by Rob Popplestone
Thorpdale dropped out of the top six despite a two-goal win as percentage comes into play in Mid Gippsland footy.
Tarwin v Thorpdale
Tarwin's chips had to be "all in" as they welcomed Thorpdale to their home ground for as a last chance showdown for both clubs.
A win would enable a coach to continue to sell the story of finals and when getting there, anything could happen. A loss meant a coach would need to sell the dream as to still being alive.
Thorpdale, get to tell the story, with a two-goal win, 12.17-89 to 11.11-77.
"Four points was what we wanted and that's what we got," Thorpdale coach Jason Winderlich said. "Played some really good patches of footy, just couldn't capitalise on the scoreboard."
"Tarwin played some great footy, rebounding from half back as they were trying to keep their finals hopes alive," Winderlich added.
On a junior buddy day, Tarwin coach Jason Kennedy said it was a huge game as they pursue the top six.
"Thorpdale ended the first quarter with a two-goal lead and, in the end, this was the difference that we couldn't peg them back," Kennedy said. "All in all, I can't fault our effort. We battled hard all day and also played some good football."
The year is not over for Tarwin, but the challenge is now much greater. However, a fast finish towards finals can still change things very quickly.
Hill End v Foster
As happy as the Hill End men had been - and deserved to be - after their season breaking win, there was an ominous feeling that Foster was going to send the mood crashing back to earth.
That's pretty much what we saw as the workmanlike Tigers secured an 105-point victory, 19.11-125 to 3.2-20.
Jake Best, former Traralgon playing coach, was a standout for the Tigers with 15 goals.
"A special day for a few of our guys who had been battling away in the ressies all year, giving them a senior opportunity and getting them a win," Foster coach Sam Davies said. "They stepped up to the level and all contributed."
The Hillsmen were acutely aware of what they were up against, given Foster are starting to surge at the right time.
"It was a disappointing effort against Foster," Hill End coach Ambu Uliando said. "Didn't have our best team in. Foster are a top quality outfit."
Boolarra v Morwell East
The Demons, desperate to bounce back, hosted a powerful Hawks side.
In the end, Morwell East would be pretty happy just to get the premiership points, after falling in by just a kick, 7.8-50 to 6.8-44.
Morwell East coach Paul Henry said it was a celebration for Brendan Evans' record of 255 senior games.
"Boolarra, on their home turf, has always been a hard match up for us, but we finally got the monkey off our back in a tight, hard-fought win," Henry said.
All clubs like to win milestone matches for their most loyal players, but there is never a guarantee. The Demons did everything they could do to ruin the party, only to fall agonisingly short.
"There is no question the boys responded from the past fortnight, but to not get the result again is disappointing," Boolarra coach Brendan Mason said.
Fish Creek v Toora
The Magpies were handed a footballing lesson by Fish Creek, 10.10-70 to 3.9-27.
The league leaders now have some breathing space from the few teams just below, with coach Jarrod Walker labelling the game "a strong performance".
"Toora came to play and made it a strong contest all day," Walker said. "Pleasing to see us getting the game on our terms at times and moving the ball the way we want to."
Toora coach Jack Weston said his team was getting tired of being in games against good sides for long periods of time, only to drop off.
"We perhaps addressed our slow starts to be even at quarter time," Weston said. "But fell away for 15 minutes in the second. Credit to Fish Creek, they put on a match-winning burst."
MDU v Mirboo North
In normal circumstances, MDU would have hit their home turf with a certain degree of confidence as deserving favourites.
However, there was also a certain apprehension that a loss could also derail their season in just two hours.
In the end, the finals aspirant got the job done in a demolition of Mirboo North, 19.6-120 to 2.2-14.
"We were able to put a four-quarter performance together and convert when we had momentum," MDU coach Nathan Allen said. "Mirboo ran really hard all day and possessed the ball well at times. Even contributions from our guys all over the ground made us really hard to play against today."
For the Tigers, there remains those "moments" in games to recognise, but team success still appears a little way off.
"Tough day," Mirboo North coach Damian Turner summarised. "We showed some good signs in the first half, within striking distance again. But, after half-time, MDU were far too classy. Their ball use and spread was very sharp."
Yinnar v Stony Creek
Good sides don't lose two in a row or get beaten on their home ground.
Yinnar proved they are very much a side that will need to be reckoned with after bouncing back against a potentially dangerous Stony Creek, 7.11-53 to 5.7-37.
The margin was not huge, but the result enormous in the scheme of the season.
"The game itself became an old fashioned slog, as both teams were looking to gain territory at all costs," Yinnar coach Sam McCulloch said. "We felt we controlled most of the day, but the Lions made a charge in the last. We held strong and finished well with a good win in the mud."
Stony Creek coach Chris Verboon was happy with his team's effort in tough conditions.
"We were down to one on the bench by half-time," Verboon said. "We had a lot of the play down our end of the ground, but couldn't capitalise on the forward entries."
"Yinnar rebounded really well off half back and scored through clean entries," he added.
Bye: Newborough.