Hawks downed as Magpies swoop
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Drouin have gone down swinging in an entertainingly back and forth contest with Sale on Saturday.
Playing away from home in an area that avoided much of the rain that hit other areas of Gippsland, the Hawks were admirable in their efforts, if not in their execution at times.
Though they only led for a small patch of the 11.7 (73) to 13.17 (95) loss the Hawks were thereabouts all day, threatening at times to pinch the game before Sale would respond.
Without the wet bogging down the ground – outside of Sale Oval's cricket pitch-sized mud pit in the middle of the field – both teams enjoyed some free-flowing play and periods where they dominated.
Sale could have had the game on ice early if not for some poor conversion in front of goal – something that Drouin have been on the other end of plenty this year.
In the end it was some fundamental skill errors that let the Hawks down, particularly going inside 50.
Jordan Kingi continued his rich vein of form off half back with 33 disposals, the former coach using his piercing kick to effect on numerous occasions to be Drouin's best player for the day.
Seb Amoroso (23 disposals) had plenty of impact buzzing around half forward as well as for periods when he was injected into the middle.
Tim Hancock played a solid hand in a variety of roles, at times finding himself in the backline as well as the forward line, where he kicked two goals, while Eddie Morris (three goals), Mitch Cotter and Kye Quirk were all impactful.
Things looked ominous for the Hawks early in the day when Sale, led by midfield stars Jack McLaren (30 disposals), Shannon Lange (38 disposals) and Hudson Holmes (44 disposals), were able to burst from stoppages with ease, creating chaos for Drouin's defenders.
The trio were helped by ruck Jack Leslie, the big man enjoying his time against Drouin's undersized tap men with a whopping 80 hit outs.
The Magpies were wasteful however, kicking 2.8 when they really could have had at least three or four more on the board.
Drouin, meanwhile, were much more efficient at 2.1, even finding an early highlight when Will Papley rolled through a brilliant goal while being tackled to open their account.
Unfortunately that would be the last of Papley's impact on the day, the newly Frankston Dolphins-listed player exiting the game soon after with a groin concern.
Having clamped down on Sale's stoppage work, the Hawks were able to go toe to toe in the second term, even drawing level after skipper Jarrod Marshall snapped a rolling goal late in the term.
A poor turnover across from Drouin across half back that led to a Cody Henness goal meant they had to settle for a seven-point deficit at the half, however.
The third quarter saw Sale threaten to tear the game apart, especially after Sale coach Jack Johnstone dobbed a beauty from the boundary to put them three goals up.
Drouin debutant Jaxon Huston answered, getting out the back and kicking a composed snap to keep his side in the contest.
The Hawks were their own worst enemy at times going forward, struggling to find a target leading at them and turning it over instead on more than one occasion.
Sale's lead at the final change stood at 17 points – which could have been more if not for Magpie Brad Dessent being denied a last second shot after he ran wide of the mark just as the siren sounded.
Sale looked fairly comfortable after kicking the first goal of the final term before three consecutive Drouin goals to Morris, Amoroso and Hancock suddenly had the margin at just four points.
As he often does though, Sale's superstar Lange came to the fore, finding space inside 50 and running in a vital major to push the margin back out again.
When Thomas Campbell nailed his fourth goal minutes later, hopes of a Hawks comeback were all but dead and buried.
Sale's win sees them back up to fourth on the ladder after favourable results elsewhere in the league and is a nice recovery after their loss to Warragul last week.
Their run home is fairly brutal though, with all four of their remaining games against sides either in the top five or fighting for a spot. If they make finals you can't say they haven't earned it.
Drouin coach Brent Clinnick said despite the loss he was happy with his side's refusal to give up.
"I think for us it's important we acknowledge that we were pretty good today. We dominated patches of play. We moved the ball pretty well with a lot of young boys out there today," he said.
"There's ways to lose and if you're going to get done I'd pick that way any day of the week.
"They skipped out, we pegged them back. I thought it was pretty tough all day."
Drouin's own run home also looks a tough one but now it's about showcasing their best footy for any prospective players – or coaches, given Clinnick's imminent departure – next season.
Warragul’s Liam Serong (right) gets a kick away from half back despite the diving effort of Leongatha’s Will Littlejohn.
Leongatha’s Jarrod Stewart and Warragul’s Mitchell Smart compete to tap the ball down to their respective midfielders.
Photographs by CRAIG JOHNSON.