Gippsland rains over Murray

By Ken Moore
THE Gippsland Football League had an emphatic 71-point victory over the Central Murray Football League in their WorkSafe VCFL Country Championship match at Morwell on Saturday.
Under the VCFL’s ranking system, the match pitted the ninth seeded Gippsland against the 10th seeded Central Murray.
Gippsland has now earned the right to play Bendigo, who lost to the Geelong in a play-off for seventh and eighth over the weekend, in 2012.
Gippsland adapted far better to the drizzly rain and slippery conditions at Morwell.
The first quarter was a tight affair and the visitors drew first blood when Tooleybuc-Manangatang key forward Jarrod Arentz steered through the first goal.
Central Murray also kicked the first goal of the second quarter and only trailed by three points early in the second stanza, before the locals responded to the challenge, went into overdrive and rammed on 10 unanswered goals to have the game well and truly in their keeping by early in the third quarter.
The height among the four pronged attack of James Gibbs (five goals), Dan McKenna (two goals) and Matt Kremer, in addition to the strong hands of ex-AFL Saint Matt Ferguson (three goals), troubled the far shorter Riverina side.
Two-time league best and fairest and Drouin dynamo Andy Soumilas added the VCFL best on ground medal to what must be a bursting trophy cabinet.
Soumilas received able midfield support from 36-year-old former AFL Kangaroo Stuart Anderson, rising Leongatha star Tom Marriot and Moe’s Tommy Long, who provided plenty of run and carry out of defence.
Sale ruckman Toby Leeds regularly palmed the ball out with precision to the Gippsland smalls – and Soumilas, Wonthaggi coach Leigh McDonald, Drouin’s Pat McGrath and Traralgon’s Dan Campbell were often the recipients of his deft work.
When the Murray boys did press forward, they met plenty of resistance in the form of two emerging youngsters, Sale centre half back Jordan Dessent and Morwell full back Jack Brown. Central Murray tried hard but to little purpose after quarter time.
Among better players for the visitors were Swan Hill ruck rover Xavier Moloney and Balranald pair, half back Nick Trenfield and midfielder Eric Kuret.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang rover Jack O’Rourke won a fair share of the ball and Koondrook-Barham’s Cam Millward was steady in defence.
GFL president Brian McKenzie was relieved and happy with the victory.
“It was important to win to work our way up the ranking system,” McKenzie said.
“We would like to think we are in the top four leagues in the state, certainly in the top six.
“We went into the game with good structure, the players were committed and there was a good feel among the blokes.
“We played blokes that wanted to play and, hopefully, we can keep them together for next year.”