Draw drama as Gulls match Parrots

by Nicholas Duck
They don't get any closer than that.
A behind after the siren from Parrots veteran Tom Marriott has seen Warragul and Leongatha play out the most dramatic of draws in their Titanic clash at Western Park on Saturday.
Having led by 23 points at half time, an extremely efficient Warragul side found themselves in trouble after the reigning premiers booted five unanswered goals in the wet to take the lead heading into the final quarter.
A tense affair in which neither team could find a score was broken up when a late 50-metre penalty went Tom Hobbs' way, handing the Gulls what seemed to be a match winner.
Leongatha refused to lie down, however, finding Marriott unmanned at 40 metres out. With the siren sounding and the Parrots down by one, Marriott kicked for the win, only for his kick to fall left and leave the scores deadlocked at 12.1 (73) to 10.13 (73).
Warragul will feel like they let one slide, given their second quarter burst that saw them take control on the scoreboard – albeit without having control of general play. Going from 10 goals in the first half to two in the second didn't help their case.
Leongatha will feel the same, having wasted numerous opportunities across the day and ultimately looking like the better team for a lot of it.
Easing the Gulls' disappointment is the fact they were missing a number of first choice players, namely ruck Sam Whibley (exam), Rhys Galvin (VFL), Liam Serong (VFL) and Luke Garner (soreness).
Included in the team were two debutants in Harry Hodge and Oliver Langford, the latter of which was thrown right in the deep end to battle manfully against premier big man Jack Sheridan in the ruck.
The Gulls also got to see a familiar face in Leongatha recruit Fraser Phillips, who was on debut for the Parrots. Phillips, who has spent time with a variety of VFL clubs, last played for Warragul in 2019.
Warragul key forward Jordan Stewart may find himself in hot water for a third quarter incident in which he allegedly slung Hayden Lindsay to ground off the ball.
The Parrot defender took some time to get up and left the field soon after looking very groggy.
A free kick was paid after the incident without any further reprimand but the Gippsland League have confirmed Match Review Officer Peter Carey will be reviewing the match as he does with all games.
Given the Gulls face an imposing Moe side this weekend any suspension would make their next game an even bigger challenge.
Leading the way for the home team were midfielders Riley Senini and Hobbs, who fought tooth and nail for every possession.
Young guns Xavier Olsson and Caleb McIntosh impressed on the outside as Sean Masterson helped the Gulls effectively shut down the Parrots' tall targets Patrick Ireland and Jenson Garnham.
Tom Stern also did well in a number of roles, especially the ruck late when Langford's day was ended by a leg injury.
Zavier Lamers booted four goals for the Parrots, including three straight in their third quarter comeback, to spark them into action.
Sam Forrester and Tim Sauvarin provided plenty, as did savvy small forward recruit Curtis Murfett. Veterans Aaron Heppell and Cade Maskell were as important as ever, with Maskell making several last line defensive efforts late to deny Warragul.
The Gulls made the most of their early opportunities to create some chaos and take an early lead. Jed Lamb was proving to be a particular handful, kicking the first goal of the day and putting on a smart shepherd to let Vinnia Caia walk in another.
Leongatha found the pressure a challenge and made some mistakes you wouldn't expect, dropping marks or missing kicks like we haven't seen them do in some time.
Not long into the second quarter a big clunk from Stern saw him run one in as the Gulls got off to the races.
Two further goals to Lamb – including a beautiful roller on the boundary – had the home fans roaring.
Leongatha fought back via Ireland and Lamers, before some push and shove resulted in a frankly dumb holding free to Garnham, who took the gift happily.
As they had done all half, Warragul responded and were up and about heading into the sheds when Jordan Stewart brought down a contested grab and slotted it.
The rain and hail suddenly teemed down during the break but quickly cleared out, leaving Western Park a slippery prospect in the second half.
With ground ball gets and territory becoming vital the Parrots made their move through Lamers, who slotted three straight – two of which came via high tackles.
Gulls coach Gary Ayres urged his troops to fight in the last and though they got plenty of looks inside 50, they couldn't make them count in a stoppage-filled term.
As the clock ticked down, Hobbs was thrown a lifeline when Justin Pellicano ran around him too closely following a mark, leading the umpire to send him 25 out straight in front and finally give Warragul the lead back.
Despite having had just one goal kicked the time went over 30 minutes, the Gulls unable to stop Leongatha from finding Marriott inside 50 as the Parrots pounced on a turnover in the final play of the game.
While the crowd held their breath for the deciding kick, it was deflation in the end for both teams as the points had to be shared.
Speaking post-game, Ayres said it was a real game of momentum.
"I was really encouraged by how we played in the first half ... in that third quarter there were obviously some things we definitely need to tidy up," he said.
"Their ability to get goal-side of our defenders in that front and square stuff was not what you want. Some of our tackling technique was not what you want to see. It just invites more pressure.
"You can't deny how much resilience we've shown in the last couple of months, that's what I'm really loving about what we're doing. The changes during the week, we had to cover those and had two first gamers. We've got to measure ourselves against the sides who are dominant in this competition and we stood up."
Warragul will now look towards their away game against Moe this Sunday at Churchill where they will take part in the Lions' annual Big Freeze event.
As a battle between the league's only two undefeated teams, it's sure to attract plenty of attention.