawing to within 10 points in the final term to set the game up for an intriguing finish.
However, three straight majors to the Power were enough to ward them off, handing the boys from South Gippsland their first four points of the season.
Backman Kyle Reid was the standout for Wonthaggi, as were Jye Gilmour, Joshua Schulz, Hunter Tiziani, Noah Anderson and Ryan Sparkes.
Maffra are certainly going to surprise a few teams this year and had they started better here, who knows?
Their best were Thomas Scott, Luke Dyer (four goals), Noah Christy, Sam Anderson, Jack McQuillen and Daniel Bedggood.
Warragul vs Morwell
One step forward, two steps back.
Warragul were brought crashing down to earth at Western Park on Saturday courtesy of a lacklustre 52-point defeat to Morwell.
Hopes were high around the Gulls following their thrilling round one win over Wonthaggi, but the spark of determination that led them to victory over the 2024 finalists was nowhere to be found this time around.
Warragul were well off the pace early and made to pay for it, conceding the first seven goals of the day en route to a disappointing 8.9 (57) to 17.7 (109) defeat.
Making it all the more frustrating for the club was that due to the VFL bye they were able to field a near full strength side, complete with two VFL players in Will Hayes and Koby Grass.
Hayes (29 disposals) proved to be a strong inclusion at least, showing every bit of the class that saw him feature at AFL level for Western Bulldogs and Carlton to be Warragul's best on a dirty day.
Fellow recruit James Harrison also gave a good account of himself while backmen Sean Masterson and Patrick Mulqueen gave their best efforts under great duress and with, especially early, little help from their teammates further up the field.
Morwell had plenty of winners around the ground, chief among them Cohen Campbell, who remained a serious threat both through the middle of the ground and up forward where he booted two goals.
Anthony Rosato linked up well for the Tigers all day, as did tough in and under midfielder Tyler Hillier. Zachary Anderson and Joshua Galea cut the Gulls to ribbons at times, while Charlie Burr impressed aerially.
The third term is traditionally known as the premiership quarter in footy, but this is one of those times where it was the first that decided the game.
At the first bounce Morwell were ready to play. Warragul? Not so much.
Their highly talented midfield were left in the dust by a much harder working Tigers side, who seemed to always have a spare available to them when they needed it.
Too often they were allowed to do as they pleased out of the middle and at stoppages, honouring short leads to cut through Warragul's structures like a hot knife through butter.
Alarm bells were ringing early after Hillier ran straight through a stoppage in the Tiger's forward line to waltz in the Tigers' first, and they would have been blaring when halfway through the quarter the Gulls had only been inside 50 a handful of times to no effect.
Morwell continued to put on the pressure and were loving their work, celebrating loudly at the quarter time siren after Brandon McDonald put through their fifth heading into the break.
Had they been tidier in front of goal early and the 34-point margin could have been a lot more.
It was a rough quarter to be a Gulls defender. Warragul's backline didn't do a tonne wrong in terms of manning up, but with the ball coming in as often as it was and with not a lot of pressure on it there's only so much they could do.
Gulls coach Jed Lamb cut a furious figure at the first break, immediately bringing his group in and letting them know his thoughts in no uncertain terms, demanding better from his side.
His mood wouldn't have gotten much better when a holding the ball free kick resulted in Campbell extended the visitors' lead. It certainly wouldn't have after McDonald did the same from a mark.
The Gulls finally got on the board 10 minutes into the second term when Will Hayes handballed at the paint of 50 metres to a running Isaac Wallace, who nailed the long-distance shot.
The effort from Warragul was much better from that point on as the likes of Brayden Fowler and Lamb himself found the big sticks, though not enough to truly eat into Morwell's lead.
There was a sense of inevitability past half time. Barring a miracle comeback the Tigers had the win in the bag, the Gulls left playing mostly for pride.
It's hard to shake the feeling Warragul missed a real chance to send a message to the competition. They've promised much at times over the last couple of years but are yet to truly deliver and become a quality team week in week out.
Which Warragul is the real Warragul? The one that gritted their teeth and knocked off a great side in Wonthaggi? Or the one that didn't show up against Morwell?
Their next match in two weeks' time against a winless Sale might help answer that.
Drouin vs Bairnsdale
A better effort from Drouin this week wasn't enough to save them from a 48-point defeat against Bairnsdale.
The Hawks fought the good fight against the Redlegs but were ultimately made to pay for a slow start where they gave away five of the first six goals of the day.
While the effort and intensity were there, for the most part after that point the scoreboard proved to be a hill too big to climb, the Hawks eventually downed 12.6 (78) to 19.12 (126) by a much more experienced side.
The match was the first of many the Hawks will be playing as the nominal home side as they made the Morwell Recreation Reserve their own for the day.
Drouin's best once again had a quirky flavour to it this week as both Kye and Aden Quirk (36 disposals each) were the team's top performers through the middle and up forward.
Forward recruit Tomas Unferdorben booted three goals to lead the Hawks' forward line - much to the delight of the radio commentary team who found his last name a joy to say.
Zayne Atkins did a solid job running with Bairnsdale ball winner Will Mitchell while winning 28 touches of his own, debutant Darcy Britt gave his first match in the seniors plenty and young Max Williames was again encouraging.
Bairnsdale's experience won out for the Redlegs as they employed an ultra-aggressive game style that worked nicely against their much younger opponents.
Leading the charge was Tyran Rees (four goals), who combined with the ever-dangerous Brayden McCarrey (four goals) to do the damage up forward.
Cooper Harvey (38 disposals) showed plenty of class along with Mitchell, Lachlan Cloak, Tom Blenheim and Byron Vickery.
While the effort was better from Drouin this week, their execution still lacked in a few areas, particularly in their ball use up forward.
They didn't give up as many easy goals from turnovers as they did against the Tigers but still couldn't quite hit their targets when it was their turn to attack.
A good start can do wonders for teams like Drouin who are still figuring out how to win, but it wasn't to be this time around.
Bairnsdale were on the board within minutes, Will East running in a simple shot after the Redlegs worked their way through Drouin's defensive structure.
They weren't done there either, putting through the next three in a flash to have the game teetering at just 10 minutes in.
Needing an experienced head to stand up, reigning best and fairest Kye Quirk did the job, winning a holding the ball free kick and slotting the shot to get the Hawks going.
Another Redlegs major from McCarrey - courtesy of an absolute leg breaker of a bounce - was soon answered by Atkins and Williams to restore some confidence, the teams trading blows until quarter time.
The second term played out in much the same way with Bairnsdale popping through five straight goals early in the term before Drouin had their own run to claw the margin back to some respectability at the major break.
A much more dour defensive affair in the third saw just three goals kicked – all Bairnsdale's way, the Redlegs truly breaking clear to lead by 46 heading into three quarter time.
With a team as young and experienced as the one Drouin put out, attitude is everything sometimes.
Last week against Morwell, the Hawks dropped their heads, giving up a whopping 11 goals in the final quarter to go down with a whimper.
This week they cracked in, the scores in the last standing at 4.1 to 4.3 Bairnsdale's way.
Finally looking to control the ball, it wouldn't be hard to argue they had the better of the quarter if not for some shots at goal that failed to register.
Things are all relative for the Hawks as things stand. Given their exodus of senior talent and the overwhelming number of kids they're fielding, little improvements are what they're after.
Losing by 48 points is disappointing no matter who you are, but for Drouin there were enough little wins to say it was a better effort than they got in round one.
Drouin coach Leigh Horsburgh said as much post-game.
"I was pretty happy with the pressure, we see that there's genuine improvement there from week one," he said.
"Our group was pretty buoyant after the game that we are improving and we're not going backwards."
While he lamented their execution at times, Horsburgh was happy with the way his side didn't give up.
"It feels like the group is all on board and it feels like we're going in the right direction."
