By Russell Bennett
WEST GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL NETBALL COMPETITION
REVIEW – ROUND 13
Nar Nar Goon and Kooweerup don’t do things by halves – at least not in a metaphorical sense.
Whenever they meet, even in home and away contests, there’s always more on the line than other contests. The atmosphere pulsates, the little moments within games seem to have more attached to them.
It could be because they have arguably the two biggest supporter bases in the West Gippsland competition – supporter bases that are hanging for their next senior flag.
It’s been a far longer wait for Kooweerup – one that’s been much more agonising, over decades, not just years.
But the frustration still remains for Nar Nar Goon, too.
They’ve both been so close, but yet so far – particularly Kooweerup’s losing grand finals of recent years, including last season at the hands of a rampant Phillip Island.
Both the Demons and the Goon have shown flashes of what they’re capable of this year, but they’ve also displayed just as much frustrating inconsistency – not always entirely through their own doing.
On Sunday, it was the visiting Demons who shot out of the blocks early and led by 19 points at quarter-time – 5.1 (31) to 2.0 (12).
Their biggest key performance indicators – their defensive pressure, and subsequent tackle count – were right where they wanted them, particularly with Troy Dolan’s tight-checking role on Nar Nar Goon standout gun Trent Armour in the engine room.
While the kicking of Luke Walker and Nathan Muratore, and the creativity of Matt Voss stood out throughout the contest, as it wore on the Demons’ mistakes continually crept through as the home side’s pressure rose.
Troy McDermott was a man on a mission for the home side in his forward half, finishing with five majors and refusing to be outworked, while former skipper Brent Hughes slotted two of the more important goals of his side’s season in the space of a minute early in the fourth. Crowd favourites Shannon Stocco and Daniel Galante – uncle of Kooweerup opponent Bailey – also hit the scoreboard with two majors apiece right when they were called upon.
By the time Hughes slotted his second the Goon had transformed an 11-point half-time deficit into a lead by the narrowest of margins – a point – with a quarter to play.
Kooweerup coach Ben Collins asked the hard questions of his side at three-quarter time – about whether they’d rise to the occasion in front of the big stand-alone crowd, with the pressure on them.
The answer to those questions? Not quite.
In a game that was crucial for both sides in their finals quest, the Goon stood that little bit taller – ultimately winning by three goals, 17.7 (109) to 13.13 (91).
While ill-discipline crept in at times for the Demons – including consecutive 50-metre penalties at stages – the Goon remained calmer, at least it appeared that way.
Sam Blackwood was arguably the day’s biggest difference-maker for the home side, while the diminutive Jake Smith was at his creative, influential best – a particularly impressive feat given the games he’s missed this season so far to injury. Armour, meanwhile, battled manfully in a physical midfield display.
Ultimately it was the Goon who seemed willing to scrap their way to victory just that little bit longer than the Demons – playing a finals-like brand of football so desperately needed for a seventh-placed side hell-bent on snaring a top five berth.
In the home rooms after the game, Nar Nar Goon coach Dean Blake said Sunday’s performance was the kind his side had been striving for all season.
“We finally made it,” he told his group, about achieving the style of play they’d been aiming for over such a long period of time.
“I’m hoping that’s an eye-opener for us.
“Like I said before the game, keep things simple.
“We know how we want to move the footy – we’ve been training like it for 20-odd weeks. Finally, finally, we kept asking questions of the side next door – not just for patches, but throughout a whole game.
“For a full, four-quarter performance I thought it was super.”
