YOU don’t have to look far past the 2024 Player Rating System for the Gippsland League to spot the biggest threats to Wonthaggi Power progressing in the final series at Bairnsdale on Sunday.
Sale’s on-ball brigade of Shannen Lange, Hudson Holmes, Jack McLaren and ruckman Jack Leslie are all right up there in the rankings and weekly possession counts.
And you can add half forward onballer Derek Eggmolesse–Smith and the coach Jack Johnstone in there as well.
Lange has clearly the best possession count in the league with an average of 35 possessions across 18 rounds this year with high games well into the 40-plus possession territory.
A feature of his play is running on after dishing off an initial handball to get the 1,2 or even 1,2,3 play as a key to Sale’s transition game.
Holmes with an average of 32 possessions per game, Johnstone 22, big Jack Leslie with 20, Jack McLaren 20 and an impressive 26 average for Eggmolesse–Smith are all reasons why Sale are where they are today.
So, they get plenty of forward entries to where their power forward Brad Dessent is a good lead up option but it’s here that Wonthaggi has plenty of strength as well.
Wonthaggi Power builds its game on its back six of Jye Gilmour, Joshua Schulz, Fergus O'Connor, Tim Knowles, Isaac Chugg and either Shannon Bray or Jakeb Thomas, depending on how things are going in the ruck.
Jack Blair and the Macmillan brothers are others who can help out back there as well with a strong defensive ethic right through the team, front to back, with the likes of Jaxon Williams, Jarryd Blair and Mitch Hayes to name a few prepared to apply forward pressure or get back as required to keep the ball alive in their own scoring zone.
Not that Ryan Sparkes, Aiden Lindsay, Josh Bates and co can’t go with Lange, Holmes and others, they can, especially battling for the contested ball and cutting down the space and freedom for the Sale playmakers.
Ryan Sparkes with an average possession rating of 30, Jack Blair 21, Josh Bates 21, Aiden Lindsay 19, and Mitch Hayes 17 are among those who make the league’s most prolific list.
But Lange is always going to find the ball, it’s just a matter of how effective he’s allowed to be and that’s a total team responsibility.
Wonthaggi Power recorded its first win of the season, in Round 4, up at Sale by 7 points when they were still re-establishing themselves after long-term injury and pre-season departures and followed up with a 49-point victory at home in June. However while those performances are encouraging, it’s a clean slate at Bairnsdale this Sunday.
While much of the interest at the weekend for other Gippsland League clubs will centre on which Latrobe Valley team, Moe or Traralgon, will win through to take on ladder leaders Leongatha the following week, for purists, the do-or-die contest between Sale and Wonthaggi is where it’s at.
Wonthaggi have made a couple of interesting moves at the selection table, listing former Collingwood premiership player Nathan Brown among the emergencies along with journeyman onballer Andrew McNeel and it would not surprise to see either or both these players come into the team on the day.
Brown offers a forward option that also leaves Cooper McInnes and Noah Anderson free to go about their work while McNeel has impressed in senior appearances in July and August.
Wonthaggi also has its Under 16s playing at Bairnsdale on Sunday in another game with plenty of local interest after the Wonthaggi boys won narrowly against Sale early in the season but demonstrated their improvement with an eight-goal win at Wonthaggi in Round 11, they did however have the Macmillan brothers, Tom and Connor, playing key roles that day.
It's a very full day of interest for Power supporters with the Wonthaggi B Grade Netballers playing Traralgon starting at 1.20pm and Wonthaggi C Grade lining up against Leongatha, starting at 12.15pm.
So, all roads lead to Bairnsdale on Sunday starting at 9am with the Under 16s Elimination Final.
