Brutal Bunyip back in the finals hunt
The race for a finals spot is on in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition, with Bunyip taking a strong win this week and looking to pounce on any team that falters. Meanwhile, the top sides flexed their muscles as some teams are looking rather untouchable as we inch closer to the end of the home and away season.
Bunyip vs Dalyston
Bunyip are just one win outside the top six after a comprehensive victory over Dalyston.
Coming off three consecutive losses, the Bulldogs were in desperate need of a win to keep in touch with a potential finals berth, and thanks to a blistering first term that set up their entire day they were able to do just that, defeating the Magpies 17.6 (108) to 9.3 (57).
Scoring 6.2 to Dalyston's single goal in the first quarter, Bunyip built an early lead that never looked to be in much danger through the middle of the game, before blowing the margin out even further late to claim a much-needed win.
Dylan Gallasch, Ashleigh Allen and Aaron Paxton all kicked three goals for Bunyip, who bounced back handily from their one-goal performance last week through a committed team effort at the offensive end.
Jeb McLeod continued his excellent season with another best-on-ground performance as the Bulldogs moved to five wins and six losses for the season.
They now sit four points behind the Warragul Industrials and Cora Lynn on the ladder, with next week's match against the Cobras looming as a massive clash in the context of both team's seasons.
For Dalyston, the match being essentially decided at quarter time has become a familiar tale for them, as they came crashing back down to Earth after the highs of last week's win with Shaun Burgoyne.
A more competitive showing in the middle two quarters gives them something to build on, but until they can fix the way they begin matches they'll struggle to keep up with other teams.
Jeb McLeod, Xavier Kinder, Matthew O'Halloran, Jye Keath, Jack Blakey and Dylan Gallasch were named as Bunyip's best.
Brad Monson, Clay Tait, Curtis Murfett, Michael Marotta, Michael Harris and Blake Carew were all solid for Dalyston.
Cora Lynn vs Warragul Industrials
The Warragul Industrials have become the latest side to feel the bite of Cora Lynn, after the latter claimed their sixth win on the trot.
The Dusties enjoyed some periods of ascendancy, but were ultimately unable to keep up with the Cobras for long enough as they fell 17.7 (109) to 10.9 (69).
The result sees Cora Lynn overtake the Dusties on the ladder to move into fifth spot, leaving both sides one win above seventh-placed Bunyip.
At the first bounce it was Cora Lynn who burst out of the blocks, kicking five of the first six goals to build an early lead.
The Cobras' midfield was well on top, and with Nathan Gardiner showing off his usual vice-like grip it was looking ominous for the Dusties. Gardiner would later finish with five goals for the day.
From there though Warragul managed to work their way back into the contest to end up just seven points down at quarter time.
The Warragul defence began working harder, while players such as Travis Ogden and Bailey Beck led from the front.
This would be the best patch of form the Dusties, as after the quarter time break Cora Lynn re-established their control, though admittedly not as strongly as it had been earlier.
Rylan Smith and Jaxon Briggs did the damage in the middle for the Cobras, as their forward line simply looked more lethal than the Dusties'.
Cora Lynn would increase their lead in every quarter to eventually run away with the match by 40 points, a final margin that perhaps did not properly tell the effort of the Dusties.
While both teams now sit on six wins, in truth it's now Cora Lynn who looks more settled in the top six, meaning the Dusties will have to fight hard if they are to make finals this season.
Travis Ogden, Mason McGarrity, Bailey Beck, Matthew Herbert, Jackson Mockett and Will Gibson were all strong for Warragul.
Cora Lynn's better players were Rylan Smith, Jaxon Briggs, Brent Urwin, Tristan Warkuss, Thomas Stiglich, James Munro.
Garfield vs Kilcunda Bass
Garfield have narrowly missed out on their first win of the season, going down in a thriller to Kilcunda Bass.
While the Stars trailed for almost the entirety of the match, they were clearly up for the fight, never letting the Panthers get much more than a couple of goals ahead of them before dragging the margin back.
In the end though, despite some desperate late charges and chances to steal the lead, Garfield just couldn't find a way to get over the line, losing 9.12 (66) to 10.13 (73).
Angus Emery and Nicholas Lang both kicked two goals each for the home side, while Nathan Foote and Taylor Gibson managed three each for Kilcunda Bass. Impressively, the Garfield defence managed to hold Panthers spearhead Marcus Baxter goalless for just the second time this season.
The Stars were made to pay for some inaccurate kicking in the first term as they managed 1.5 to 3.1 to trail at quarter time, before the Panthers would pounce in the second term to take a 13-point lead into half time.
The match turned into one of desperation in the second half, as the winless Stars sensed a serious chance to claim their first win of the year.
By the time of the final term, Garfield trailed by roughly a single goal for most of the term, but were denied the chance to level by a combination of some desperate defending from Kilcunda Bass and some poor decision making going inside 50.
It now means Kilcunda Bass have won their last three matches after just one win in their first eight matches, while Garfield's opportunities to break their duck are becoming more difficult to find.
Zac Soutar, Lachlan Sauze, Jack Tenace-Greenall, Jett Pickering, Zach Dalton and John Zaccari were among the best for Garfield.
Kilcunda Bass enjoyed strong showings from Nathan Foote, Cam McKenzie, Thomas West, Taylor Gibson, Lleyton Cartmel and Christopher McKay.
Inverloch-Kongwak vs Nar Nar Goon
Nar Nar Goon's best is undoubtedly very good. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite seem to be good enough right now after another loss to a top team, this time against Inverloch-Kongwak.
The Goon were up for the fight, and threatened to steal the win at a few points, but just couldn't match the Sea Eagles when they found another level late in the match to run away 12.14 (86) to 10.6 (66) winners.
As expected, both sides' respective forward stars enjoyed solid days, as Toby Mahoney and Tristan Van Driel both kicked three for Inverloch-Kongwak, while Troy McDermott and Dermott Yawney did the same for Nar Nar Goon.
A tight and tense first half saw the scores even at half time, though some missed chances for the Sea Eagles meant they could have easily taken a handy lead.
While the going was certainly tough for both teams, there was a general feeling that Inverloch-Kongwak had the supremacy but just hadn't been able to nail their opportunities quite like Nar Nar Goon had.
This issue was solved in the second half however, as the Sea Eagles booted eight goals to three to pull away late.
Ultimately, with Inverloch-Kongwak generating 26 scoring shots to Nar Nar Goon's 16, the win was certainly a deserved one despite the fight shown by the visitors.
The result sees Nar Nar Goon remain in fourth place, having lost three of their last four games. All three of these losses have been to the teams above them on the table, showing that they may have to go back to the drawing board if they want to make an impact come finals time.
Corey Casey, Oscar Toussaint, Xavier Hughes, Shem Hawking, Ethan Park and Marcus Toussaint were all outstanding for Inverloch-Kongwak.
Trent Armour, Bradley Homfray, Kyle O'Sullivan, Tex Marsham, Sam Blackwood and Trent Noy all performed solidly for Nar Nar Goon.
Phillip Island vs Korumburra-Bena
It was business as usual for Phillip Island this week as they completely dismantled and demolished Korumburra-Bena to retain second spot on the ladder.
An eight-goal performance from Jack Taylor was the highlight for the home side, who ran riot from the first bounce to win 28.17 (187) to 3.2 (20).
By quarter time the Bulldogs were 38 points up, having held their opponents goalless, and by half time that margin had ballooned out to 60 as they showed little mercy to their opponents.
Midfielder Max Walton enjoyed a day out, while ruck-forward Cameron Pedersen did as he pleased. For the Giants, it was another chapter in a season that has brought plenty of pain, as the disparity in quality between the teams was evident.
With results like these becoming the norm for Korumburra-Bena, their desire to change leagues becomes easy to understand as their talent just couldn't stack up against the might of Phillip Island.
Max Walton, Jack Taylor, Cameron Pedersen, Jordy Patullo, Harry O'Brien and Brendan Kimber were all dominant for Phillip Island.
Korumburra-Bena's better players were Paul Fermanis, Matthew Lello, Nicholas Besley, Darcy Hargrave, Alaster Bradley and Matt Kennewell.
Tooradin-Dalmore vs Koo wee rup
Koo wee rup's finals hopes are fading fast after being thoroughly dismantled by Tooradin-Dalmore away from home.
Already needing to build some serious percentage, the Demons had few answers to the forward line power of the Seagulls, who were clinical in their 26.12 (168) to 7.9 (51) win.
Stewart Scanlon enjoyed yet another bag of goals, this time seven, while Blake Grewar and Julian Suarez both kicked four in another terrifying display of the Seagulls' depth of talent in the forward half.
Jason Wells was the only Demon who could manage multiple goals as he kicked three, but it was in vain as Koo wee rup were blown off the park early courtesy of a seven goal to two first term Tooradin-Dalmore's way.
From that point, the Seagulls kept the foot on the pedal, booting 19 more goals to Koo wee rup's five as the competition's top side flexed their muscles, having now become the only side to beat every other team this season.
The loss now leaves Koo wee rup two wins and some sizeable percentage outside the top six, and with Bunyip ahead of them in the race to potentially steal sixth spot, finals appear to be a bridge too far for the Demons, whose four wins have all been against the teams below them on the table.
Tooradin-Dalmore had few players that failed to contribute, but James Trezise, Blake Grewar, Julian Suarez, Brent Macaffer, Adam Galea and Brad Butler were among the best of them.
Nathan Muratore, Fletcher Mcmillan, Ethan McDonald, Mitchell Davey and Nick Prowd were Koo wee rup's best.