Liam Durkin
MAKE no mistake, Traralgon isn’t just playing in the Gippsland League grand final to give Leongatha an opposition.
The Maroons are there to win and to win their 21st senior football flag.
The Maroons have taken the competition by storm this season, and find themselves in the last game of the year, and with some freedom as all the pressure will be on their opponents.
The Parrots are playing in their eighth consecutive decider, and with the opportunity to create club history by winning a hat-trick of titles for the first time.
Much of this season was a case of everyone falling in behind Leongatha, who finished three games clear on top of the ladder.
The Parrots took the quickest route to another grand final after disposing of Moe in the second semi-final, while Traralgon had to survive two sudden death eliminators.
While Leongatha will take heavy favouritism into tomorrow, the Maroons will have reason to be confident nonetheless.
Traralgon only lost to the Parrots by margins of five and 34 points during the regular season, and the two teams are yet to meet in a final this year. Therein lies the beautiful uncertainty of finals football, where history has proven time and time again that ‘anything can happen’.
Traralgon was not expected to cause much damage this season, following the departures of senior experienced players Mark Collison, Brett Eddy, Tom Schneider and playing-coach Jake Best.
Little was anyone to know however the sheer quality of what was coming through.
The investment in youth under the coaching of Best during his three-year stint (2021-23) has paid dividends, with a number of Traralgon’s youngsters blossoming this season.
Names such as Tom McMahon, Kade Ruyters and Lucas Tripodi have played consistent senior football under Hamilton, while Connor Ambler, Luis D’Angelo and Jackson McMahon have become household names.
The Maroons have played a fast-paced game, highlighted by precision disposal by foot and a rebounding defence prepared to sit behind the ball and wait for hack kicks to come in.
In preparing to take on Leongatha, the Maroons should have no issue matching the Parrots for leg speed, but will be challenged with winning the ball in close before exploding away.
The Parrots don’t really have a weakness, so it would be futile trying to look for one to expose, and Traralgon are unlikely to want to turn the game into a stoppage-after-stoppage scrap.
With this in mind, the game might simply become a case of who is better for longer.
Traralgon key forward Dylan Loprese is the only survivor from the Maroons’ 2015 premiership, which was the start of Leongatha’s grand final run. Best played for Leongatha in that game.
Regardless of result, tomorrow is looming as an emotional time for all wearing the maroon and white. Traralgon footballers and officials have been without proper facilities for more than three years.
Not to let that deter them, the Maroons have simply got on with the job, and to their unbelievable credit, have played and won finals across the grades in the last three years.
That same attitude will hold them in good stead come grand final day.
MAFFRA will be looking to back-up its 2023 junior premierships with wins tomorrow.
In the case of the fourths, the Eagles are going for a hat-trick of flags.
The Maffra fourths will be taking on a Traralgon side which is yet to lose a match this season.
After losing to Moe in the qualifying final, the Eagles have had to take the long way to the grand final, and have avoided meeting the Maroons during the finals.
During the home-and-away season, Traralgon defeated Maffra by 15 points at home in round eight, after trailing by five at three-quarter-time. At Maffra in round 17, the Maroons won by 34 points.
The fourths grand final will feature the two players who tied for the league best-and-fairest, Maffra’s Leo Stephenson and Traralgon’s Blair Roscoe.
MAFFRA will meet Warragul for the thirds premiership.
As Warragul claimed the minor premiership and Maffra finished the home-and-away season in fourth place, the two sides haven’t meet these finals. The Gulls have won both encounters with the Eagles this season, the closest being a five-point game in round nine at Maffra.
Eagle Elliot Stables will be looking to claim a premiership medallion to go with his league best-and-fairest medal to cap off a great season.
LEONGATHA is going for a hat-trick of premierships in the reserves when it meets Bairnsdale. Undefeated this season, the Parrots defeated the Redlegs, who have lifted during the finals, by two goals a fortnight ago in the second semi-final.- with David Braithwaite
