Gippsland League grand final: Leongatha defeats Maffra to claim flag

LEONGATHA erased two years of heartache to score an emotional one-point win over Maffra in the Gippsland League grand final yesterday.

LEONGATHA erased two years of heartache to score an emotional one-point win over Maffra in the Gippsland League grand final yesterday.

Coach Beau Vernon wiped away tears as he was flocked by wellwishers after the 15.10 (100) to 15.9 (99) win.

It was the Parrots’ third successive grand final, but Maffra won last year and Traralgon got up in 2015.

“It was tough (coming back for pre-season this year), some blokes struggled in those early days to find motivation,” Vernon said.

“We had a chat about it, they committed and said, ‘We want to have another crack and we want you to push us to get us there’.”

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Vernon, who suffered a spinal injury playing football and coaches from a wheelchair, said this year felt like it was “its own year”.

He was “level-headed and calm” before yesterday’s game, compared with the first year when there was “a fair bit of hysteria around it”, while last year “felt like it was revenge”.

“We didn’t care what happened in the past, it doesn’t change the future and we just went out there and did our best to win the game,” he said.

Leongatha had led by as much as five goals in the first and second terms, but by halftime the difference was just seven points and at the last change Maffra led by two.

The best-on-ground medals went to Chris Dunne, who kicked three first-quarter goals and finished with six, and co-captain Hayden Browne.

Dunne kicked the first goal of the last quarter, as well as the one that put Leongatha in front at the 20-minute mark of the final term.

Meanwhile, Wangaratta ended Albury’s dream of a fourpeat in the Ovens and Murray league, winning the grand final by 21 points yesterday.

It was Wangaratta’s first premiership since 2008, and it is the first team since to salute outside Albury or Yarrawonga.

It was the second time this decade the Tigers missed out on four straight flags, losing to Yarrawonga in the 2012 decider at their last attempt.

Former Melbourne player Michael Newton kicked eight goals to win the Did Simpson Medal as best on ground.

Koroit did win its fourth straight premiership in the Hampden league, denying Port Fairy its first flag since 1958 in the process.