EDFL review – round 5

By Ken Moore
THE 2009 EDFL runner-up Cora Lynn remains the only team with an unblemished record and is well on track to go one better this season after a well-deserved 17-point home victory over a determined Garfield.
Unfortunately for the big crowd the game that was a largely scrappy affair for long periods of time in each quarter because of strong defence from both teams.
After four consecutive wins it was the Stars’ first loss in the EDFL. Despite spraying many shots on the goal the Cobras’ better decision making and superior field kicking proved to be the decisive factor in its first victory over Garfield since 1999.
The opening 10 minutes of the game was a real tug of war before smart Cobra recruit Beau Runnalls goaled from close in. Garfield replied three minutes later when Dean Fitzgerald seized on a defensive mistake and as the quarter wound down Jeremy Duiker won a free kick and from an almost impossible angle put Cora Lynn four points to the good at quarter-time.
Kicks were hard earned and scores low thanks to tight, accountable defence from both sides. Across the forward line Duiker, who returned this season after an overseas venture last year, showed how much he was missed and he starred with his hard leading and strong hands.
Wingman Jimmy Bradshaw and half-back Anthony Giuliano were also prominent for the Cobras while for the Stars ruckman Tom Marsh, Ben Marsh and central defender Shane Reid were all prime movers.
At the start of the second quarter Runnalls lured his opponent under the ball, grabbed it and snapped a goal from a difficult angle before Tom Marsh hauled in a top mark to respond for the Stars.
Mid term Cobra wingman Luke Foreman snuck forward and kicked an opportunist goal with the outside of his boot but moments later tall Garfield utility Brett Reid goaled with a left-foot snap to reduce the margin to only nine points.
Late in the quarter tall Cobra recruit Balraj Singh marked and goaled from 45 metres before a smart goal on the run by Garfield wingman Tim Mitchell, which reduced the margin to 10 points at the main break.
Veteran Cobra Chad Ingram was responsible for a good deal of their drive in the second quarter along with regular key defender Brendan Kimber, whose move into the centre during the term was precipitated by the loss of hard nut midfielder Jack Allen to a shin injury that saw him take no further part in the game.
A minute into the third quarter Singh made amends for an easy miss on the half-time siren when he drilled through his second goal to give the home side a handy 17-point advantage.
Neither side made much headway for more than 10 minutes until a goal by Garfield youngster Dylan Collis with an opportunist snap and another by Tom Marsh reeled in the deficit to only six points.
Cora Lynn replied and opened up a 19-point lead with goals by Matt Robinson and the impressive Foreman, the latter after he produced a wonderful over-the-head snap after a bullish effort to get hold of the ball among a big pack of players at the top of the goal square.
In the later stage of the term Garfield found its way back into the game with terrific goals by Dean Fitzgerald and Nick Marsh to peg back the margin to only 10 points at three-quarter-time and set up a pulsating finish.