Liam Durkin
Conditions usually reserved for the middle of winter greeted players at Ted Summerton Reserve on Saturday for the match between neighbouring rivals Moe and Morwell.
Blustery conditions made for an unattractive first half, as the Lions and Tigers could only manage five goals between them.
A strong easterly breeze played particular havoc, and kept the ball locked on the South Street Primary School side of the oval for large portions of the match.
Players on both sides did their best to adapt to the conditions, as the game turned into a good old fashioned slog.
Back-to-back goals from Morwell’s Tom Caile had the Tigers going into the last change with momentum, as the match was delicately poised to go either way with Moe leading by just five points.
Moe responded well in the last quarter, and kicked four goals to one to eventually run out 26-point winners 11.10 (76) to 7.8 (50).
A classy finish from Harri Sim in the pocket at the southern end of the ground sealed the deal, while crowd favourite Ben Morrow brought the biggest roar of the day with a strong contested mark inside 50.
The wet weather did little to deter the crowd, who turned up in full voice to support their team. Morwell supporters could be heard banging on the fence throughout the match, while around 300 people congregated in the renowned Moe Can Bar.
Morwell was gallant in defeat and will take plenty of positives out of the match.
The team may look to use this performance as a platform game in which to build on.
The Tigers employed an empty out style from the midfield to help their defence, which stifled Moe’s ball movement at times, as on numerous occasions the Lions looked to move the ball down field, only to see a host of players wearing yellow and black in their path.
For Moe, the type of win they had was one in which would normally be seen in Round 12 or 13, with the team just needing to grind their way to victory to bank the four points and move onto the next challenge.
Moe defender Mitchell Stanlake, who led the team in the absence of injured skipper Jacob Wood, said it was pleasing to start the season off on the right note.
“The first game is always a little bit rusty, but we got there in the end,” he said.
“Those kind of games are more effort based, there wasn’t a whole lot of skill, we just had to bring the bite and that was it.
“We always knew it was going to be a very hard contest, they’re (Morwell) very determined and they structure up well and bring the effort and fight to every game, they’re going to be a very good team, I’m sure they’re going to win a fair few games.”
There was a few side stories during the day, notably in Morwell captain Anthony Rosato leading the team out as the youngest captain in the club’s history.
The game may have also set a record for the most number of 50 metre penalties in a Gippsland League match, with close to a dozen called during the day – mainly related to the new standing the mark rule introduced during the time footballers were out of action.
Isaac Abas, Boyd Bailey, Rosato, Caile, Max Linton and James Jacobsen were voted best afield for Morwell.
For the winners, Ben Maslen, Cameron Manuel, Tyson Biffin, Scott Van Dyk, Jordan Ceppi and Tom Long, who booted four goals, stood out.
Readers trawling through the record notes may have noticed one jumper number not allocated in the Moe team list, with the number 20 worn by Moe senior games record holder Peter Ainsworth appearing to have been retired for the season.
Earlier in the day, a thrilling match in the thirds came down to the wire, with Moe player Luke Summersgill kicking an inside out barrel near the death to win the match by two points.
