Match Reviews | A seven-goal showcase from Warragul forward Jed Lamb has helped lift the Gulls to their first finals win since 2008 with a dominant 54-point thumping over Traralgon in Sunday's elimination final.

Having come into the clash at Drouin off the back of four straight losses the Gulls defied all expectations, keeping ahead of the Maroons for much of the day before storming home late, slamming through nine last quarter goals to prevail 17.14 (116) to 9.8 (62).

Lamb was in good touch from early on, putting his strong bodywork to use and kicking his side's first three goals before cashing in again later.

Coach and AFL legend Gary Ayres showed every bit of his tactical nous on the day, putting into place several plans that all worked to effectively put a stop to Traralgon's normally free flowing ball movement.

While the Maroons love to rebound from defence, sweeping the ball in a rush and going end to end in a heartbeat, Warragul's pressure was up to the challenge.

Their defenders pressed high, leaving their opponents with no room to breathe and creating turnovers that led to repeat opportunities.

Couple that with several match-up wins, including Jake Hughes essentially tagging star interceptor Tye Hourigan, and the game looked far more like a Warragul one than a Traralgon one. The Maroons stuck around, as good teams do, but sorely missed star Liam Willaton, who broke his leg last week against Wonthaggi.

And for as hard as they tried, when the dam began to break in the last it was game over.

Ruck Sam Whibley shone brightest on a brilliant day for his club, taking solo ruck duty for the first time since round 10 and making the most of it – including an incredible set shot from the boundary late in the day that had the crowd chanting his name.

Click here to read the full article