Two thrillers with margins of less than three points highlighted a big round five of the TRFM Gippsland League.
Leongatha suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Sale, which bounced back from its first loss at home since 2011.
The Magpies became the first team this year to beat the early flag favourite, albeit by just three points.
"It was fantastic to get the win and even more pleasing was the way we played, executing our game plan from start to finish,” Magpies coach Travis Ronaldson said.
The win came just a week after Traralgon ended Sale’s long-standing 29-game winning streak at home.
"As a group we were really disappointed with our performance last week so it was important for us to make sure our effort and intensity was there this week against the top side,” Ronaldson said.
“We looked at Leongatha as a great challenge and opportunity to show what we are capable of and I thought it was apparent early on that we had come to play.”
Leongatha got the jump on Sale early, and led by 17 points at quarter-time, before Sale stole the lead with a six-goal-to-two second term.
By three-quarter-time there was just two points in it.
Both teams booted three majors in the last, but it was the Magpies that held on for the win.
"It was a great feeling in the rooms after the game and hopefully we can use this week as a springboard for the rest of the year,” Ronaldson said.
“Implementing a new style of play takes time and wins against quality sides like Leongatha build belief and reinforce that we are on the right track.”
Rhys Carter booted four majors for the Magpies while Shane Fyfe was named best on ground.
"All 21 players contributed and our stoppage work, pressure and ball movement were strong all game,” Ronaldson said.
Maffra v Morwell
A kick from James Jacobsen in the dying seconds of the match between Maffra and Morwell, helped the Tigers to victory by the narrowest of margins.
It was a remarkable effort by the reigning premier, which was six goals down at half-time.
“It was a really good win by the boys, we worked really hard in the last and got the result right on the buzzer,” Morwell coach Joel Soutar said.
Soutar coached from the sidelines for the first time and masterminded the Tigers to a third straight win since taking on the role.
“It was a bit of a different experience, pretty full on, I lost my voice,” he said.
“I hate watching, I’d rather be playing but you see a bit more from the sidelines and I was able to give a bit more feedback from seeing what goes on across the whole ground.”
Maffra got the jump on its opponent early and led by 21 points at quarter-time, and 38 at half time.
The visitor kicked five goals to the Eagles’ two in the third term to bring the margin back to 21 points at three-quarter-time.
It was all Morwell in the last, as the Tigers slammed on five goals to one, including the last kick of the day from Jacobsen from 40 metres out.
“The boys were pretty stoked. It was obviously a big win, especially up at Maffra. We’ve copped a lot of hidings there since I’ve been playing,” Soutar said.
Rob Michaelides was missing from the Morwell line up and there were plenty of good signs to come from the young group which included two debutants.
However, experienced trio Dan Musil, Ryan Tatterson and Tim Ryan were the standouts.
Traralgon v Bairnsdale
Traralgon notched its fourth straight win, after a dominant fourth quarter performance against Bairnsdale.
The Maroons slammed on eight goals to two to turn a seven-point lead at three-quarter-time, into a 48-point victory.
While happy to get the four points, Maroon’s coach Mark Collison was far from impressed by his side’s efforts in the opening three quarters.
“I thought we were pretty poor. I’m a bit disappointed with our first three quarters, but you still take a 50-point win,” Collison said.
“Our intensity was down a little bit, (we) didn’t adjust to the conditions, they come pretty prepared (and) they started well.
“Once our boys came good with their intensity I knew we could win, but I’m disappointed t took until the last quarter to do it.”
The win was the Maroons’ fourth of the season, giving them plenty of confidence heading into a challenging fortnight.
“We still have some tests now in Wonthaggi and Maffra, so we have got a big two weeks ahead of us to see where we are at,” Collison said.
“We will put some hours in this week and hopefully we can get up towards these top sides.”
His counterpart at Bairnsdale was left disappointed by his side’s performance, which was right in the game until the last quarter.
“It’s still not good enough. We came down here to get the four points and we weren’t able to do that,” Redlegs coach Shaun Mooney said.
“We went away from our structures late in the game and that’s probably the thing that’s most disappointing.
“They’ve got a really classy midfield group and they are certainly led really well. Early on I thought we closed down a lot of their space but later in the game we went away from doing that. We gave them far too much space and they made us pay.”
Moe v Drouin
Drouin slipped outside the five, despite Saturday’s 45-point win over Moe.
It was the Hawks’ first victory in three weeks, after succumbing to Traralgon and Maffra.
Moe led by three points at the first change, after a hard fought first quarter.
The visitor stole the lead in the second and took a two-goal buffer into half-time.
Drouin extended its lead to 30 points at three-quarter-time before posting a much needed 35-point win.
Ben Hughes booted three for the Hawks, while Moe coach Adrian Burgiel added another three to his tally.
Wonthaggi Power v Warragul
Returning home for just the second time this year, Wonthaggi Power bounced back from last week’s surprise loss to Moe, to beat bottom of the table Warragul in a low scoring encounter.
It was a slow start for both teams, with a total of just four behinds scored in the opening term.
The Power led by two points at quarter-time and booted four goals to one in the second to lead by 24 points at the half.
The home side extended its lead ever so slightly, to 36-points at three quarter time before running out a 50-point winner.
Last Modified on 11/05/2015 10:54