It was not the start any club chases after a long and hard preseason with all three footy sides going down and only the under 13s getting up with a win in the netball.
Footy. The under 16s and under 18s came up against the perennially strong Bairnsdale boys. The Leongatha boys were well undersized and outmatched on the day, but be assured that they played one of the top teams in the league. The seniors kept pace for most of the game with only a couple of 10 minute patches by Bairnsdale seperating them in the end. The new game plan for the Parrots will be a work in progress, but there was still plenty to like about the way the Gatha players defended and then adapt to the transition into attack. it is fair to say that no club will be successful in the Gippsland League if they can't grasp the modern style of footy that coach Garner is bringing to the club. 6 new players, in Parry, Bruns, Willis and the 3 Lynch brothers, in the side and 2 returning from long term injuries meant the team will take some time to gel, especially with Rhett McLennan being the only 'veteran' in the side. Great to see the 1981 LFC Seniors B&F, Wayne Lynch at the game supporting his nephews.
The netballers started well with the under 13s winning but then all other grades going down, albeit by not a great deal. The under 15s held the lead during the 4th term, so that game could have gone either way. A Grade were a new look team from last year's runner up team, with Andrea Lynch playing her first game for the club, 16 year old Georgia Riseley in her first A grade game and Jaclyn Smith up from last year's B grade premiership side. B grade and C grade also featured very different line ups with some past players welcomed back and several juniors stepping up.
On the upside, the footy ground surface came up a treat thanks to Danny Hickey and his team's tireless work and the social rooms are looking much better with the work over the last couple of years coming to fruition.
Check out Mark Drury photographs of the footy games on the Photo Gallery tab.
Last Modified on 19/04/2014 23:13