Orbost Snowy Rovers climbed back into the East Gippsland Football Netball League top four for the first time in months after an emphatic 95-point victory over a struggling Lakes Entrance at the Lakeside Oval in round 16 of the East Gippsland Football Netball League.
Courtesy of the nine per cent boost gained by the victory, the Blues have leapfrogged Stratford who was outplayed by Boisdale Briagolong in the latest edition of the Battle of the Avon.
Orbost Snowy Rovers now face an anxious wait to see whether it can hold on to its place in the top four, which would see it play finals for the second consecutive season.
For that to occur the Blues will need to defeat Lucknow at home and will need Paynesville to either beat Stratford or at the least be very competitive, with less than five per cent separating the sides, every goal kicked by both the Swans and the Gulls could be crucial in determining which side makes it through to the finals.
Decimated by injuries an unavailabilities in the second half of the season, the Seagulls were keen to put up a positive showing against their arch rival, who has regained several important players in the past few weeks as it pushes for what has always looked an unlikely finals berth.
Lakes Entrance played with plenty of positivity early, taking the game right up to its more seasoned opponents, the Blues showing their superiority late in the quarter, finishing with four goals to one, opening up a 19-point lead.
The Seagulls played their best football of the match in the second term, but their radar was off, adding 1.5 to 3.4, at times surprising the Blues with the ability to turn defence into attack with a quick switch or kick to advantage.
Tom Crellin was getting his hand on the ball in the ruck, with Liam Carroll and Matt Duggan working hard through the middle against quality opponents such as Ash Jonkers and Braeden Ross.
Orbost led by five goals at half time, the Lakes Entrance coaching staff fairly happy with the first half, given the missed opportunities.
The second half was dominated by the Blues who rammed home 10 unanswered goals
with Lachlan Fenner (seven goals) and Hamish Nettleton (three) terrorising the defenders, feasting off the good work of long kicking half back, Max Welsh, and the hard running Gus Rogers, who continued his good recent form.
The Seagulls were forced to play one short when Noah Bottom was reported after having words with one of the field umpires, the tribunal to decide if he plays the final match of the home and away season.
Orbost was well served by Rogers, Welsh, Fenner, Jamieson Humphreys, Angus Davis and Clancy Bennett, who returned to the side in recent weeks after missing a large part of the back end of the season.
The best for the Seagulls were young defender Sabastian Etheridge, dashing midfielder Liam Carroll, Matthew Duggan, defenders Tim Sinclair and Liam Allen and ruckman Crellin.
