By Russell Bennett
WEST GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL NETBALL COMPETITION
REVIEW – ROUND 8
Occasionally throughout the course of a season there are games that simply put sport itself into real world context.
Those moments provide some much needed perspective – clarity that there’s more to life than just winning or losing.
Saturday’s clashes at Garfield between the hometown Stars and the visiting Cobras took a back seat to a minute’s silence in the morning to remember the life of Georgia Larsen.
A teenager, she tragically passed away following a road accident last year and was a beloved figure throughout the local community – including at both the Cora Lynn and Garfield netball clubs.
Just as she was for the two clubs’ Round 9 fixture last year, she was front of mind for everyone involved when the Stars and Cobras faced off again in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition on Saturday.
The two clubs stood as one in a touching moment of respect during the minute’s silence before the under-15s game.
Cobras netball president and A Grade coach Allan Douglas also spoke about the impact Georgia had on both clubs, and how they’d continue to honour her memory moving forward.
Later in the A Grade battle, the Cobras were too strong for the Stars – conceding just six goals in the opening quarter and going on to win by 29 goals, 59-30.
The result has the Cobras in ninth on the ladder, but just a game and percentage shy of sixth spot in a particularly congested mid-pack.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Tooradin-Dalmore continued to flex its muscle with an imposing thumping of Bunyip in Tooradin.
With the result over another top four side, the undefeated Gulls only served to enhance their already stellar reputation.
Incredibly, they conceded a little over four goals a quarter to ultimately win by 34, 60-26.
The WGFNC’s powerhouses over its first couple of seasons, Dalyston and Korumburra-Bena, loom as the Seagulls biggest challengers.
Dalyston enjoyed a 37-goal home court win over Phillip Island, 59-22, while the Giants defeated the Panthers by 18 goals at bass, 46-28.
Meanwhile at Inverloch, the A Grade netball clash followed a similar path as the senior football showdown between the Sea Eagles and the Demons.
On both occasions, the Demons mounted fourth-quarter comebacks to win in stirring, nail-biting scenes.
On court, Kooweerup trailed 33-31 heading in the final term but rallied late to win 44-42.
Finally, on Sunday, Nar Nar Goon secured a hard-fought eight-goal victory over the Warragul Industrials at Western Park, 53-45, with Hollie Keysers (32 goals) starring for the visitors.
As the top five continues to take shape, the fourth-placed Bunyip hosts the second-placed Dalyston in a real showdown this Saturday, while Nar Nar Goon (fifth) hosts Inverloch Kongwak (sixth), and Kooweerup (seventh) hosts Tooradin-Dalmore in the other games of significant interest.
