By David Nagel
The race is on to become the first forward to 300 goals in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) after Cora Lynn star Nathan Gardiner produced an absolute masterclass on Saturday.
Gardiner booted 12 goals in the Cobras 27.17.179 to 4.4.28 pumping of Bunyip to take his tally to 46 goals from just seven games this season.
The imposing sharp-shooter started steadily enough, snaring three against Tooradin-Dalmore in round one, before kicking 6, 6, 7, 6, 6 and 12 in his recent six outings.
He has kicked over 600 goals in his career, and currently sits second on the list of WGFNC goal-kickers – with 268 – just 16 short of Kooweerup star Jason Wells who kicked six against Tooradin-Dalmore on Saturday.
Wells needs 16, Gardiner 32…at the current rate this season it’s game on!
Of course there’s no gold bike and a pump given out for goal-kicking awards, and for Cobras coach Shaun Sparks Saturday’s victory was merely another tick in the ‘W’ column.
The Cobras had their hands full in the opening exchanges, with Bunyip matching the home side’s total of two goals, before superior talent and method started to take a toll.
With Gardiner on fire, the Cobras rattled on seven goals in the second stanza, and 10 in the third, before finishing off with an 8.5 to 2.0 final term.
Ryan Gillis provided the perfect foil up forward, booting four goals, while Luke Hartley capped off a fine fortnight of footy with a stellar performance and three goals to boot!
Hayden Spierings finished a great day for the family with two goals, after his brother Ryan kicked a “Buddy Beauty’ 13 in the curtain-raiser.
Josh Wilson and Lachie Coverdale both hit the scoreboard on debut for the Cobs, while winger Jeremy Monckton and ruck Billy Thomas were influential figures around the ground.
Former Cobra Chase Saunders kicked two goals for Bunyip, while Darby Craven, Ned Ashton and Alex Dijkstra will take some good form into this week’s clash with Nar Nar Goon.
While Gardiner was on fire at the Cobradome…it was a more balanced team performance that most impressed Nar Nar Goon coach Justin Stanton at Western Park on the weekend.
With star forward Dermott Yawney being well held, the Goon spread the load beautifully in a nine-goal second half that led to a 12.11.83 to 8.4.52 victory over Warragul Industrials.
It was a dour first half, with the Goon leading narrowly at half time – 24-20 – in a very low-scoring affair.
“They had a lot of numbers in our forward line in the first half and tried to get us on the counterattack, and we just needed to lift our pressure in the second half and make sure they couldn’t run it quickly out of our forward line,” Stanton explained.
“The forwards were made more accountable and we put more speed on the footy through the midfield.
“We’re missing some key players through that area of the ground so we’re basically changing our look every week.
“We had 11 inside 50s in the third quarter and had seven scoring shots…so it was nice to capitalise on those entries.
“To get a win on the road by five goals, with a nice spread of goal-kickers, was very pleasing.”
The Goon showed an impressive gear-shift in the third quarter, booting 5.2 to 1.0 to lock away the four points.
Brendan Hermann was sensational for the Goon through the midfield, while Jarrod Smith was impressive in his first senior game for the club.
And youngster Nate Pipicelli continues to shine as a versatile type who can play either end of the ground or in the ruck.
But Stanton believes the next big advancement for his team will take place above the shoulders.
Last-quarter fadeouts against Phillip Island, and most recently Cora Lynn…came down to not being mentally prepared for the contest.
“The most disappointing thing was the lack of belief and resilience shown by our players,” Stanton said openly and honestly.
“We didn’t take our opportunities against Cora Lynn, and then when the pressure was applied we curled our toes up basically.
“We’ve spoken about that; that the great thing about young teams is that they’re coachable and have a lot of upside, but the downside is that they’re still developing their backbone and resilience as senior footballers.
“We need to get better at responding when the pressure is on…and we did that a lot better on the weekend.
“And we’re a young group; we’ll get better at that as we experience those situations more often.”
The draw now opens up for the Goon, who faces Inverloch-Kongwak once more, with no games remaining against Phillip Island or Tooradin.
“We discussed it in the off-season; that we had a challenging draw and we were hoping to hit the ground running with no injuries,” Stanton said.
“But we got riddled with injuries and that put us behind the eight-ball.
“From this point forward we want to get some continuity into our side, and have one or two changes a week instead of four or five.
“If we can do that, we’re hoping to get a bit of a run on.
“We think our best footy will stack up pretty well.”
As for the Dusties, Sam Russell did a great job on Dermott Yawney in defence and Mason McGarrity was at his dangerous best with three goals.
Dalyston has tuned up for a very tough month of football with a commanding 13.15.93 to 6.10.46 victory over Garfield at Beswick Street.
The battle between the two-big improvers in West Gippsland footy got tight through the second quarter, with the Stars closing to five points after a sharp Magpies start gave the visitors the early ascendency.
Left-footer Jake Barry kicked the opening two goals of the match, and the Pies looked set for a comfortable day at the office when fellow lefty Mason Storr kicked a third.
But led by Mark Griffiths and Cooper Reilly in the middle, the Stars fought back through goals to Ash Russell and a set shot from debutant Sean Marsh to close to within a kick.
The Pies responded however, and a three-goal-to-one third term gave the visitors a healthy 27-point advantage at the final change.
Any hopes of a home-ground Garfield revival were quickly snuffed out early in the final term, with two goals to Storr building a 39-point lead.
Storr was superb for the Maggies up forward, booting five goals in an opportunistic display, while Michael Harris and Will Clarke continued their great form in the key-defensive posts.
Skipper Brayden Duve was once again rock-solid, while Finn Hower, Zac Soutar and Matt Jones joined Griffiths and Reilly on the Stars best-players list.
The Magpies host two of the best teams in the competititon over the next fortnight in Phillip Island and Tooradin-Dalmore, before away trips to Nar Nar Goon and Warragul.
Star recruits Will Hams and Nick Baltas have continued to make their mark, booting five and three goals respectively in the Sea Eagles 122-point victory over Korumburra-Bena.
But the class and skill of the talented duo was once again overshadowed by a sturdy and well-oiled defence that has leaked just 116 points in its last five games of footy.
The Eagles have conceded a whopping 151-points less than the next best team, (Phillip Island) in a great sign that everyone is on the same page.
Premiership teams nurse records like that with the care of a first child…and the defensive pressure soon becomes infectious.
The Sea Eagles appear to be in that zone!
Hams was the star of the show for the high-flying Eagles, while key talls Clinton McCaughan and Marcus Toussaint continue to be a ruck-combo to be reckoned with.
Codie Anderson, Boyd Robertson and Rhys Dixon were terrific for the Giants, who will enjoy more competitive outings against Kilcunda-Bass and Kooweerup over the next fortnight.
A stunning eight-goal third-quarter burst has led Phillip Island to a 17.14.116 to 10.6.66 victory over Kilcunda-Bass at Cowes.
Living up to its moniker, the home-side was in a dog-fight until half time, before ramping up the intensity with an 8.3 to 3.2 premiership quarter.
The lift game from a wide cross-section of players; experienced players in Damien Holmes, Alex Duyker, Mark Griffin and Jason Tomada increasing their rating around the ground.
The two teams had differing forward setups, with Taylor Gibson and Anthony Daraio dominating the scoring with four each for the Panthers, while the home-side spread the load evenly with three goals to Max Blake the best of a 12-strong scoring system.
Lochlan Scott, Brad Aldwell and the stocky Ben Eddy were best for the Panthers, who host Korumburra-Bena this week.
The Bulldogs make the half-hour trip to Dalyston.
Wildly inaccurate Tooradin-Dalmore remains in second place on the ladder after the reigning champs scored a 23-point win over Kooweerup.
The Gulls held a 16-point lead at quarter time and extended to 21 at the main break before the radar went on the blink in the second half.
Despite having 19 shots to seven after the break, the Gulls could only extend their lead by two points after half time…kicking 4.15.39 to 6.1.37.
The Gulls were like little boys trying to pee straight – missing the potty with 3.7 in the third quarter and spraying things everywhere with 1.8 to 4.1 in the final quarter.
Once again it was the class of former Collingwood players Brent Macaffer and Adam Oxley that had a huge impact on the result.
Macaffer backed up his 40-plus disposal game from last week with another imperious display through the midfield, while Oxley was the Gulls only multiple contributor with three goals.
Jordy Kelly, Brad Lenders and Cooper Shipp continued their good form in defence, while Will Lumby competed well in the ruck.
The Demons can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel after a really tough run of matches in recent times.
It would have been easy for the Demons to chuck the towel in, but they’ve improved week-on-week in matches against Phillip Island, Warragul Industrials and now Tooradin.
Jason Wells kicked his best haul from his five games this season, booting six goals in a typically classy display, while Luke McMaster continues to flourish after a slow start to his season.
Regular stars Nathan Voss and Trav Bindley were also important for the Dees, while Mitch Alderson continues to deliver strongly despite fighting out of his weight class.
It’s Inverloch-Kongwak for the Demons this week…before the road ahead finally gets a little smoother.
