It wasn’t all bad news at the Lakeside Oval last Saturday, with Lakes Entrance continuing its winning ways in both the reserves and thirds during round nine action of the East Gippsland Football Netball League.
The under 18 squad secured its fifth consecutive victory, consolidating third position on the ladder while remaining hot on the heels of frontrunners Lindenow and Lucknow.
The young Seagulls were absolutely ruthless from the opening bounce, keeping a shell-shocked Wy Yung completely scoreless across the entire first half. Booting seven unanswered goals, Lakes Entrance established a commanding 47-point cushion at the main break before running away with a comprehensive 87-point victory.
Zane Holley turned in a best-on-ground performance for the victors, finishing the afternoon with four majors. Livewire forward Leroy Hayes was not far behind, booting three goals to push his spectacular season tally to 50. Hayes currently spearheads the league’s goalkicking leaderboard by a comfortable 18-goal margin over Stratford’s Monty Mayman.
Other key contributors in what was an exceptional, well-rounded team display included Thomas Graham, Jeremy Rotheram, Kye Piper and Byron Clarke.
Meanwhile, the reserves tuned up for this weekend’s top-of-the-table mega-clash by handing the struggling Tigers an emphatic 134-point demolition.
The lopsided statistics told the story of the afternoon, with Lakes Entrance registering 37 scoring shots to Wy Yung’s solitary three. The Tigers’ forward line was completely starved of opportunities as an enthusiastic Seagulls midfield relentlessly pumped the ball inside the attacking 50 arc.
Full forward Noah Bottom was the primary beneficiary of the dominant supply line, bagging a 10-goal haul to snatch back the lead in the competition’s goalkicking race. Bottom now sits on 57 majors for the winter, leading Boisdale Briagolong sharpshooter Luke Pratt by three goals.
In a powerhouse performance where Lakes Entrance won almost every individual position on the ground, the standout players included Kurt Grabham, skipper Jack Reggardo, playing coach Benjamin Rotheram (three goals), Andrew Rimmer and wildcard utility Charlie Goold.
The high-flying Seagulls will pack their bags and head down the highway this Saturday for a highly anticipated encounter against Boisdale Briagolong at the Cabbage Patch.
