By David Nagel
Don’t write off the Cobra just yet!
For most observers, Saturday’s 121-point loss to Inverloch-Kongwak was the first legitimate sign that Cora Lynn’s impressive record of playing finals football in every season since 2006 is on the verge of coming to an end.
The Cobras were humiliated by the Sea Eagles on Saturday – there’s no other way to describe it – in front of a big Easter crowd that is trained in to expecting a great battle between the two clubs.
But a 23.21(165) to 6.8(44) score line needs no further embellishment to describe the gap that existed between the two sides on the weekend.
“It hurts, it definitely hurts, to come out on Easter Saturday, with a big crowd, and we’ve always had great battles, to get thumped by 20 goals, it hurts big time,” said Cora Lynn coach Shaun Sparks.
“Speaking to some of the boys on Sunday morning, some of them were almost embarrassed by what happened on Saturday.
“And that’s a term that shouldn’t be used lightly in football…it really hurts.
Sparks, and Cora Lynn, are certainly not making excuses, they’re experts at riding the roller-coaster ride of a football season, but the simple fact is the Cobras have been hit hard by injuries and by the impact of Covid.
Sparks refused to confirm or deny, but it’s understood that more than a dozen Cobras were affected in some way ahead of their round two game against Bunyip, with a handful of players added to the list on the weekend.
“Definitely no excuses, but it’s taking its toll on us,’ Sparks admitted.
“Just our inability to prepare probably stood out on Saturday, we weren’t there to compete.
“I’ve given the guys a week off, to get fresh, and to hopefully get healthy, and we’ll see what we have available for next week.
“We know where we’re at as a group, we just need to reset and get healthier.”
The Cobras will enjoy this week off, but will then host a red-hot Tooradin-Dalmore in round four before a tough visit to Nar Nar Goon in round five.
But Sparks insists, it’s not all doom and gloom at the Cobradome with a five-point loss to Phillip Island in round one an indication of his sides’ capabilities.
“We knew we had a tough draw over the first five weeks, we’re a new group, I’m a new coach, we’ve got new coaches on board…it was never going to click in one day, or one game,” Sparks explained.
“But we can’t just sit back and be happy with that, a five point defeat, because now we’re zero and three and we need to get desperate as a group.
“It’s going to test us, but we know where we’re at as a club, and that’s the most important part.
“If we didn’t know where we’re at, we’d be in trouble, but I’m pretty confident that when everything goes right for us and it clicks, and when we’ve got the right people on the park, and they’re fit and firing, it’s going to be a different Cora Lynn that’s for sure.”
The Cobras will start underdogs in their next two encounters, against the Seagulls and the Goon, but then face a stretch of five games – Korumburra Bena, Kilcunda Bass, Garfield, Dalyston and Kooweerup – that would all be classed as winnable.
Keeping that 15-year finals record in tact…well it’s still a possibility.
“I reckon we can,” Sparks said.
“This actually reminds me a lot of my first year at Cora Lynn when we had a whole heap of new blokes at the club, started poorly, and copped a hiding in one of our first two games.
“We were patient, knew it took a bit of time, didn’t panic, and eventually things turn around.
“But I don’t want to look too far ahead in the draw, because the competition is improving game by game, round by round.
“If we can get on a roll, that’s great for the footy club, but we just need to look at one game at a time right now and not look too far ahead.
“It’s great to have footy back, but coping a loss like this makes you realise pretty quickly that’s it the home and away season again and it’s a strong competition to be a part of.”
Footnote: Cora Lynn last missed finals in 2005, when it finished 13th of 14 in the Ellinbank and District Football League (EDFL) after finishing last in the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League in 2004.
