Drouin no match for Maffra in opening round

Drouin were no match for Maffra in round one of Gippsland League on Saturday, losing 2.3 (15) to 13.12 (90).
The new-look Hawks, having lost the experience of club games record holder David Olsen and best and fairest Eddie Morris, struggled from the first bounce to keep up with their much more experienced opponents, scoring just one goal in each half.
Drouin players consistently struggled to overpower their larger opponents, and simply could not find many avenues to goal each time they did manage to get the ball forward.
Under new coach Anthony Robbins, Maffra did exactly what was expected of them, booting five goals in the first quarter and never looking back.
Led by a strong midfield performance from the likes of Ed Carr and William Pleming and a four goal performance from Daniel Bedggood, the Eagles outmuscled and outworked their opponents as they look to return to the league's elite following a 2021 season that fell somewhat short of the team's extremely high standard.
James Read, Mitchell Bennett and Alex Carr rounded out Maffra's best, while Tom Johnstone, Timothy Hancock and Joseph Collins were among the better players on a forgettable day for Drouin.