Around the grounds: Gippsland, Tallangatta and Hampden leagues

The Gippsland league is shaping as one of the most even in the state, but there is one team every club is trying to catch early in the season.

Warragul’s seven-point win against top five team Traralgon on Saturday has underlined the evenness of the Gippsland league this season with another big test coming up against undefeated Leongatha this weekend.

The Gulls are sitting eighth on the ladder after playing a draw with third-placed Wonthaggi in round two before back-to-back losses against Drouin and Morwell, which are both outside the top five.

Jed Lamb is playing for Warragul in the Gippsland league this season. Picture: Michael Klein

Warragul star recruits Nick Graham and Jed Lamb are hitting their straps along with Mitch Smart, Sam Whibley and reigning best and fairest winner, Sean Masterson.

“We’ve probably been a bit rattled for a couple of weeks, but we got our mojo back a bit,” Warragul coach Dean Alger said.

“It was definitely a good win.

“(Leongatha) is undefeated and we’ll know where we’re at after that game.”

Alger also singled out the effort of Pat Mulqueen, who kept Traralgon forward Brett Eddy to just one goal.

“He gave away about two inches in height and a heap of weight, but did a great job,” Alger said.

TALLANGATTA AND DISTRICT

BEECHWORTH’S mammoth score of 66.36 (432) against Wahgunyah in the Tallangatta and District league has soared into the top-10 highest scores of all time in country football.

Beechworth duo Dayne Carey and teammate Austen Fendyk kicked 25 goals between them in a 431-point thrashing which became the seventh highest on record, according to countryfootyscores.com

Campbells Creek’s 100.34 (634) in 1990 remains the highest score kicked with six of the top 10 highest scores coming since 2000.

Beechworth’s score is a new Tallangatta league record which bettered the 63.12 (390) kicked by Dederang-Mt Beauty against Wahgunyah in round two this year.

Wahgunyah was missing 16 players due to Covid and injury on Saturday, but refused to forfeit the senior match.

“We haven’t hidden from the fact that we are a club in trouble,” Wahgunyah president Darryl Hore said.

“Any suggestion of a forfeit is always met with resistance from our players and this week was definitely no different.”

HAMPDEN

THE Hampden league resumes this weekend after a bye for the Warrnambool May racing carnival with two blockbuster matches involving top five teams.

Ladder leader South Warrnambool plays fifth placed Warrnambool and second placed Portland hosts fourth placed North Warrnambool.

The bye for the three-day racing carnival was introduced last year.

Nathan Vardy is expected to be back for North Warrnambool on Saturday.

South’s biggest scalp this year is league powerhouse Koroit with a 33-point win in round four.

Portland is continuing the momentum it was building last season when it was on track to play in its first Hampden league finals series before Covid intervened.

The Tigers’ biggest win to date this season under coach Jarrod Holt is against Warrnambool in round one.

North suffered back-to-back losses to Koroit and Warrnambool before a last-round win against Hamilton despite missing the services of former West Coast ruckman Nathan Vardy.