Round three of the Gippsland League on Saturday will give a good indication of where local sides Warragul and Drouin are at.

Following a truncated start to the season where the first two rounds were completed over the course of one month, the season will begin to pick up some momentum with five matches across the course of the weekend to become a common theme.

Following their local derby as part of rivalry round a fortnight ago, both Warragul and Drouin hit the road for round three. Adding to the challenge, both sides will meet potential competition front runners.
The Hawks were the first to record their first win with victory over the Gulls, an important result to move them to sixth on the ladder and keep them in touch with the top five.

Drouin will take on 2019 grand finalist Leongatha, with the match set to give a good indication of the Hawks’ prospects this season. Both teams have to Wonthaggi, who shapes as an early contender, and defeated mid-range teams to start the season with one win and one loss.

On form the Parrots may just have the edge, having defeated Traralgon comfortably in the opening round.

The young Warragul side have shown promise in patches in its opening two games. It should have defeated Bairnsdale and kept in touch with Drouin for much of the game.

If the young Gulls can continue to maintain their effort across the four full corners, the wheel will turn for them at some point.

But the task doesn’t get much easier this week, travelling to Sale to take on a Magpies team undefeated and on the charge for a return to finals. That includes an impressive win over reigning premiers Maffra.

Moe will back themselves to keep in touch with the top pack when it hosts Bairnsdale, while Wonthaggi will look to also continue its strong form when it meets Morwell.
Traralgon will also be tested when it hosts Maffra.