Dusties undone by Nar Nar Goon
Blowout results dominated round seven of the West Gippsland Football League, as the distance between the best and worst sides appears starker than ever.
There were some entertaining games among them, however, including a top of the table match that just about lived up to the hype and a tight Dusties game that has serious consequences for the look of the ladder.
Warragul Industrials vs Nar Nar Goon
The Warragul Industrials have lost their spot in the top five after falling to Nar Nar Goon by 22 points.
In what was a seesawing affair for much of the day, the Goon found another gear in the final term to run away with the match 13.13 (91) to 10.9 (69).
Star forward Dermott Yawney did the damage for the visitors, booting a game-high six goals, while Anthony Bruhn kicked three for the Dusties.
Nar Nar Goon had to do it the hard way though, as their perfect record looked to be in some trouble for various stretches of time.
From the first bounce it was clear Warragul were up for the fight, pushing hard at the contest and matching the Nar Nar Goon midfield.
Matthew Herbert and Shane Brewster were effective in the middle as the game remained close through much of the first three quarters, though Warragul were able to find themselves 13 points up going into the last change of ends.
The final quarter, however, saw Nar Nar Goon move to a whole new level, as they dominated territory in their forward half and put on six goals to none to claim victory.
Trent Armour was the standout for the Goon, as he racked up contested possessions with no issues to help will his side over the line, particularly late.
The win makes it seven on the trot for the Goon, who will face Phillip Island next week in what is sure to be a blockbuster.
The Dusties now slip to sixth on the table and next meet Dalyston to try and regain their top five spot.
Warragul's best were Matthew Herbert, Michael Ablett, Shane Brewster, Kyle Staples, Anthony Bruhn and Bailey Beck.
For Nar Nar Goon, Trent Armour, Eamon Trigg, Jeconiah Peni, Brendan Hermann, Jake Blackwood and Dermott Yawney were the stronger players.
Bunyip vs Korumburra-Bena
Bunyip have snapped their two-game losing streak, easily accounting for Korumburra-Bena by 81 points.
The Bulldogs never let their opponents into the contest, putting the game to bed very early as they won 16.17 (113) to 4.8 (32).
Bunyip were brutal around the ball, using their intense tackling pressure to force Korumburra-Bena into multiple turnovers and then punishing them on the rebound.
Indeed, by half time Bunyip had kicked seven goals to two, and by three quarter time they had 13 goals to two.
The final term saw the game peter out, as both sides knew any chance of a comeback was well and truly gone.
The stars up forward were Dylan Gallasch and Connor Steel, who both kicked four goals each. The Giants, by comparison, could only manage four individual goalkickers as they struggled to find targets inside 50.
Bunyip now find themselves back with a top five spot thanks to a Dusties loss, and will now have to play the ladder-leading Tooradin-Dalmore as they try to keep it.
Bunyip's top players were Aaron Paxton, Alexander Dijkstra, Dylan Gallasch, Nathan Allen, William Papley and Jeb McLeod.
Matt Kennewell, Darcy Hargrave, Nicholas Besley, Zach Walker, Matthew Lello and Daniel Brown were best on for Korumburra-Bena.
Kilcunda Bass vs Cora Lynn
Cora Lynn continued their sudden resurgence as they demolished Kilcunda Bass by 110 points.
Having rediscovered their scoring potency last week, the Cobras showed that it wasn't a one-off in winning 19.18 (132) to 2.10 (22).
Star goalkicker Nathan Gardiner found his best form as he kicked seven goals, consistently terrorising an undersized Kilcunda Bass defence.
With the Casey Demons having a bye in the VFL, recruit James Munro was available to play his first game of the year and did not disappoint, putting in a maestro performance in the middle for best-on-ground honours.
Former Casey teammate Cory Machaya also chipped in with three goals as the Cobras had winners across the board.
Special mention must also be given to the efforts of the Cora Lynn defence, who were able to hold their opponents goalless for the entirety of the first three quarters.
Having lost their first five games of the season, the Cobras have now won their last two by significant margins as they now look like the strong side they've been in recent years.
A match next week against Garfield now looms as a very good chance for them to make it three in a row as they attempt to resurrect their season.
Kilcunda Bass, meanwhile, appear a side bereft of confidence and talent at the moment, particularly given they were missing one of their better players in Nathan Foote.
Cora Lynn's top players were James Munro, Jaxon Briggs, Heath Briggs, Dillan Bass, Rylan Smith and Chris Johnson.
Dale Gawley, James Phillips, Anthony Daraio, Jack Soroczynski, Darcy Clay, Ethan Watts were the better performers for Kilcunda Bass. Koo wee rup vs Garfield
The top five is within reach for Koo wee rup after easily accounting for Garfield by 61 points.
Jason Wells kicked six for the Demons, who looked at ease in the 18.19 (127) to 9.12 (66) win.
It was a significantly better effort from Garfield, who managed 21 scoring shots as Jonathan Sauze kicked three to finally give the team some scoring potency.
In fact, after trailing by 28 points at half time after an even second quarter, the Stars could really have made it more of a game if not for some inaccurate kicking in the third term. They could muster just 2.6 to Koo wee rup's 3.4.
In the end, the Demons would steady in the final term, booting five goals to two to blow the margin out and consign Garfield to yet another sizeable loss.
The Koo wee rup midfield enjoyed even contributions from Mitchell Cammarano, Nathan Voss and Cosi Anagnostou, particularly early where the home side took an early lead.
The win sees Koo wee rup just four points shy of fifth-place Bunyip, though they have a significantly smaller percentage.
There will be plenty of positives for Garfield to take out of the match as they showed some signs of improvement, particularly in the forward half.
Mitchell Cammarano, Matthew Voss, Cosi Anagnostou, Jason Wells and Mitchell Davey were named as Koo wee rup's best.
Jonathan Sauze, Lachlan Sauze, Jett Pickering, Jonty Bow, Kurtis Harper and Jake Thomas all played well for Garfield.
Phillip Island vs Dalyston
Phillip Island flexed their muscles over the weekend to tear Dalyston apart by a whopping 163 points.
The Magpies were completely helpless as Phillip Island ran riot in the 32.15 (207) to 6.8 (44) win.
Incredibly, the Bulldogs had 13 individual goalkickers, including seven goals to Jack Taylor and five to Cameron Brown.
The game was over in the first quarter, where Phillip Island had 11 goals on the board to Dalyston's one before the first break.
The second term actually saw a fightback from the shellshocked Magpies as they kicked four goals to Phillip Island's three to win the quarter.
From there though, the reigning premiers kicked into gear and turned the second half into a victory lap, putting on 18 more goals while keeping their opponents to just the one in the last two quarters. A win was always going to be a stretch for Dalyston but they would be disappointed with some of their efforts and tackling intensity, even with the scoreboard being so against them.
Phillip Island will travel away next week to meet a fellow undefeated side in Nar Nar Goon, while Dalyston will play host to the Warragul Industrials.
The Bulldogs didn't have a bad player to speak of, but their absolute best were Brendan Kimber, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Taylor, Cameron Brown, Billy Taylor and Max Blake.
Curtis Murfett, Jack Murray, Michael Harris, Hayden Wallis, Brendan Walsh and Michael Marotta were the better players for Dalyston.
Tooradin-Dalmore vs Inverloch-Kongwak
Tooradin-Dalmore strengthened their claims as a premiership contender after defeating fellow top side Inverloch-Kongwak by 27 points.
The result was in doubt for most of the day as the lead changed hands multiple times, but ultimately the depth of the Seagulls forward line won out in the 13.11 (89) to 7.10 (52) win.
Blake Grewar and Stewart Scanlon both kicked three goals for Tooradin-Dalmore, while former Collingwood premiership player Brent Macaffer had a day out in the middle.
Early on the game lived up to its billing as a potential classic, with both sides up and about in their intensity.
Three goals to two in the first term allowed Tooradin-Dalmore to take a slender lead into quarter time, before the Sea Eagles struck back with a three goal to one second quarter to take their own advantage into half time.
Tooradin-Dalmore kicked a few late goals in the third term to give themselves some breathing space going into the final term, where they then finally broke clear, kicking 5.2 to 0.7 to run away with the game.
The last quarter would be a source of great frustration for Inverloch-Kongwak, as they kicked themselves out of any potential comeback.
It's also the second time they've faded out late against a fellow top side after doing the same against Phillip Island, leaving them plenty to work on if they want to go deep into finals this year.
Tooradin-Dalmore's top players were Brent Macaffer, Lewis Hill, Dylan Paarlberg, James Trezise, Brady Egan and Blake Grewar.
Inverloch-Kongwak's best were Corey Casey, Jarvis Pryor, Dylan Clark, Shem Hawking, Lachlan Scott and Marcus Toussaint.