by Nicholas Duck
What a difference a week off can make.
Warragul have bounced back with a vengeance to score a comprehensive 69-point win against Sale.
The Gulls mustn't have indulged in too many Easter chocolates over the break as they were far too slick for the struggling home side from start to finish 19.15 (129) to 9.6 (60).
It's just Warragul's third win at Sale Oval since re-entering the league in 2005 and their first since 2017.
The result puts behind them a horror round two loss to Morwell which saw them fail to get out of the blocks and now has the Gulls at two wins and one loss.
Saturday was almost like watching a completely different team from the one trounced by the Tigers, such was their fierceness from the first bounce.
Warragul's ability to move the ball cleanly also was a real highlight, chaining handballs and kicks beautifully and hitting up their leading forwards in a way they haven't done in a long time.
The only real downside of the day will be a nervous wait for tough as nails inside midfielder Tom Hobbs, who was reported for high contact on Sale superstar Shannen Lange.
Hobbs' outstretched hand collected Lange's face around the eye area early in the second quarter as the latter was taking possession.
Lange was forced from the ground and sent to hospital with a rather ugly looking wound. The free kick was paid and there was little remonstration from Lange's teammates.
In a rather unusual series of events, however, Hobbs wasn't reported at the time of the incident, instead being booked and carded retrospectively during the half time break, forcing him onto the bench for the first 15 minutes of the third quarter.
While many may not have seen that before, under rules introduced in 2023 reports can be made by umpires either at the time of the incident or in the immediate break after the quarter in which incidents occur.
Not that it mattered much. The Gulls, despite playing a man short for half of the third, put the foot down after half time, booting seven goals to two to blow a decent margin out to an unreachable one.
Recruit James Harrison was the architect of the destruction, kicking five goals for the quarter to lead the way for the visitors in a commanding overall performance.
With plenty of space available to run riot in the Warragul forward 50 the tall combo of the master Brayden Fowler and the apprentice Tom Stern was similarly effective as both booted four goals each.
Warragul coach Jed Lamb, who has often been a focal point up forward for the Gulls, instead placed himself at half back in a move that paid dividends with 24 disposals.
Patrick Mulqueen was immense in the backline, Hobbs still racked up 29 touches despite his time on the pine and ruck Sam Whibley did well to nullify Magpie big man Jack Leslie.
Leslie ended the day injured on the bench with a leg concern, joining Lange and forward Jordan Dessent as Magpies who failed to play the day out.
Now sitting at zero wins and three losses there are problems aplenty at Sale.
Even before Lange left the ground the way they were being smashed around the ground had the alarm bells ringing. Their body language wasn't much better at times, with more than a few players guilty of dropping their heads or giving up a chase earlier than you'd like.
Jake Hutchins fought the good fight for them with some great gut runs through the ground and former Richmond Tiger Derek Eggmolesse-Smith set up some nice plays with his excellent kick.
Will Leslie, who was rather wasted at full forward in the first half, rebounded in the second half when moved further afield while Ashton Wright, Lachie Ronchi and Thomas Wrigglesworth were among their better players on a dirty day.
From the game's start it was clear Jed Lamb's men were on a mission, booting the first of the day within a minute through Isaac Wallace.
With two more on the board soon after thanks to Hobbs and Fowler, the home side – who mind you were getting desperate for a win – looked rattled.
They were able to stem the bleeding partly through Lange, who was copping some serious attention at the time.
However some more gorgeous movement from the Gulls saw them go on another run of four goals, the highlight coming from a serious hanger by Tom Stern who duly slotted the resulting shot.
Sale were able to peg one back just before the first break through a rather dumb 50-metre penalty from Harrison, who was pinged by the umpire after pretending not to know who had just won a free kick and wasting time.
Having kicked 7.1 in the first term the Gulls' accuracy in front of the sticks waned in the second, at one stage having 1.6 to their name for the quarter.
Despite wasting their chances the visitors weren't made to pay as they continued to reign supreme around the ground.
Come the second half and it was the James Harrison show, the Gulls recruit firing them through from all angles. He kicked the first three of the term in no time at all, wreaking havoc at ground level.
He wasn't done there either, curling through a crazy good shot from the wrong side and later finishing the quarter in style by snapping his fifth.
Now up 58 as they turned for home Warragul did it comfortably in the last, briefly threatening their all-time best win over Sale (88 points) before settling for what was still a triumphant performance.
Warragul coach Jed Lamb said it was the best four-quarter performance the Gulls had put in during his tenure.
"We started the game really well. We simplified our game plan through the week and came out of the blocks really well," he said.
"The most pleasing thing is in past games when we get the jump on someone we've usually let them back in...this time we were able to go on with it."
Lamb was much less happy with the retrospective reporting of Hobbs, labelling it "an absolute disgrace."
"I've never seen anything like it, I couldn't believe it when they told us at half time he'd have to sit out 15 minutes. The positive is we were down to 17 on the field and we still killed them in the third."
The Gulls will next face Bairnsdale at home with a chance to do what they've struggled to in recent times – back up their wins.