By David Nagel
Inverloch-Kongwak is now a perfect 10 wins from 10 starts after skipper Toby Mahoney produced a masterclass in forward craft against Cora Lynn at a windy Inverloch on Saturday.
Mahoney was the only multiple goal-kicker on the ground, kicking five goals on a day when six-pointers were treated like gold in the 8.7.55 to 4.7.31 victory over the gallant Cobras.
Mahoney sits third on the list of goal-kickers since the WGFNC began in 2017, having now snagged 235 goals to sit behind Jason Wells (291) and Saturday’s opponent Nathan Gardiner (276).
But on the weekend, he was in a class all of his own.
The classy left-footer nailed all three phases against the Cobras; first building the early platform with two first-quarter goals before repelling a spirited Cobras revival through the middle stages of the third term.
He then kicked the first goal of the last quarter to safely tuck away the four premiership points.
The Sea Eagles were missing key players in Marcus Toussaint and Will Hams on the weekend, but showed the depth they have their disposal by bringing Clinton McCaughan and Kairon Dorling into the side.
McCaughan had a great battle with Billy Thomas in the ruck, while Dorling was also one of the Sea Eagles best across wing and half back.
Mahoney set the scene early, riding a solid contest with Matt Briggs inside forward 50, before dribbling through the first of the day, before Hayden Spierings judged the strong breeze to perfection to equalise the early exchanges.
The Cobras had plenty of field position in the opening term, but the Eagles were more efficient, forward of centre, with Mahoney escaping out the back to kick the third and final goal of the first quarter.
The second term was a real arm-wrestle, with Lachie Scott and Bailey Patterson kicking the only two goals for the quarter, extending the Sea Eagles lead to 18 points at the half.
But the Cobras weren’t done with yet, and came out firing in the third term.
Nathan Gillis wheeled on to his trusty left-foot to kick the first of the third quarter, inside two minutes, before Jeremy Monckton milked a head-high free-kick perfectly – rewarded with 50 metres and a goal at the top of the goal square.
The Cobras were coming, closing to five minutes after nine minutes of play.
But, guess who, Mahoney, had the answers!
He kicked a brilliant left foot snap, and then followed that with a mark and goal from a set shot to extend the margin back to 18.
Gardiner then kicked his first of the day, right on the three-quarter-time siren, and the lead was 12 for the Sea Eagles at the final change.
Mahoney then put the imperial seal on a brilliant performance, nailing the first of the last quarter, before his most-appreciative coach Tom Hams put the final nail in the Cobras coffin with a six-pointer from long range.
There was nothing pretty about the performance…but the Eagles were too strong on a very tough day for footy.
Jarvis Pryor joined Mahoney on the best players list, helping to keep a dangerous Cobras forward line quiet, while Lachie Peluso joined Thomas as the visitors’ best performers.
But the day…well it belonged to just one man!
The season of Warragul Industrials was on the line at half time against Kilcunda at the Bass Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
The Dusties only trailed by a point, but had dodged a bullet against the wind as the home-side fired 10 shots at goal in the second quarter for just three positive returns.
A second-half slip up and the Dusties could kiss their finals hopes goodbye.
But, on the same ground where they announced themselves in last year’s finals series, the Dusties responded in fantastic fashion, having 16 shots at goal to five in the second half to race away with a 10.15.75 to 5.10.40 triumph.
The Dusties kicked 4.7 to 0.1 in the third term, and then outscored the Panthers in the final stanza…rubber stamping their dominance.
The Dusties had some key inclusions on the weekend, with Luke Walker, Shane Brewster, Ben Northover and Josh Eyre adding some class, while big-man Corey Micari played his first game for the season.
Walker was superb for the Dusties, replicating his feats from elimination final day last year, while the speed of Matt Herbert and consistency of Will Gibson gradually wore the Panthers down.
Adrian De Sando, Michael Debenham, Mason McGarrity and Eyre all kicked two for the Dusties, while the Beck boys – Bailey and Todd – played some solid footy when required in the second half.
As for the Panthers, well it was the same old faces that performed.
Dale Gawley is a formidable figure in the ruck, while Daniel Mock mopped up around half back and Dean McRae was a key focal point up forward.
The Panthers face a tough lead up to the bye, with a trip to Cora Lynn, while the Dusties will also be tested by Dalyston at Western Park.
The winner between the Dusties and Magpies will claim sixth place on the ladder.
Kooweerup is fighting desperately hard to remain relevant this season and the Demons continued to push in the right direction against Garfield at Denhams Road.
Losing seven in a row was a bitter pill to swallow, but Rhys Nisbet and his team have now bounced back with two wins on the trot…including the 10.9.69 to 6.6.42 win over the Stars on Saturday.
The Demons took control of this game in the second quarter, restricting the Stars to just 1.1 with the wind to take a comfortable 21-point lead to half time.
That was always going to blow out in the third, and the Demons delivered in style with a five-goal onslaught that had the four points locked away by the final break.
The Stars finally found some fluency in the final stanza, but a 47-point deficit was always going to be too hard to reel in.
The class of Nathan Voss was a huge factor in the victory, as was the hard-working duo of Mitch Cammarano and Matt Voss through the midfield.
Nathan Voss finished with three for the winners; while two each to Luke McMaster and Adam Amin put the finishing touches on the 27-point victory.
After a promising start to the season, Garfield has now found its rightful spot in third last place on the ladder.
That’s not being negative, just realistic, as Paul Carbis and his extremely young group continue to grow together.
They’ve been competitive in all but three matches this season, and a rise up the ladder might not be too far way.
Lachie Spinks kicked a brace for the Stars on Saturday, while Joel Batson, Jack Barnes and Cooper Reilly continue to play good footy.
Batson was terrific for the Stars on the weekend, in just his second game since spending five weeks on the sidelines.
Kooweerup should continue its winning ways, on a trip to Bunyip this week, while the Stars host a red-hot Phillip Island.
Nar Nar Goon continues to consolidate itself as a top-four team in the WGFNC after the Goon made light work of Dalyston at Spencer Street on Saturday.
The Goon set the game up against a howling wind in the first quarter, trailing by just three points at quarter time before showcasing their attacking flair…heading towards the main break
The Goon was wasteful, kicking 6.6 to 1.0 in the second term, but still put the issue to bed, eventually prevailing 18.17.125 to 6.6.42.
Coach Justin Stanton will be pleased with the killer-instinct shown by his team, who had a staggering 16 shots at goal in the final term.
The Goon banged on 8.8 to just one point as the Magpies resilience went missing.
The Goon welcomed back some key lynch-pins, with Aidan Pipicelli returning from a week off and gun winger Jake Smith back on the park after a month away through injury.
Dermott Yawney continued his consistent form of late, kicking four goals to make it 16 from his last three games, while Flynn Parker was also effective up forward with three.
JJ Peni and Trent Armour were typically solid through midfield and across half back, while Nate Pipicelli is flourishing at either end of the ground.
You can almost bank six of their last eight games for the Goon, with their only tasks against contenders in the run home to finals being against Cora Lynn and Inverloch in consecutive games beginning in round 13.
For Dalyston, well they’re still a chance of playing finals despite being way off the pace of the top four.
We just need to remember where they’ve come from, winning just two of 18 last year.
Hayden Wallis kicked three for the Magpies, and has now kicked goals in his last eight games of footy, while Curtis Murfett was effective and defender Will Clarke did a wonderful job on the dangerous Yawney.
So, what do Brendan Kimber, Jesse Patullo, Kai McKenzie, Noah Bee-Hickman and Zac Walker have in common after their Phillip Island team scored a 30.23.203 to 2.3.15 victory over Korumburra Bena on Saturday?
The answer: They were the only five Bulldogs to not impact the scoreboard as 17 of their teammates shared the load in the 188-point thumping.
This one looked like it could have been anything at quarter time as the Bulldogs were brutally dismissive of their opposition, having 19 scoring shots in the first term alone on their way to an 11.8.74 to 1.3.9 scoreboard.
Thankfully things slowed down slightly after quarter time, but not enough to stop Max Blake and Jai Jordan from kicking five goals each, and Jack Taylor and Travis Woodfield from chiming in with three apiece.
The Bulldogs had some star quality sitting on the sidelines as well, with Alex Duyker, Cameron Brown, Damien Holmes, Daniel Pearce, Tarquin McMillan and midfield workhorse Eli Richards all missing from last week’s win over Cora Lynn.
Hayden Bruce is putting together some sort of season, and was once again dynamic for the Bulldogs, while Orlando Kane-Gillard was also instrumental in his second game back from a spell.
As for the Giant…well they just need to survive this week’s visit from Nar Nar Goon…have a week off to recover…and then set themselves for a competitive fortnight of football.
A trip to Garfield in round 12 is followed by a huge clash against Bunyip at home, where both teams will be fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.
Nick Besley, Tyson Findlay and Jay Walker never gave up for the Giants, who had Joel Cuman and Byron Walker nail their only two goals.
Tooradin-Dalmore has worked through the football equivalent of using a provincial meeting as a preparation run for a Melbourne Cup with a 111-point victory over Bunyip.
The jump between the Bulldogs best, and that of this week’s opponent – Inverloch-Kongwak – is monumental to say the least, but Lachie Gillespie and his team had no choice but to deal with the issue at hand.
And with an 8.3 to 0.3 opening term…it would appear they dealt with it quite well.
The Gulls were missing key components of their engine room, with Brent Macaffer and Liam Adams both sidelined, with talented youngster Logan Downe having some big shoes to fill on debut.
The Seagulls gained plenty of drive from Andrew Proctor, who relished the blustery conditions, while Lewis Hill and Johnny Duff both used their leg-speed to full advantage.
Brad Lenders continues to impress down back, with Jordy Kelly and Trent Adams providing great support in a defensive unit that will be tested to the limit this weekend.
The Gulls kicked 16 of their 21 goals with the breeze, but created nine scoring shots in the final term against it.
Brad Butler and Stewie Scanlon kicked four each for the winners, who had Matt Livermore at his solid and reliable best through the midfield.
Bunyip is now through the worst of a really tough phase of its season, with games against Phillip Island, Cora Lynn, Nar Nar Goon, Inverloch-Kongwak and Tooradin-Dalmore the stuff that nightmares are made of.
They conceded 837 points over the last five weeks of footy, and only scored 108, but Lachlan Petch and his team have come out the other side smiling.
Upcoming games against Kooweerup, Kilcunda-Bass, Korumburra-Bena and Garfield is an exciting time for the club…almost a mini finals series of sorts.
The Bulldogs will head into that run of matches with Matty O’Halloran back on deck, while Adam Banks, Anthony Haddrick and Ned Ashton have stuck to their guns in all 10 games this season.
The Doggies created 13 scoring shots on the weekend…and that’s a big win against such a class opponent.
Alex Dijkstra, Chase Saunders and Jason Williams were the goal-kickers for the Bulldogs.
