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Tigerland rocking after triumph Liam Durkin
GORMANDALE Football-Netball Club senior footballers ran out of the visitors’ changerooms at the Cowwarr Recreation Reserve last Saturday with the number 1337 posted on the wall. It was emphatically torn down a little over two hours later. The number represented how many days it had been since the Tigers last won a senior match in the North Gippsland Football-Netball League. “When we pulled that number down I nearly started crying,” Gormandale coach Chris Potalej said. “My old man came up from Melbourne and my brother-in-law, they couldn’t even get in the rooms after the game when we sang the song. “You looked around and a few of the older fellas got quite emotional, it was a big thing to get that win. The feeling around the rooms and around the club, some of them said it felt like a final. “It was just good to get the monkey off the back, it started to sink in Sunday when I was able to relax and think about it a bit more.” The win secured a coaching debut Potalej is unlikely to ever forget, as his Tiger troops won 8.13 (61) to 6.8 (44). A Gormandale team featuring a plethora of new players and a couple of recruits from the Northern Territory in Dion Munkara and Adam Tipungwuti put it all together, leading at every change on the way to victory. Tipungwuti kicked three goals, while Mitchell Jones and Kodie Owen were voted best on ground. For Owen, Jones and Jarryd Garlick, the win certainly made it a long time between drinks. The trio played in the last Tigers’ victory, which came in Round 16 of the 2018 season. Potalej also played in that game. Club legend and 300 gamer Steven Burgess did not, meaning his winless drought extended even further before finally coming to an end on Saturday - 1386 days to be precise. Potalej, a first time coach, said he wasn’t ready to call it until the result was officially in the book. “As a new coach you never feel comfortable until that final siren, even with a minute to go when we were 15 points up I was just hoping it didn’t get away from us,” he said. “Going into the game I felt we set ourselves up to win and we went in with a positive attitude but again, you just never know. I definitely went in with aspirations of winning and that is what you have to do every week, but I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be. “I played the game over in my head 1000 times - 500 times as winning, 500 times as losing. “Cowwarr were never going to go away, I had no qualms about that. Going to the game there is always talk about who people have lost and gained but I’ve always seen Cowwarr since I’ve been at Gormy, they have a real blue-collar work ethic, they always work and they always make you work for a game.” Gormandale won four games in 2018, before a mass exodus of players saw them headed for the
Gormandale players take a moment to reflect following their first win since 2018. wooden spoon the following season. No wins in 2019, no football at all in 2020, and no joy in the 10 games of 2021 kept the winless streak alive. The on-field issues only added to speculation surrounding Gormandale’s future, as the word equivalent to Macbeth in local football was often mentioned - ‘fold’. Potalej did not shy away from this fact, and paid tribute to the work of many officials who have ensured the heart of the Tigers has kept beating - keeping alive virtually all there is in the Gormandale township. “I wouldn’t say we want to stick it up people by any stretch, but I was there in the last six years and there has definitely been talk of us folding,” he said. “We haven’t won a grand final or anything but just to get some success, the amount of work that has been done behind the scenes to make sure that hasn’t happened to the club, it is just good to prove
a few people wrong that we aren’t going anywhere and if anything we are working our way back up.” The win tied in nicely to the positivity surrounding Gormandale recently, after it was announced the club would be welcoming an ex-AFL player to make a guest appearance at some stage this season. Post siren, the celebrations started at Cowwarr, making their way to the Grand Junction Hotel, Traralgon, and onto the Gormandale FNC rooms. It is a well-known truth in country football that club functions are always better after a win. One can only imagine how good a function would be after waiting four years. “As a coach I sort of stood back, had a few beers and enjoyed the night, but just to see the smiles was really pleasing,” Potalej said. “We had a good day as a club, we lost A Grade (netball) and lost reserves (football), other than that
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we won everything, for Gormandale that is massive. “The old fellas that have been around forever, Gormandale’s been pretty successful in the past and a few of those guys in that successful period are still around so when they watch I like to get a win for them as well. “Everyone was smiling, everyone was happy, it was just an awesome night - no one stopped smiling.” The win carried an added bonus, with the end of daylight saving meaning players and supporters had an extra hour to celebrate Saturday night. “It kind of hurt that extra hour, probably didn’t need it by the end of the night,” Potalej said laughingly. “I think a couple of the boys stayed longer than I did and definitely enjoyed the night. “It was just nice to drink winner’s beers for the first time in a while - they do taste better.”
One-sided opening round of Gippsland netball Liam Durkin
THE opening round of Gippsland League netball saw a number of one-sided affairs take place. Drouin had too many answers for Maffra, winning 52-20. New Eagles coach Emma Allman would have been hoping for a better performance away from home, and will hope it doesn't set the tone for the season. Fellow Wellington-based club Sale also suffered a sizeable defeat, losing to Wonthaggi 65-18. The Power was hardly challenged at home, and built on its lead as the game progressed. Latrobe Valley clubs Morwell and Moe each had sizeable victories to get their campaigns off on the right note. The Tigers, fresh from landing the huge signing of gun defender Shannon Freeman from Warragul in the offseason, gave Bairnsdale a decent drubbing, winning 69-14. Morwell made sure it was an enjoyable trip back from east Gippsland, fulfilling coach Rachel Paterson’s desire to see that the side had a strong start to season 2022. Page 32 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 5 April, 2022
Moe also began the season with a win, defeating Warragul at home. The Lions christened their new court in the best possible fashion winning 53-33, giving playing coach Ramayer Gourley a win on debut. Best for Moe was Georgia Moody. Traralgon had a close contest with Leongatha away from home. Both teams enjoyed periods of dominance, but in the finish it was the Parrots who took the points in a 46-39 scorecard. The margin proved there was very little between the sides, and Traralgon will surely welcome the rematch later in the season. Maffra will look to get on the winners list this weekend when it hosts Bairnsdale. The Eagles should start favourite, and will come up against a Redlegs opponent that could be mentally scarred from its 55 goal defeat to Morwell. Sale meanwhile faces another challenge in the form of Leongatha while Wonthaggi takes on Warragul. Traralgon and Drouin will face off in what should be a great contest, but the match-of-the-round is undoubtedly Morwell and Moe, two teams tipped by many to finish inside the top three this season.
The Tigers and Lions are set to meet at Morwell. NORTH GIPPSLAND netball was highlighted by a good game between Rosedale and Yallourn Yallourn North. The Blues had to fight hard to take the points from the Jets, who showed they might be one of the competitions big improvers, taking it right up to the league powerhouse at home. The experience of the Blues may well have been the difference in the end, as they won 48-40, but not before a tight contest saw any number of possibilities on the cards. Cowwarr recorded a win over Gormandale. A low scoring grind saw the Saints take the points over the Tigers 26-16. Cowwarr took the home court advantage, and with it, victory, over a persistent Gormandale outfit that refused to yield until the game was over. Traralgon Tyers United was well beaten by Yarram. The Bombers battled hard on their home court, but were well beaten by the Demons in a 28-58 demolition. With Yarram looking to break into the top five this season, victories of his magnitude may well
be the difference should places in the finals come down to percentage. Woodside got past a spirited Heyfield. The Wildcats, who finished last season on top of the ladder, extended their lead after an arm wrestle in the early stages, eventually winning 47-31. Glengarry got up in a two-goal thriller over Churchill. The Magpies and Cougars played a match for the ages, with a number of lead changes keeping supporters on the edge of their seats. As the final whistle was blown on the Cougars courts, the scoreboard read 36-34 in Glengarry’s favour. Sale City had the bye. EAST GIPPSLAND action returned double delight for local teams, as Boisdale-Briagolong and Stratford each got up. The Bombers prevailed in a one-goal nail bitter against Lakes Entrance, winning 42-41 at home. The Swans broke away from Lindenow, winning on the road 41-30. In other games, Lucknow defeated Orbost-Snowy Rovers 50-41 and Wy Yung was too strong for Paynesville.
