
By Nicholas Duck
The reigning premiers sent an ominous warning sign to any would-be challengers as they secured yet another grand final appearance.
Meanwhile, a flag smoky had their chances blown away by both the wind and a top three juggernaut.
Leongatha vs Moe
You can't say you're surprised, can you?
Leongatha will feature in the Gippsland League grand final yet again after a comprehensive second semi final win over Moe on Saturday.
It will mark the eighth consecutive decider featuring the Parrots dating back to 2015 - not including the incomplete seasons in 2020 and 2021 – as they seek to claim both a threepeat and their fifth flag since 2017.
The Parrots were in cruise control for most of the 13.17 (95) to 5.7 (37) shellacking, kicking the first eight goals of the match while also keeping Moe goalless for the entire first half.
They were simply irresistible all around the ground but particularly through the middle, where the likes of Kim Drew and Tom Marriott put on a clinic.
Luke Bowman, Timothy Sauvarin, Travis Nash and Jack Hume rounded out their best while Jenson Garnham and Cameron Olden (three goals each) led the scoring.
The Lions didn't help their case in the opening two terms, hitting the woodwork on multiple occasions when their fans were screaming out for a major.
No doubt the same fans would have been wishing the team runner could have pulled on a jumper given it was former Lion and current Gold Coast Sun Bailey Humphrey.
Past half time it was a generally more competitive effort from the qualifying winners, who were certainly missing the on-field presence of coach Declan Keilty.
Keilty is hopeful of getting up for next week's do-or-die rematch with Traralgon and based on Saturday's sample, they're going to need him.
Moe's better players on a difficult day were Brock Smith, Riley Baldi, Ben Maslen, Trent Baldi, Ben Daniher and Jacob Balfour.
Leongatha, meanwhile, will sit back, watch and relax. None of this is new to them at this stage.
Do you reckon they're getting bored of winning yet?
Traralgon vs Wonthaggi
Traralgon have sent Wonthaggi packing in a wild and windy first semi final on Sunday to set up a preliminary final rematch with Moe.
The Maroons were able to restrict the Power to just one goal past half time to walk away with a 19-point win 6.6 (42) to 3.5 (23).
The swirling breeze certainly didn't make things easy for either side and ensured goals would be coming at a premium.
With their season on the line following last week's tough loss to Moe, Traralgon ensured they wouldn't be repeating their mistakes, grinding away to keep their premiership hopes alive.
Versatile big man Tristen Waack played one of his finest games for the year in the maroon and white as interceptor Tye Hourigan flourished in the breeze.
Dylan Loprese and Luis D'Angelo were predictably excellent while ruck Max Jacobsen and Mitch Membrey were also strong.
Wonthaggi were best served by recruit Isaac Chugg, whose move to half back paid dividends in the later part of the season.
Jarryd Blair, Ryan Sparkes, Fergus O'Connor, Joshua Bates and Thomas Murray were the Power players who could hold their heads high.
Wonthaggi entered the finals as a real smoky, having won nine of their last 10 games coming into Sunday, including a hard-fought victory over the Maroons in that stretch.
They just couldn't quite carry that momentum through. You'd still have to call it a solid season given their disastrous start to the year but no doubt they were hoping for better.
Traralgon will be keen on some good old-fashioned revenge on home territory when they take on Moe for the second time in three weeks.
They were denied last time by some grim defence, giving them plenty to review and work on heading into this clash.
They say don't get beaten by what you know. That'll be priority number one for the Maroons as they seek their first grand final appearance since 2015.
Article provided by the Warragul & Drouin Gazette