by Nicholas Duck

The second half of the Gippsland League home and away season is here, and all the teams are rested up and raring to go as they all play rematches of their round one meetings. Things have certainly changed for most teams since then, and plenty of sides will be looking to exact some revenge in round 10. Here's how this week's games are shaping up.
All matches to be played Saturday, June 18 at 2:20pm.
Traralgon vs Leongatha
Location: Traralgon Showgrounds
In what could be a potential grand final preview Traralgon plays host to Leongatha in a top-of-the-table clash that is not to be missed.
The Maroons remain the team that has come closest to beating the undefeated Parrots, having led their round one clash in the fourth quarter before being overwhelmed late.
Since then, Traralgon have suffered more close losses, including a one-point loss to Moe and a seven-point loss to Warragul.
It means that while they sit second by percentage, they could have been a game or two clear if not for defensive inconsistencies in some of their games. Still, they've proved their best is certainly fearsome, and will be keen on their chances of being the team to finally undo Leongatha, who are currently on a 17-game winning streak including the eight games they won last year.
The Maroons have lost Brett Eddy however, which won't be doing any favours for their forward line, though the return of Matt Northe will help to alleviate this.
Leongatha, meanwhile, have made five changes since their demolition job of Drouin two weeks ago, with one of the casualties being superstar Cade Maskell.
Maskell's sure hand off half back will be missed, and will leave a potential gap for the Maroons to exploit.
Traralgon haven't been able to overcome Leongatha in any of their past five starts, but an opportunity presents itself here to send a message to the rest of the competition.
And given these two teams may very well meet again in finals, the psychological advantage of a win here can't be overstated.
Leongatha will still enter as deserved favourites, but either way this should be a cracking game.
Warragul vs Moe
Location: Western Park
Moe's season hit a wall in the lead-up to their bye, as they lost three of their last four games to slip all the way from first to fourth.
Key injuries, including to star forward Harry Pepper, have hampered the Lions' scoring ability but it now seems other sides have figured out how to stop their, at times, breathtaking ball movement.
A 44-point loss to Wonthaggi before the bye, which followed a 94-point demolition at the hands of Leongatha, has left Moe in a bit of a freefall, though they still remain two wins clear of the teams outside the top five.
Still, a victory wouldn't go amiss as they look to re-establish themselves as a serious premiership contender.
For Warragul, last week's trip to Bairnsdale wasn't as successful as they might have hoped, as a solid first quarter was quickly overshadowed by a second quarter collapse that the Gulls were unable to recover from.
Some injuries have hurt the continuity of the Warragul side, as they continue to tinker with what their best team actually looks like.
The Gulls will be buoyed by Moe's recent struggles with form though, and if they bring enough pressure and tackling intensity, especially in their forward half, an upset could be on the cards.
Moe have recent history on their side, having beaten the Gulls in their four previous meetings, and will be going into this one confident of repeating their round one win.
If an upset does occur though, things are going to get very interesting for Moe in their run home to finals.
Maffra vs Drouin
Location: Maffra Recreation Reserve
Sitting a game and a half outside the top five, Maffra are in desperate need of some wins in the back half of the season if they want to play finals in 2022.
The Eagles haven't missed finals since 1999, but simply cannot afford any slip-ups in the run home if they want to keep this record intact.
Their first opportunity to put some pressure on the top five comes this week as they meet bottom-placed Drouin at home.
The scoreline of these teams' last meeting in round one made for ugly reading if you're a Drouin fan, though the Hawks have undoubtedly made some strides since that game.
Drouin entered that game with an entirely new looking squad, one much more youthful than in years gone by, and in the matches since have shown their best footy is to be respected.
Despite that, they're certainly a patchy team, as they're able to play some great footy for a stretch of time but are often unable to sustain it.
And unfortunately for the Hawks, when they don't play their best other sides have proved they are more than capable of taking advantage of those lapses.
John Butcher goes out for the Eagles, leaving them with one less forward target, while the Hawks have brought in some more youth through the inclusions of players like Ryan Maric and Zayne Atkins.
Maffra need to keep the wins flowing, and will likely need some wins against top five teams if they want to be a factor late this season, but first and foremost should be winning games against the teams below them.
The Eagles haven't lost at home to Drouin since 2009, and should be racking up another win here.
Morwell vs Bairnsdale
Location: Morwell Recreation Reserve
Morwell have been one of the more surprising sides this year thanks to some of their youth blossoming in important roles. As things stand the Tigers sit even with Maffra six points behind fifth-placed Wonthaggi.
Given their percentage is rather poor, however, the Tigers will be needing to bank some wins on the run home if they want to make an unlikely finals appearance.
Fresh off their second win of the season, Bairnsdale will be coming into this game with some amount of confidence, and certainly look a better side than they were early in the year.
A lack of continuity has hurt the Redlegs this year, as they've rarely been able to get their best side on the field. This has started to turn however, and last week against Warragul they showed they're more than capable of getting the job done.
Last week's best on ground, Shane McDonald, comes out for Bairnsdale, meaning they're going to be relying on their other midfielders to step up in his absence.
Given the two wins they've had this year have been against the teams below them on the ladder, the Redlegs will be pushing to start knocking off teams above them and earn some respect in the back half of the season.
Still, it may be a struggle at a ground they haven't won at since 2012, but you certainly can't count them out.
Morwell will enter this game as favourites, though it should be noted in their round one meeting they had to come from behind to get the job done and certainly can't afford to take Bairnsdale lightly.
Sale vs Wonthaggi
Location: Sale Oval
A massive game in the context of the race for top five, Sale will be out for revenge as they host Wonthaggi.
The Magpies led the round one match between these two teams for much of the day against a highly inaccurate Power, before Wonthaggi managed to find the big sticks when it most counted to claim an eight-point victory.
Since then, Wonthaggi has struggled for consistency, while Sale has managed to win five of their last six to sit third on the ladder.
The Power would be a little disappointed with some of their efforts this year, as they entered this year as one of the premiership favourites. Since then though, some middling results including a draw with Warragul and a one-point loss to Morwell leaves them still six points clear in fifth, but any slip-ups will have the teams directly below them smelling blood in the water.
The return of Shannon Bray will certainly boost the Power's chances, while the loss of Kane Martin hurts Sale's, but the fact remains that it's been 12 years since Wonthaggi tasted victory at Sale's home ground.
This result will be significant either way for the make-up of the top five, but with a top three spot in Sale's grasp and a potential double chance up for grabs, they'll be wanting to tick this one off and keep their season rolling.
At home Sale should prove too strong, particularly if Wonthaggi repeats their errant goalkicking.