By Russell Bennett
WEST GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL NETBALL COMPETITION
REVIEW – ROUND 5
The Cora Lynn A Grade side has had just about enough of their trend of honourable losses this season.
The improvement from the group is there for all to see but, frustratingly for the Cobras so far in 2019, that’s yet to manifest in the win-loss column.
This Cora Lynn group is, effectively, the WGFNC A Grade equivalent of the Carlton senior football side.
Their only win so far came in Round 2 at home against Kilcunda Bass, but they were far from disgraced first up against the rampaging juggernaut of Tooradin-Dalmore, and impressed against the likes of Kooweerup, Nar Nar Goon, and – on the weekend – Inverloch Kongwak.
The Cobras took a five-goal lead into the quarter-time break on Saturday, and still led – albeit by the narrowest of margins – at half-time.
The Sea Eagles were forced to battle tooth and nail for the four points, and ultimately eked out a nine-goal win, 44-35.
Former Nar Nar Goon star Meg Evans, after battling injury in the season’s early stages, came off the bench at the opposite end of the court to which local fans have become accustomed to her playing and contributed some key late minutes at goal-keeper.
Elsewhere on the weekend, Tooradin-Dalmore improved its unbeaten run to six games to start its WGFNC A Grade journey, claiming an 11-goal win over a stoic Korumburra-Bena outfit at the showgrounds, 53-42.
The Gulls found themselves in the rare position of the hunter after trailing early in the contest – including by two goals, 10-8, at quarter-time.
But as champion sides so often do, they stormed back into the lead and staved off the Giants in a seriously entertaining battle.
Bunyip, meanwhile, continues to keep the wins ticking over with the side proving to be the biggest improver of the season to date.
They’ve only dropped the one contest so far, and accounted for a plucky Panthers outfit by nine goals at Bass on the weekend, 40-31. Jasmin Mackie was again particularly influential for Bunyip, netting 30 of her side’s 40 goals.
The girls from Nar Nar Goon didn’t have it all their own way against Garfield, but still claimed a 14-goal win – 50-36 – to maintain their spot inside the top five.
And what a battle it promises to be for the final positions. At the moment, mere percentage points separate Dalyston in third to Kooweerup in seventh with Tooradin-Dalmore (six wins) and Bunyip (four) ahead of the chasing pack.
The remaining battle of the weekend was the tightest of the lot, with the Dusties emerging victorious by six goals over Phillip Island at Western Park, 48-42. The clash was a back-and-forth, seesawing battle throughout with the home side leading narrowly at every change to secure a richly-deserved win.
But such is the evenness of the WGFNC A Grade competition in 2019, they sit in eighth spot on the 12-team ladder after five completed rounds.
