Morwell take on Moe at Morwell Recreation Reserve with both Senior and A Grade sides fresh off round 1 victories. The Tigers managed to pip Bairnsdale at home in wet conditions in the Seniors however Moe will be much more difficult to get the four points from this weekend. The Lions defeated Warragul at home and their young guns were on show with Harry Pepper kicking 5 goals and Brock Smith being one of the best. Moe should win but the local rivalry matches always throw a few curve balls at stages in the day. In the netball it is a huge matchup this early in the year. Both Moe and Morwell look like they could be the teams to beat in 2022 and will take the first meeting this year as a guide stick for where both sides are at. Former Lion Shannen Freeman was among Morwell’s best in round 1 while Moe stars Georgia Moody and Ramayer Gourley were best in their first outing for 2022. Expect it to be won in the ring with the results reliant on Morwell’s ability to cut supply to Moe’s shooters and their goaling accuracy.
Maffra and Bairnsdale are the other local rivalry game for round 2 with the two set to renew hostilities across two venues in Maffra. The court renovations at Maffra Recreation Reserve are not ready yet so netball action moves to the basketball stadium. Both sides are coming off heavy defeats in round one at the hands of Drouin and Morwell. Maffra will be hoping that their goalers can put a winning score on the board this week while Bairnsdale will be relying on their young shooters to do the same. Maffra should win the game but Bairnsdale will be looking to fixtures against their East Gippsland rivals as games they could snatch in 2022. The 2019 senior premiers made a statement last week as they demolished Drouin away from home. Mitch Bennett and Daniel Bedggood were among the goals with 4 each while midfield stars Ed Carr, Danny Butcher and Alex Carr were all among the best. For Bairnsdale it will be back to the drawing board after they let a golden chance slip against Morwell. Brayden McCarrey was the best with 5 majors for them and will be heavily relied on again for the Red Legs to kick a winning score. Maffra should go in as favorites with their midfield depth the key to victory.
The senior match of the round comes from Sale with the Magpies set to take on Leongatha. Sale let a lead slip through, letting in 4 final quarter goals. The Magpies looked a better side throughout the day against another premiership rival in Wonthaggi. This week they come up against another premiership fancy in Leongatha. The Parrots managed to get the four points in a tight one against Traralgon in round 1. A toss of the coin match where Sale might get up based on the home ground advantage. This match will be live streamed via Gippsland League TV with the TRFM live call of the match. In A Grade action top five hopefuls Leongatha will go in against the Magpies as hot favorites. Taylah Brown was available for the Parrots last week and topped the MVP votes. If she is available again, they should get home comfortably. Sale were comfortably beaten by Wonthaggi last week and will need to do much better than 18 goals to shoot a winning score against Leongatha. Tegan Blaby and Rachel Ronaldson were their best and will need to fire again to give the Magpies a chance.
After a change in venue Drouin will host Traralgon for their scheduled round 2 matches. The Senior Hawks will be thankful that they get a chance again at home to take on top 5 hopefuls Traralgon. Tom Schneider hit the ground running for the Maroons and with fellow midfielders Haydn Hector and Mark Collison along side him they look to have too much midfield depth for the Hawks. Brett Eddy opened up his Gippsland League account with two goals in round 1 and will be hoping he can kick a bag to lead the Maroons to their first win of the year. In the A Grade match it should be a close game. Drouin managed to easily account for Maffra in round 1 with their defenders doing the job. Traralgon fell short in round one but a big plus was Maddison Stockdale back in goals. Drouin probably have the edge but this match could go either way and will probably be decided in the Maroons ring. If they can get enough supply and shots up expect a close game.
The final match of the round takes place in Warragul with the Power making the trip over the hills. Warragul were competitive against Moe in round 1 and look to be improved from their 2021 form. Wonthaggi started slow and cam e home strong to beat fellow contender Sale. Ryan Sparkes looked good in his first game for the Power while Tim Knowles and Shannon Bray were great along half back. Wonthaggi should win comfortably unless the Gulls can get in front early. Netball will take place on the Burke Street courts and it should be another close game. The Gulls were beaten by Moe in round 1 but still look one of the better sides in 2022. The Power had a big first up win but face a different level of opponent this week. Wonthaggi could put their trajectory on a path towards the finals if they can produce a strong showing in this game and take the four points. Warragul will still be favorites at home and will be hoping they can get the job done.
