By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – 2ND SEMI FINAL WEST DIVISION
CORA Lynn is through to its fourth senior grand final in seven seasons after a gritty, four-quarter effort against the red-hot Kooweerup at Catani’s Taplins Road ground on Saturday.
The Cobras carefully managed their list over the last few rounds of the home-and-away season to ensure they were cherry-ripe come finals’ time and they finished with a flurry on Saturday – booting six second-half goals to two to come away with a 27-point win in front of a bumper crowd, 11.15 (81) to 8.6 (54).
The Demons, which had won 11 straight games leading into the contest, stuck with Cora Lynn throughout the first and second terms and even took a one-point lead into half-time.
But they were kept goalless in a dour third-quarter and struggled to find any momentum when they needed it most.
Nathan Prosser was strong down back for Matt Shorey’s men – as was the super-reliable Craig Dyker – while Paul Gramc and Rob Beswick (3 goals apiece) were clearly Kooweerup’s most dangerous forward options. Big Matt Cameron was strong in the ruck as he always is but Cora Lynn was able to throw the combination of David Main and the well-rested Brad Horaczko at him all day.
Explosive Cobras’ wingman Jeremy Monckton stood out all game – showing an incredible burst of speed when he needed it most, hitting packs hard and cleverly spotting up target after target. His work-rate and sheer appetite for the contest is what impressed most, while the fleet-footed Brady White and Jackson Dalton also had a real impact.
Ryan Gillis (5 goals) was again in ominous touch up forward and would have had another huge haul if the delivery inside 50 was cleaner. But it was the Cobras’ backline – anchored brilliantly by skipper Tim Payne – that essentially took control of the contest for their side as the match progressed. Nathan Muratore was a real shining light – an impenetrable wall across half-back, constantly repelling Kooweerup’s surges forward and counter-attacking whenever possible.
Payne said there was a real steely resolve amongst the Cobras playing group, and it was evident in the pre-game on Saturday.
“We’ve played in a lot of finals, this group,” he said.
“We’ve played in the past three preliminary finals and before that three grand finals in a row.
“We’ve had that steely resolve jammed down our throats after the past three prelims and we’ve learned the hard way about what it takes to win a final.”
Payne was particularly candid in the rooms after the game, adding: “We’ve fallen short a lot but we’ve got a new lease on life and the guys have stuck to the cause to try and get better.
“The guys who have come in have played plenty of finals footy so the whole group knows that three quarters of footy isn’t going to win you a game.
“Make no mistake – we finished on top of the ladder and we fully expected to come in and give a good account of ourselves in this game. We’ve worked for it, we’ve trained hard and we knew what was on the line.”
Payne was quick to highlight the influence of clearance king Ricky Clark and ruckman David Main on the group, but also heaped plenty of praise on his fellow backmen – particularly Jack Allen.
“We made the decision about six weeks ago to really strengthen our back six and work forward from there,” Payne explained.
“Jack, for one, has just been unbelievable.
“He’s just got it all – he’s a big frame, he’s a strong guy and he’s quick over five metres but his hands separate him from a lot of other half-backs and midfielders.
“He runs really well with the ball but he can also take some huge grabs and he uses the ball well. He’s played in senior premierships at Garfield and grand finals at Cora Lynn so he’s made for days like this.”
Marsham raved about Monckton’s game, while also highlighting the role Matt Runnalls played in attempting to nullify the league’s best player, Luke Walker.
“You’re never going to stop Tex,” Marsham said.
“If you think you can keep him kick-less you’re kidding yourself and that was never the aim.
“The aim was just to reduce his damage.
“Rather than him having 40 lace-out, beautiful left-foot kicks we just wanted to put him under real pressure.
“I had Matty pencilled in for that role about six weeks ago and it was something he worked towards.
“He tagged (Antonio) Benvenuto in our last game of the home-and-away season against Catani as a trial run. That game we had 32 goals but we stuck with the tag for four quarters just so he got a practice run and he did a really good job.”
As the Demons lick their wounds over Saturday’s result, they also have a hamstring injury to prime mover Tim Miller to worry about. They’ll be hoping against all hope both he, and his brother Ben (ankle), are right to go for this week’s do-or-die preliminary final against Garfield.
