Lion surge stuns Gulls

by Liam Durkin
It is called the premiership quarter after all.
A run of six unanswered Moe goals exploded the scoreboard after half time at Western Park on Saturday as the Lions defeated Warragul in round 17 of the Gippsland League 19.10 (124) to 9.8 (62).
Fifteen minutes of mayhem unfolded shortly after players resumed their positions.
Moe quickly turned a precariously placed 22-point lead into an unassailable position midway through the third term.
Such an outburst appeared to come from nowhere, with Warragul players looking shellshocked as the visitors not only scored freely, but incredibly accurately.
The top-of-the-table Lions kicked six goals straight, while the Gulls managed just 1.1 (7).
Their hot start was ignited after a rundown tackle from Declan Keilty on Alby Phillips, who made the mistake of playing on while the big man was still within arm's reach.
Keilty slotted the goal at the netball court end from straight in front, which was followed by another from Harry Pepper shortly after.
Pepper hit the post on the half time siren at the clubhouse end, while fellow key forward Ben Crocker missed after playing on from close range with a snap shot.
The misses arguably kept Warragul in the match as teams retreated to the rooms, although for the first quarter at least, there was plenty to like from the Gulls.
Midfielder Tom Hobbs was everywhere, and even as the game drifted late, the exertion on his face was obvious. You would love to have 18 Tom Hobbs in your team.
Crocker did play on and goaled at the eight minute mark of the third, but this was with a drop punt, and after his direct opponent was slow to get up from the marking contest.
With the margin at 40 points, the game threatened to blow out, and Warragul looked deflated.
A kick off one step from Zac Stewart led straight to a turnover. Frustrations showed on the bench, with a couple of audible thuds of fist slamming table.
Things only got worse for the Gulls when Moe's Riley D'Arcy marked on the goal line for one of his five for the afternoon.
While that goal came from a mark out the back, which is generally forgivable given players are instructed to come forward to defend, the number of times Moe forwards were able to mark in front inside 50 would have surely been concerning for Warragul coach Gary Ayres.
Too much leg rope at one end and shallow entries at the other meant the ball constantly bounced out of the Gulls' front half.
Warragul was completely dismantled by the 15-minute mark, leaving nothing left to do but for someone to resort to an old school rallying cry.
"C'mon Gulls, fight!" screamed key forward Jed Lamb as the ball was camped up the other end.
Much as the ball was in transition, Moe's work at ground level was also a class above.
Morrow, Ben Maslen, Jarryn Makepeace and Alex Dijkstra all got timely fists in, or went back with the flight to take strong grabs.
The difference in class wasn't so much about Moe simply having better players, but perhaps just greater awareness.
Blake Mullane smartly rode a tackle to force an inside 50 stoppage, while on another occasion, Moe players were heard to instruct each other that "he's a left footer" when corralling an opponent near the boundary line. Attention to detail can often be the biggest difference between the top and bottom sides. The top sides will make sure the left footer can't get near his favoured side in the first place. The midtable teams will only do so once the ball has arrived.
Still, some players are undoubtedly a class above. James Harmes showed that, nabbing an opponent holding the ball in mid-air. Given he was on an AFL list at the start of the year, it does show exactly what is required to make it at that level.
Harmes and Warragul captain Tom Stern later traded verbal barbs toward the end of the quarter.
Moe coach Leigh Poholke had little to say at three quarter time, understandable given how clinical his charges had been.
"Domination across the quarter," he said referencing the key performance indicators.
"(You've) earned the right. Got there quicker than I thought (game opening up)."
Ayres remained calm at his huddle, acknowledging the type of forward entries had been "chalk and cheese" between the two sides.
"Lot of effort to get nowhere," he said - a familiar feeling in football when it seems as though you work twice as hard for your goals and then get scored against so easily.
With one quarter to play and a 51-point deficit, not to mention finals to come, Ayres figured there was no point reading the riot act.
"One instruction: I want to see a lot of roll and go," he said.
The last quarter played out in relatively serene circumstances. Lamb gave away a 100-metre penalty for abuse right on the siren, but up until then, both teams appeared content to get out of the game.
Harmes called it a day at the 10-minute mark, while there was good sportsmanship shown when D'Arcy helped opponent Sean Masterson up after collecting him high.
Mullane kicked a nice long range goal to highlight the term. Warragul's Heath Jinks slotted a textbook crumbing goal at the other end.
Lamb suggested Warragul had gone for perfect kicks too often, although another worrying sign came when two Moe midfielders were left unchecked on the wing after their opponents had failed to roll up. The dump kick out of defence saw the resultant ball go straight back inside 50 into the waiting arms of Mullane.
Having captured a lot of people's imagination this season (defeated Traralgon and drew with Leongatha), the Gulls are now in danger of bombing out of finals in the first week for the second year in a row.
Making matters worse, Isaac Wallace did his hamstring in the last quarter. Football can certainly be a rollercoaster - he didn't miss a single game last year.
Moe favourite Liam Masters slugged a goal from stoppage during red time to make for a scoreboard showing the Lions doubled Warragul's score.
Whether or not Moe is twice as good as Warragul is up for debate, but as Bradman's average proved, statistics are hard to ignore.
Bradman averaged near-on 100, and the next best is around 50 to 60. On the Gippsland League ladder at least, the Gulls are among a handful of teams that could be compared to a Dravid, Williamson or Hussey - good, but still some way off the very top.
Liam Serong was named best for the home side, and showed his versatility at ground level with a very clean pick up in the fourth quarter.
Hobbs ran a one-man show at times, while Patrick Mulqueen, Stern, Sam Whibley, whose follow-up work was exceptional, and Xavier Olsson stood out.
D'Arcy (five goals), Crocker (four) and Pepper (three) all contributed for Moe, as did best-on-ground Nathan Scagliarini and Myles Poholke.
Moe veteran Tom Long was prominent on a day for old-timers. His fellow 200-game teammate Ben Morrow was recalled to the senior side to jump against Whibley, while at one stage, 40-year-old Warragul key position Matt Gray was playing on well-travelled Moe defender Aaron Paxton.