Parrots soar over Bairnsdale

LEONGATHA’S dominance was unquestionable on Saturday as it went toe to toe with Bairnsdale on its home turf.
In conditions perfect for footy with just a light wind, the Parrots went in determined to put another win on the board and retain its spot in the top three.
In a strong but steady start, the Parrots kicked three goals straight while Bairnsdale was held to just three behinds.
Coming up from the Reserves, young player Nathan Trotto debuted in the Seniors. Trotto is the leading goal kicker from the Reserves, and was an asset on the ground.
The Parrots maintained a fair amount of possession of the ball, and plenty of entries inside the forward 50.
Bairnsdale was playing a similar game and equalled the possessions, which the scoreboard did not reflect, but it could not use the ball as well as Leongatha.
After easing into the first quarter, Leongatha came out and played the second quarter with a bang.
Kicking five for the term, the Parrots secured a healthy 44 point lead.
The back line worked overtime to keep out Bairnsdale’s key forwards. Tim Sauvarin and Cade Maskell were handy across half back, and Bairnsdale was only able to get another three points on the board.
Seniors’ leading goal kicker Chris Dunne was a powerful force and came away with a six goal haul, three of which were added during the second quarter.
The midfield worked well and fed the ball easily into the forwards. Onballers Hayden Browne and Josh Hopkins each earned their way into Leongatha’s best.
Leongatha’s only bump in the road was a suspected concussion early in the term, which sent Luke Bowman to the bench for the rest of the game.
The third quarter saw Leongatha continue its run to a 54 point lead.
Leongatha was well on top of the game and managed to add another three goals to its tally.
However, the fourth quarter was a disappointing affair with Bairnsdale able to pick up some ground.
Leongatha became complacent in its nearing victory, and took the foot off the pedal instead of running out the full four quarters.
Regardless, Leongatha had done the hard work early and sailed to the final siren with a 49 point win.
Next week, Leongatha will face an exciting challenge against second on the ladder Sale.
A win to Leongatha may see it placed second on the ladder, as it is backed with the percentage to move up the ranks.
This game will mark the midpoint of the season, and Leongatha will have some challenging games ahead in the coming weeks.
Leongatha aim to continue its strong form to remain in the top three come finals.

Newcomer: Julian Lockwood looks to drive the Parrots into attack.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Jun 5 2018. Filed under Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry