by Nicholas Duck
It's a blockbuster round this week in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition as the top four teams all face off in what is essentially an early finals preview. With the end of the home and away season just around the corner, this will be an excellent chance to see just how all the top sides sit in the pecking order as they all look to get whatever psychological advantage they can. Here's how the games are looking this week.
Saturday July 16
2pm start for all matches.
Cora Lynn vs Kilcunda Bass
Location: Cora Lynn Recreation Reserve
Cora Lynn and Kilcunda Bass both saw their respective win streaks come to an end last week, meaning both clubs will be very keen to get back onto the winners' list this week.
For the Cobras their impressive seven game streak was ended at the hands of of a ferocious Phillip Island. The two rivals have had some titanic clashes over the years, but in truth the Cobras were never really in their game last week.
Cora Lynn are still two games clear in sixth position, leaving them in an ideal spot to play finals with just five games remaining, but they'll need to keep racking up the wins if they want to make it.
They may also need to find some alternative ways to score outside of spearhead Nathan Gardiner. Gardiner is a superstar of the competition and can rip teams apart singlehandedly, but when he was well-held last week the Cobras struggled to find other avenues to goal.
Kilcunda Bass' streak, meanwhile, ended at four games after they were disposed of by Tooradin-Dalmore. The result was hardly a surprise though, as no team has really come close to the might of the Seagulls, and while the first half was a decent effort by the Panthers their second half would have been heavily reviewed throughout the week.
For this match though, the fact remains that Cora Lynn have proven themselves as a team capable of beating teams both below and above them on the table, while Kilcunda Bass have struggled any time they've met a side in the top six.
Combined with the fact this is a Cora Lynn home game, it's hard to see the Cobras dropping another game here
Garfield vs Koo wee rup
Location: Garfield Recreation Reserve
Koo wee rup managed to arrest their slide last week, winning their first game in five weeks against Dalyston.
After a tough few weeks that certainly weren't without some admirable efforts, the Demons looked comfortable for most of their game against the Magpies as they cruised to an easy win. Their four-game losing streak did prematurely end their unlikely finals tilt though, meaning at this point all they have to play for is pride as they start to think about the off-season.
And pride is something their opponents will be desperate to get this week, as Garfield's torrid season continues.
The Stars remain completely winless after 13 games, and have really only come close on two occasions, having been totally thrashed in most of their other attempts.
Their chances to claim a much-needed victory are running out very quickly, and though Koo wee rup can play solid footy, Garfield definitely won't be going into this one thinking it's a lost cause.
Regardless, when these two teams last met it resulted in a 10-goal win to the Demons, and they should really be looking to replicate that outcome this week.
Inverloch-Kongwak vs Tooradin-Dalmore
Location: Inverloch Recreation Reserve
It's third vs first in a colossal battle this week between two of very best sides the league has to offer.
Tooradin-Dalmore remain undefeated, unbowed and seemingly unbeatable after 13 games. The Seagulls have an incredible depth of talent all around the field, including what is likely the competition's very best forward line, capable of devastating even the most stingy defence. It's a sign of just how dominant they've been that their closest win this season was still 32 points.
Inverloch-Kongwak have enjoyed a similarly strong year, having only lost two games up until this point, though those two losses were to the two sides above them. It points towards a side that has been totally capable of handling the teams below them with ease, but has been found wanting when presented with a stiffer challenge.
The pressure will be on both sides' defensive units this week, and it is very likely that whichever side can keep up the pressure for long enough will get the points. Tooradin-Dalmore's Stewart Scanlon, who currently sits second in the league's goalkicking, will be the number one target to stop for the Inverloch-Kongwak defenders, while for the Seagulls Tristan Van Driel is a name they'd love to keep off the scoresheet as much as possible.
Inverloch-Kongwak did manage to push the Seagulls for the better part of three quarters before falling away in the last when they last met, and the prospect of a home ground advantage will give them plenty of confidence that they can be the first side to find a chink in Tooradin-Dalmore's seemingly impenetrable armour.
Still, at this stage of the year it's near impossible to tip against Tooradin-Dalmore, but one does wonder if Inverloch-Kongwak can't find a way to beat them here, then who will?
Korumburra-Bena vs Bunyip
Location: Korumburra Showgrounds
Bunyip found themselves in all sorts last week against Nar Nar Goon, going down by 53 points as their slim finals chances became even slimmer.
The loss marked their fifth defeat in six games, turning what earlier this year seemed like a tight race for the lower part of the top six into a bit of a foregone conclusion as they now sit two games on the outer and looking unlikely to get back in. The Bulldogs have just been found out, mostly on the offensive end, by other sides in recent times, and as such their output on the scoreboard has been poor.
In their five recent losses their final goal counts have been six, seven, one, nine and four. Those sorts of numbers just don't get you into finals.
Finals would be the farthest thing from the minds of their opponents this week, however.
Korumburra-Bena's year has been rather disastrous for the most part, with thrashings being a seemingly weekly occurrence at this stage. The club has flagged their intentions to switch leagues, and with some of their results this year it's not difficult to see why.
They put up a surprisingly strong effort against Inverloch-Kongwak last week before falling short, but had lost their two prior games by 167 and 170 points respectively.
And while the Bulldogs have struggled offensively against the better sides in the competition, they've had fewer problems against the sides well and truly below them. This includes the last time they played the Giants, where they won by 81 points.
Bunyip to win.
Phillip Island vs Nar Nar Goon
Location: Cowes Recreation Reserve
The second of the top four clashes this week should be a big one as the second-placed Phillip Island plays host to fourth-placed Nar Nar Goon.
Phillip Island bounced back in style last week, easily accounting for Cora Lynn as they re-established their winning ways after an earlier shock loss to the Warragul Industrials. The Bulldogs, while certainly not invincible this year, still have the premiership DNA that has defined them for the past few years, meaning that their chances of losing two games in a row always appeared small.
Playing Phillip Island at their home fortress still looms as one of the toughest assignments the competition has to offer, and Nar Nar Goon will be hoping to play at their very best to have a shot.
The Goon sit two games clear in fourth position, and still boast plenty of weapons in their arsenal. The headline act is Dermott Yawney, who currently leads the league's goalkicking but make no mistake, the Goon have a lot to offer in the other areas of the ground too.
It hasn't been enough though when they've played some of the league's tougher opposition. The three losses the Goon have experienced so far have been to the three teams above them, and while they've looked solid in patches in each of those games, they haven't been able to string it together for long enough to truly challenge.
It means the team has plenty to work on if they want to really make an impact come finals time, and there's no better place to start than to knock off the reigning champs on their home deck.
Regardless, tipping against Phillip Island at Cowes is a tough ask, but either way this game will tell us a lot about where these sides sit as we approach the end of the season.
Warragul Industrials vs Dalyston
Location: Western Park
It's a good time to be a Warragul Industrials player.
The side sits three games clear inside the top six, looking for all intents and purposes to be a finals lock. They've now won their last two, including a mammoth win over Phillip Island, and appear to playing a stronger defensive game than they were earlier in the season.
And they're every chance to keep the good times rolling at home this week when they meet Dalyston.
The Magpies have lost nine of their past 10 games, with their only victory being a Shaun Burgoyne-inspired victory over the winless Garfield.
After some earlier promise this season, things seem to have caught up with Dalyston, who have now often been caught looking a little second rate in comparison to some of their opponents.
For the Dusties, though their three-game buffer looks to be more than enough to get them to the post-season, they'll want to make sure they keep ticking the boxes to build some strong form going into finals.
Dalyston showed a good effort when these two sides last met, but the class of the Dusties ultimately won out and that should be the case once again here.
Dusties to win.