By Nicholas Duck
One of the premiership favourites found themselves outdone on Saturday, while another narrowly avoided the same fate.
Here's what you might have missed this week.
Leongatha vs Morwell
If you can't outpower them, outdefend them.
Morwell pulled off one of the upsets of the year on Saturday, bringing down reigning premiers Leongatha on their home deck in a dour affair.
Wet and wild conditions saw just 11 goals kicked across the day at Parrot Park and, to the surprise of plenty, the last two of them went the visitors' way as they pulled off an unlikely victory 6.7 (43) to 5.8 (38).
Scoring has provided the Tigers plenty of issues this season so a battle of the backlines was certainly more their speed, with Morwell able to grit their teeth and grind late to put a serious dent in Leongatha's top three hopes.
The margin was kept close for most of the day but when Leongatha led by eight at three quarter time you couldn't blame the home crowd for expecting another hard-fought win. If that was the script, however, Morwell didn't care to read it. Instead it was them striking the key blows in the last - the first was an Isaac Caroleo bomb from the paint of 50 early in the term and the second through Cohen Campbell, finding space out the back and running in his third major late to take the lead and indeed seal the result.
Campbell's hat-trick proved to be real difference in the end, given no other goalkicker could get past one.
It's been a good fortnight for the Tigers, who knocked off Maffra last Saturday. They might not make finals, but they sure can shape them in the run home.
Campbell was in their best, alongside Max Linton, Hugh Dunbar, Campbell Blewett, Aidan Quigley and Zac Cheffers.
Now six points adrift of Wonthaggi in third, the Parrots can't put a foot wrong in the run home if they want that double chance.
Their better performers against the Tigers were Kim Drew, Thomas Marriott, Jack Sheridan, Will Littlejohn, Ty Hall and Patrick Ireland.
Bairnsdale vs Wonthaggi
The longest trip in local footy was very nearly an even longer one home for Wonthaggi after surviving a major scare against Bairnsdale.
The Power went from 33 points up at half time to being seven down partway through the last, until they managed to find the final two goals of the game to escape Bairnsdale City Oval with a vital four points, 15.13 (103) to 15.9 (99).
Having looked like they were in cruise control at the big break, the Power were made to withstand a withering comeback from the home side, who refused to die wondering.
The Redlegs came in a rush, and after slamming home the first three goals of the fourth quarter, looked set to record a famous win.
In Wonthaggi's moment of need it was their star forward Cooper McInnes standing tall, clunking a mark and steering though his fourth to break Bairnsdale's momentum.
The footy gods set about doing the same thing too when a ball bouncing towards the Power's goal went at a genuinely cruel angle to evade a Bairnsdale defender, allowing McInnes to swoop in and hand it off to Jack Blair, who kicked his fifth of the day and ensured Wonthaggi would leave with four points in hand.
As much as it's an important win for Wonthaggi it's another frustrating loss for Bairnsdale, who have shown their best is good enough to challenge some great teams. It just doesn't come out often enough.
Bryce Joyce, Isaac Chugg, Jack Blair, Hunter Tiziani, Jasper Shone and Jayden Burns were named the Power's best, while Ethan East, Tyran Rees, Oscar Morrison, Cooper Vickery, Max Neate and Jonah Walker were Bairnsdale's.
Traralgon vs Sale
Traralgon became the latest side to dole out a destructive dose of pain to Sale, sending the Magpies packing by 143 points.
The Maroons were into triple digits before half time and looked on track to hit 200 until slowing down late, instead settling for a 27.22 (184) to 6.5 (41) win.
Tall forwards Tom Hamilton and Dylan Loprese both enjoyed the chance to fill their boots with five goals each, the former being named best on for the victors in a purple patch of form that has seen him boot 16 goals from his past four games.
Connor Ambler, Matthew Northe, Kade Thorley, Cooper Brown and Samual Walker were the other Traralgon players to impress as the Maroons welcomed former Geelong Cat Jordan Cunico for his first game of the season.
Sale can hang their hats on a three-goal effort in the first term but outside of that it was largely business as usual for this season's strugglers.
Dean Feltis, Kai McDonald (three goals), Thomas Wrigglesworth, Ashton Wright, Benjamin Hall and Thomas Glenn kept fighting for four quarters.
Moe vs Drouin
A competitive start wasn't enough to save Drouin on Saturday as they were overrun by Moe to the tune of 105 points.
A high-scoring affair at the Ted Summerton Reserve was always going to favour the explosive ladder leaders and while the Hawks certainly got a few licks in, the gap in quality between the two teams was on full display.
Five of Drouin's 11 majors in the 11.6 (72) to 27.15 (177) defeat came in the first quarter, where they were able to at least challenge Moe's defenders to keep their side of the scoreboard ticking over.
The issue was Moe's side was also moving up – and at a much faster rate.
Big forward Riley D'Arcy was in imperious form for the home side, booting seven goals to take his season tally to 55 majors from 13 games.
The ever-dangerous Harry Pepper proved a perfect partner in crime, kicking six of his own to show off Moe's multi-pronged forward line – especially with league leading goalkicker Myles Poholke being kept to two thanks to a wonderful effort from Hawk Zayne Atkins.
Past quarter time and Drouin's scoring rate certainly slowed, allowing the Lions to get away for another big win.
Drouin ruck Denver Lund was best on for the visitors, taking on Lion Chris Prowse and walking away with his head held high.
Seb Amoroso and Lane Ward did what they could against the Moe midfielders and looked pretty good at stages with Amoroso kicking three first quarter goals.
Jack Walsh battled manfully down back, putting his size to use as Ewan Croucher kept Declan Keilty goalless. Campbell Bedford had his own moments at half back in another solid showing.
For the Lions while D'Arcy and Pepper were the dangers up forward, the midfield was controlled by stellar performances from the likes of Nathan Scagliarini, Blake Mullane and Alex Dijkstra.
The trio were unstoppable at times, always ensuring their teammates inside 50 were given a healthy supply.
Luke Cheffers rounded out Moe's top performers on a dominant day.
Drouin managed to get on the board early when a turnover on the wing ended with Amoroso running in the first of the day.
D'Arcy returned serve via a snap and doubled up not long after, the Lions taking control of the game and putting the margin beyond 30 points.
The Hawks had their own patch of form at that stage, kicking three straight when Ward bounced one through and Amoroso snapped the next two.
Despite that, the Lions would reestablish themselves late in the term through – you guessed it – D'Arcy and Pepper.
A downfield free handed Wierzbicki (three goals for the day) Drouin the first of the second term but that was about where the good times ended, the Lions controlling the rest of the day en route to a triple digit win.
You can't say the Hawks aren't afraid to attack – they've managed 13 and 11 goals the two times they've met the Lions – as Jordan Kingi encourages his young charges to play a watchable brand of footy.
Kingi described the result as "disappointing in the end with how we played in patches."
"The scoreboard didn't reflect how close we were in the game I think. We kicked the first goal of every quarter, our first 7-10 minutes of every quarter was good but the next 20 minutes weren't," he said.
"We challenged them in parts, just not long enough."
Until the Hawks' inexperienced squad keeps playing together and develops, they'll have plenty of lessons to learn from these kinds of losses.
Going from playing Sale one week to Moe the next is just about the biggest whiplash you can get in the Gippsland League.
Drouin return home this Saturday to face Bairnsdale in what looms as a winnable game if they can get everything right.
Maffra vs Warragul
Warragul's hopes of a top three finish took a significant step on Saturday after a hard-fought 22-point win over Maffra.
The Gulls were put through their paces by a tenacious Eagles team on a blustery day but were able to break clear thanks to a powerful second quarter display that saw them kick five goals to one, building a lead that would never be headed.
The 10.15 (75) to 7.11 (53) result sees Warragul move eight points clear inside the top three as they continue to hunt a double chance come finals time.
After falling behind early thanks in part to a swirling breeze favouring the Eagles' end of the ground the Gulls settled past quarter time, making the most of the conditions to turn a 10-point deficit at quarter time into a 16-point lead at the half.
Maffra were their own worst enemy at times, committing some catastrophic errors out of their backline to hand the Gulls goals and wasting their chances up forward.
A run of six straight behinds to end the third quarter was particularly egregious, allowing Warragul to keep them at arm's length for win number 11.
Tom Hobbs was again at the forefront for the victors, running through the midfield and impacting inside 50 when required to be Warragul's best.
Defender Sean Masterson got off the chain, reading the play and getting a well-timed fist or mark on a host of Maffra kicks inside 50.
Masterson was helped by a great showing down back by Kai MacLean, who has built into the role over the past few weeks to help cover for the team's injuries.
Tom Stern played another great game at centre half forward while forward Keenan Boi – in his first senior game of the year - showed every bit of his craft with two brilliant goals. Watching Boi in action it's not hard to see why the Hawthorn Next Generation Academy prospect has spent most of the year plying his trade for Gippsland Power and Vic Country.
Sam Whibley rounded out Warragul's best, bouncing back to consistently combine with his midfield and give them first use.
Max Stobie led the way for the Eagles, racking up touches and looking dangerous every time he got near the ball in the middle and inside 50.
Defender Will Burgiel was a mostly steady hand down back as Macauley Pendergast, Jack Armstrong, Alex Carr and Seth Smith (four goals) all impressed.
It took 13 minutes for the game's first goal but less than 30 seconds for its second in a bizarre play that saw Smith handed two majors in a minute.
Smith was awarded a high free kick and nailed it, only to be given the ball again for what looked like a Warragul player making his thoughts known to the umpire, taking the same shot from the same spot for the same result.
A long ball into Warragul's forward line ended with Stern running in the Gulls' first, but Smith struck again when he plucked the ball out of a contest one-handed and snapped a beauty mid-tackle.
Jed Lamb hit the scoreboard early in the second shortly before the Butchers combined for Maffra's response – Danny cleverly tapped the ball back over his head to John, who shrugged off a tackle to goal.
A couple of free kicks weren't to the home crowd's liking but allowed Henry Allsop and Lamb to put the Gulls ahead.
However, there was no doubting the legitimacy of their next major. Keenan Boi put through the goal of the day when he took possession outside 50, wheeled around and found his target with the accuracy of a long-distance sniper to send his teammates into raucous cheers.
Now down on the scoreboard the Eagles were also down on confidence, a wayward kick out of defence landing in the lap of Gulls winger Caleb McIntosh. McIntosh chipped to Brad Hefford, who sent the Gulls into the sheds hot off a four-goal streak.
Smith got his fourth for the day only for the goal to quickly be cancelled out courtesy of a textbook Gulls goal – Whibley tapped it down Hobbs' throat, who thumped it long and Finn Sheehan expertly roved the marking contest.
That turned out to be the most exciting minute of the third quarter as Maffra let chance after chance go begging, ending the term with a goal's worth of behinds.
Hobbs punished that inaccuracy in the fourth quarter, putting through a set shot major. Although Max Stobie picked off the next one, yet another horror kick in defence let Hefford keep the Gulls ahead.
And just in case there was still any doubt the game was over Boi reached into his bag of party tricks again – coming in for a set shot beyond the arc, he baulked around Will Burgiel on the mark, running in his second and slamming the door on Maffra.
Speaking post-game, Ayres was happy to have navigated a real danger game.
"Clearly the boys had to contend with some pretty tricky conditions, it was pretty windy up there," he said.
"I thought actually in the first quarter we were able to play a way that held them up to a degree. And then of course the second term set the game up for us.
"We certainly had to defend because they way they score launch is from their defensive area, they run, overlap handball and if you retreat that opens up space for them."
Warragul will now face a brutal three-week stretch of footy, taking on Traralgon, Leongatha and Moe in successive weeks.
If they want that top three spot they'll be earning it, beginning this week with their past players day against the Maroons.
