Liam Durkin
TRARALGON players might as well have ran onto Terry Hunter Oval wearing pastry chef hats for the Gippsland League football preliminary final.
The Maroons creamed Moe on Saturday to progress to their first grand final since 2015.
Traralgon brushed Moe aside by 55 points – 10.17 (77) to 3.4 (22) – on a day that saw rain, wind and even some sunshine at stages.
In what was another finals horror show for Moe, the Lions were reduced to the lowest-ever score for a Gippsland League preliminary final.
Moe lost rebounding defender Scott van Dyk in the first quarter, and had a goal disallowed in the second after an alleged infringement involving the runners.
Adding to this was the absence of key defender and playing-coach Declan Keilty, meaning Moe found itself with plenty of work to do at the main break, down by 23 points.
Things only got worse for the Lions, who failed to score in the third quarter. Traralgon all but booked itself a place in the decider after kicking 2.6 (18) to take a 42-point lead at the last change.
The Maroons were full of running for most of the day, while their disposal by foot cut the opposition to pieces.
Having reached the preliminary final without the luxury of the double-chance, Traralgon got the odds squarely in its favour, with contributors right across the board.
Moe had narrowly beaten the Maroons in the qualifying final a fortnight ago, in what was a tough game in windy conditions. The Lions followed up with an abysmal display against Leongatha (58 point loss), the emotional scars of which might have had some effect seven days later.
Traralgon, meanwhile, looked like it had plenty of fuel left to burn, and could have easily extended its advantage had it not been for wastefulness in front of goal.
The Maroons had the margin at 28-points eight minutes into the third term, which threatened to all but extinguish the chances of a Moe comeback.
Frustrations were evident for Moe, possibly best summed up when defender Luke Mulqueen took a mark at centre half-back, only to have the decision reversed after shoving fourths player Marlon Neocleous to the ground.
A goal to his brother Harvey Neocleous at the 15-minute mark added more misery for the technically home team as three-quarter-time approached.
Traralgon veteran Dan McKenna, who has come out of retirement this year, used his smarts on the eve of the last break, working his opponent under the ball to kick the easiest of goals from the line to give the Maroons even more momentum.
Conversion aside, Traralgon coach Troy Hamilton was pleased with his charges at the last huddle. With a virtually insurmountable lead, he instructed them to protect the corridor and continue to hit their kicks “with conviction”.
Moe had no option but to risk an even greater defeat trying to win the game, and Keilty told them to “surge forward and give it everything you’ve got”.
A non-descript final term played out, with Moe managing just one goal to Traralgon’s three. Once the result was beyond absolute doubt, the Maroons chipped the ball around to not risk injury to any players.
Tye Hourigan was again best-on for the winners, taking a countless number of marks in defence. His importance to Traralgon cannot be understated – of the five home-and-away games the Maroons lost this season, Hourigan did not play in four of them.
Big man Max Jacobsen continued his strong season with another showing in the best, along with Connor Ambler, Liam Willaton, Chance Doultree and Tristen Waack.
The Baldi twins, Riley and Trent, were again the two stand-outs for Moe, while Ben Maslen, Jacob Wood, Taj Eden and Ben Daniher battled hard.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the result made it three stumbles at the preliminary final hurdle from their last three finals series (2019, ’23, ’24). At the risk of rolling out clichés: once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern.
Last Saturday was Keilty’s final game as senior coach of the Lions, and despite delivering consecutive top three finishes, a finals record of two-wins, four-losses remains in the negative.
For the Maroons, the grand final completes something of a full circle journey almost a decade in the making. Traralgon will play Leongatha for the premiership this Saturday, just as it did nine years ago.
BAIRNSDALE booked its place in the reserves grand final with a 19-point victory over Maffra.
The 6.2 (38) to 2.7 (19) defeat was the Eagles’ second loss to the Redlegs this finals series.
The sides both had three scoring shots in the first half, but the Redlegs made the most of their’s, kicking thee goals while the Eagles registered three minor scores. Bairnsdale edged away in the second half, kicking three goals to two, earning it the right to take on undefeated Leongatha this Saturday.
There was better news for Maffra earlier in the day, with the Eagles winning the under 18 and 16 preliminary finals.
Maffra’s thirds team defeated Leongatha 10.14 (74) to 4.3 (27) and will play Warragul for the premiership.
In the fourths, Maffra defeated Moe 5.13 (43) to 5.7 (37) in a close contest. Eagles will play Traralgon in the grand final.
– with David Braithwaite
