By Russell Bennett
WEST GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL NETBALL COMPETITION
REVIEW – ROUND 14
There’s just no room for gallantry in the debut season of the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition. It’s far too brutal for that.
Dalyston went into Saturday’s game against Nar Nar Goon having lost just the one game for the season to that point.
The Magpies loomed large over the competition as its best side, and yet the Goon – particularly on the vast expanses of their Spencer Street deck – loomed as a genuine threat to roll them and make their own statement an even more emphatic one.
Kris Fletcher had his side firing prior to Saturday, having won six of seven, including its previous three games – two of those against premiership threat Inverloch-Kongwak, and fellow finals aspirant Kooweerup.
And on the weekend their performance against the Magpies was, in many ways, gallant.
But what do they have to show for it?
Nothing. That’s their bitter reality, having slipped from fifth to seventh on the ladder in a four-way logjam with Phillip Island, Kilcunda Bass, and Kooweerup.
Four premiership points is all that currently separates the Island in fourth to the Goon in seventh.
Is the Goon down and out in its finals push? Far from it. Arguably more than any other side, they’re up for the challenge.
But there’s just no room for honourable losses from here on out this season.
Though some questioned Dalyston’s ability to win on the wider expanses of Spencer Street – particularly given its shock 49-point loss to Garfield at Beswick Street in Round 8 – they handled Saturday’s trying conditions better than the Goon and, ultimately, walked away with a 22-point win – 11.6(72) to 6.14(50).
In blustery conditions that, for the most part, howled from end to end, the Magpies had the answers right when they needed them most – bouncing back from a seven-point half-time deficit.
The Goon kicked into the teeth of the wind in the first term and entered the first change level on 1.3 apiece.
But they still had early chances to capitalise and it wasn’t until the 20-minute mark of the opener that Brendan Hermann slotted their first.
In a game all about gaining territory and effective possession, Tyler Payroli and Trent Armour shone through the grey for the Goon.
All season Payroli has been quietly staking his claim as one of the competition’s premier full-backs and Saturday – against former Carlton star Brad Fisher – was no different, restricting him to just two majors.
Armour, meanwhile, showed his brilliant tackling and pressure side in a contest against a Dalyston team renowned for it.
At quarter time Fletcher spoke of the need for his men to not simply bomb the ball long with the wind in the second, but rather to hit up shorter targets leading into space.
But at the main break, after kicking a wasteful 1.7 for the second and leading by just seven points after having the bulk of the play, the Goon copped an almighty bake from the coach.
Fletcher blasted his side’s selfishness and implored his leaders to stand up.
“At some point in your careers, you have to stand up, man up, and take the next step,” he said.
“We can control our effort and intent. We’re on top, but we’re doubting ourselves – that’s what it feels like.”
What followed was a six-goal to one third term which effectively clinched the win for the visitors.
The smaller-bodied Kyle Kirk opened the third with a big, long-range bomb and continued his brilliant form out of the middle for the remainder of the clash.
When the game was there to be won, he stood up tallest alongside the likes of Michael Marotta, Blake Carew and Dean Wylie.
Ill-discipline had proved costly for the home side, giving away two 50-metre penalties and a downfield free kick to a side already kicking with the breeze in the third. But much of that came from the constant pressure Dalyston applied – particularly out of stoppages in the middle of the ground.
And yet, in a 22-point loss, the Goon hit the post five times. They had their chances to snare a famous win against the competition’s best side, but despite their win over Inverloch in Round 13 it seemed as though they didn’t believe they could pull it off.
After the game, Magpies coach Paul Brosnan shared his early worries against the in-form Goon.
“It was a really good result for us because we knew they’d done a number on everyone over the past five to six weeks,” he said.
“At quarter time, I wasn’t too hopeful!”
Brosnan said early on his side looked every bit like it was coming off a week off.
“Nothing went our way early – even the bounce of the ball – but we stuck with it,” he said, adding that the third term was the game-changer.
“I didn’t think we were going too bad at stages (in the first half) but I thought Nar Nar Goon was getting numbers to the stoppages really well.”
But in the second half, Magpies ruckman Kurt Thomas’ hitouts to advantage proved vital in the all-important clearance battle.
And it was Dalyston’s younger brigade – in the absence of half a dozen regular first team players – who also made a significant impact.
Though Brosnan admitted the conditions on Saturday – particularly the wind – replicated what his boys often face at Dalyston, the challenge during the week was simply getting the four points at one of the grounds on the competition’s northern end.
“We’ve only played three games at that end of the league so far,” he said.
“And we hadn’t played that well against either Garfield or Bunyip, so that was our challenge and it was great to grind out a tough win.”
