By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – ROUND 9
IF SATURDAY’S clash at Beswick Street was a dress-rehearsal for what’s to come later in the season, then EDFL fans are in for a classic finals’ series.
Cora Lynn has set the early pace in its quest to go back-to-back but Buln Buln, Nar Nar Goon, the Warragul Industrials, Bunyip, Garfield and Neerim South are all fighting to claim one of the remaining three top-four spots.
Incredibly, Garfield is currently seventh on the ladder following Saturday’s 20-point loss to the Cobras – 11.9 (75) to 8.7 (55) – but the clash proved just how little separates the league’s top echelon.
Both Cora Lynn and Garfield struggled to put a four-quarter performance together on the weekend, with the Cobras fading late and the Stars struggling to keep pace in the early going. It was a low scoring, physical clash with plenty of big hits and bone-jarring tackles – it was one for the footy tragic. It had all the hallmarks of a finals’ game.
Travis Marsham’s men kicked clear in the first quarter – finding plenty of space on Beswick Street’s wide open expanses, while Garfield struggled to find any clear avenue forward when they had possession of their own through the middle of the ground.
Nathan Muratore, Liam and Jordan Toole, Jackson Dalton and Ricky Clark were all involved early for the Cobras, while Ryan Gillis looked unstoppable on the lead. Lincoln Withers used his bullocking frame to real effect for Garfield in the centre square, while youngster Kyle Hendy showed a ruthless competitive streak that belied his size.
Hard hits, spot fires, and plenty of umpires’ whistles – the game had it all. While the game was still only worth four premiership points, there just seemed to be more on the line… more for these gun players to prove.
Stars player-coach Ryan Hendy injured his groin in the first term and was forced to coach for the rest of the day from the bench. He urged his charges to be more accountable and more disciplined at the contest, but most of all to keep their heads up. They struggled to fire a shot in the first half, yet they were little more than four-goals down on the scoreboard. Angus Mitchell was stellar under immense pressure down back, while Stars’ icon Ben Marsh at one stage went head-to-head with Cobras’ star Ricky Clark – showing just how intense the contest had become.
“The good sides find a way to find that inner belief and turn games around,” Hendy said to his men at half time, down 28 points.
“If we come out in the second half and have a fair dinkum crack, we’ll have a real belief!
“It’s up to us boys – whether we want to be contenders or pretenders this year.”
The second half showed the Stars are very much the latter – kicking seven goals over the final two-quarters to six from the Cobras.
Ryan Gillis (4 goals) was the difference-maker in the first half who set the tone for his side. The league’s leading goal-kicker rarely had to take a contested mark because of his understanding with the Cobras’ elite users of the footy through the middle of the ground. Muratore was sublime across the defensive 50, while Brady White was given a tagging role to get him involved in the contest. It was Jeremy Monckton, however, who showed his genuine star-quality once again at the home of the Stars. His ability to find space and run with the footy is well known, but on Saturday he showed a real tenacity at the contest – one that he’ll need again next time these two giants of the EDFL face off (potentially in this year’s finals). While the Cobras could have gun ruckman Brad Horaczko back for that contest, the Stars could have premiership player Harley Lacunes back in their fold. He was an interested onlooker at Beswick Street on Saturday, and the Stars have lodged a clearance for him to return to the club from Nilma Darnum.
“We don’t want to be playing our best footy of the season right now,” Marsham told the Gazette after the game.
“All we’re worried about is getting more wins at this point.
“We’ve got a lot of upside to what we showed today – as do Garfield.
“Am I happy? Yeah, I’m stoked.
“We just beat a really big threat on their ground, but I’m a little bit disappointed we didn’t go in for the kill at the end there.
“The thing is – in a big final, I know my guys will respond when they’re challenged.”
And no doubt the Stars will too.
Click the link to watch the Cobras sing their song after the game…
