by Nicholas Duck
It's time for round seven of the Gippsland League, where Warragul and Drouin will both need their best footy if they are to find wins, while the two benchmark teams of the last decade will meet once again. Here's how the matches this week are looking.
Saturday May 21
2:20pm start for all matches
Sale vs Warragul
Location: Sale Oval
Warragul found it tough last week against Leongatha, and things won't be getting much easier this week as they travel to face a Sale team brimming with confidence.
The Gulls weren't found wanting for effort but simply don't have the forward line firepower that many of the top sides are able to use.
Incredibly, Jed Lamb kicked all six of the Gulls' goals against the Parrots as he continues his stellar individual season, while the Warragul forward line as a whole continued to struggle.
Unfortunately for the Gulls, they now have to deal with a backline that has made a habit out of intercepting opposition forward forays.
Sale finally found their best footy last week against Moe as the height of their star backs, led by Jack and Will Leslie, took mark after mark to starve their opponents of opportunity as the Magpies pulled away late to end Moe's unbeaten streak.
Given Sale have won their last seven against Warragul, they will certainly fancy their chances this week as they look to strengthen their grip on third spot and keep in touch with the very top of the ladder.
For Warragul, a more dangerous forward set-up will be of top priority. They've shown their best can trouble some of the top sides, so it will just be a matter of whether or not they can display that kind of dedication once again.
Drouin vs Moe
Location: Drouin Recreation Reserve
It was a disappointing game last week for Drouin, where a rollercoaster first three quarters gave way to a final term capitulation against Bairnsdale.
Like in many of their recent games the Hawks showed in patches that their youthful side can put together some powerful footy, but also that they just can't sustain it for longer periods of time.
Another issue was the height of the Drouin backline, which just couldn't contain the bigger bodies and marking prowess of the Bairnsdale forwards.
Height also proved to be an issue for Moe last week, whose unbeaten start to the season came to an end against Sale.
Despite plenty of service to their forward line, the lack of a true marking target ultimately came back to bite the Lions, as Sale's taller defenders were able to intercept at will as the game progressed.
Regardless, Moe are still blessed with plenty of talent around the field, and the fact remains that they have won their last eight straight against Drouin, with many of those wins coming when Drouin was a significantly more experienced side.
The Lions won their first five games of the year for a reason and should find enough to win this one, though they may have to weather the storm if the Hawks can string together some solid plays.
Bairnsdale vs Traralgon
Location: Bairnsdale City Oval
Fresh off their first win of the year, Bairnsdale return to their home ground looking to build some momentum against a Traralgon side trying to do the same.
The Redlegs were fantastic late against Drouin, piling on eight goals in the last quarter to run away 55-point winners, led by six goals to player-coach Logan Austin.
They may need another performance like that this week against Traralgon, who will be needing a win here to maintain their spot in the top five.
The Maroons have been one of the more unlucky teams this season, as all three of their losses have been under 10 points.
They finally got on the right side of a close one last week, overcoming Wonthaggi by just four points in an absolute thriller, but are still needing to rack up the wins to keep in touch with the league's upper echelon.
Recent games between these two at Bairnsdale have usually proven to be close affairs, though their meeting at the ground last year resulted in a comfortable win for the Maroons.
Jake Best returns for Traralgon, giving their forward line a boost, and the Maroons should be able to find a win here though they wouldn't want to underestimate the Redlegs, who will certainly have some confidence after winning last week.
Maffra vs Leongatha
Location: Maffra Recreation Reserve
In years gone by this game would promise to be a legendary one, as these two teams have been the benchmark of the Gippsland League for a very long time.
This year, however, things are a little different, with Leongatha remaining warm premiership favourites while Maffra has slipped down the table in recent times.
Indeed, in their meeting last year Maffra were held to their second ever lowest score against Leongatha as the Parrots ran riot.
This year has proven to be much the same for the Eagles, who are still a solid side on their day but just don't seem to be the team they once were, sitting on three wins and three losses.
Leongatha, meanwhile, are now the only undefeated team in the league and will be tough to beat in the race for the premiership.
The loss of Luke Bowman this week does weaken their midfield significantly, though the inclusion of Aaron Heppell speaks to the sheer depth the Parrots have at their disposal.
Maffra needs to win games to keep in touch with their top five and the home ground advantage will give them some hopes of an upset, but against Leongatha it will undeniably be difficult.
Morwell vs Wonthaggi
Location: Morwell Recreation Reserve
Wonthaggi relinquished their grip on third spot after their loss to Traralgon last week, making this game against Morwell all the more important.
Having come into this season as one of the premiership favourites it hasn't been smooth sailing for the Power as they find themselves just two points clear inside the top five.
And while they will be favoured to win this week they can't afford to underestimate Morwell.
The Tigers' strategy of blooding some of their younger players has paid dividends so far this year, as Morwell have shown themselves to be a much more competitive team than many predicted.
A tight loss to Maffra last week was disappointing, especially after the Tigers gave up a four-goal head start, but the fact that the game ended up as close as it was showed that Morwell is not a side to be taken lightly.
These two met twice in last year's shortened format, with Wonthaggi taking home the four points on both occasions, and they will be very keen to repeat those efforts to stay within touch of the top sides.
Wonthaggi on paper should win this one, but don't be surprised if the margin is a close one.