by Nicholas Duck
How's that for a response?
Two tough weeks on the field were quickly forgotten on Saturday after Garfield claimed a wonderful 29-point win over Koo wee rup.
The Stars were switched on from minute one, taking on the Demons in an early arm wrestle before breaking away after half time to win their third game of the season 14.8 (92) to 9.9 (63).
Six goals to two in the third term proved the catalyst for the home side, who were hosting their past players day and treated them to a real show on the field.
Their outside game was especially deadly as their run and carry proved too much for Koo wee rup to handle.
Coach Eddie Morris reigned supreme for the Stars, racking up clearances aplenty and getting involved in almost every score they kicked.
Will Cole held up his end of the bargain down back, keeping some of the Demons' more threatening forwards very quiet.
Jed Pinkerton got under the skin of more than one Koo wee rup player as per usual. He walked the walk as well as talking the talk, using the ball beautifully along the wing.
Jack Tenace-Greenall (four goals) made the most of his time up forward along with Will Pickering (also four goals) as Noah Rogers and Nathan King both impressed.
Joshua Bateman was best on the Demons through the middle, continuing his solid run of form from last week's defeat to Warragul Industrials as it was the familiar names who put their best foot forward in the loss, namely Ethan McDonald, Matthew Voss, Thomas Glen, Nathan Muratore and Seth O'Hehir.
In general though it was Garfield who had more winners across the ground, clearly feeling more and more invigorated as their lead grew.
Things got off to the best possible start for them when Will Pickering marked on a searing lead, booting the first from distance before doubling up not long after when he snuck out the back for the easiest of shots.
Jack Tenace-Greenall snapped another and the home crowd was up and about.
Koo wee rup were able to adjust from there, working their way back into the day thanks to majors from Muratore and O'Hehir and taking the lead in the second quarter through Archie Whitta and Will Farrer.
Stars fans who might have been thinking their side was about to roll over were proven very wrong, however, after Garfield fought back to finish the half as they'd started it – kicking three straight goals.
A great intercept mark from Jahmain Harrison allowed him to hit up Pickering for another not long after play resumed and while the Demons fought to keep in touch, Garfield made their move.
A double to Jack Tenace-Greenall was quickly followed by Pinkerton slotting one on the run, much to his delight.
Tenace-Greenall went back for more, marking a wayward kick out from full back and putting it straight back over the guilty party's head to put the Demons to the sword.
Now leading by more than five goals, Garfield held Koo wee rup at arm's length for most of the fourth. The Demons attempted to muster several attempts at a comeback, but by the time teenage ruck star Ding Dieng thumped through a late goal, it was party time at the Garfield Recreation Reserve.
The win is an excellent response from the Stars, who had suffered difficult losses to Korumburra Bena and Inverloch-Kongwak in successive weeks. The latter was an especially rough one where they failed to put up much of a fight at all, making their victory here all the more sweet.
Morris was delighted by his team's performance, saying it was probably their best performance of the year.
"(It was) one of those games where we just clicked and played the way we wanted to. In our other wins we still had a few passengers but this time I think we only had maybe two players who didn't have much impact. We also had four under 18s so that was really pleasing" he said.
"We were just really attacking, we moved the ball really well. Our better players played really well and then that allowed our role players just to have to do their job."
Whatever momentum they've generated they're going to need all of it and more this Saturday however, when they travel to face the unbeaten Nar Nar Goon on their home deck.
More of Saturday's efforts and less of the weeks prior will go a long way to making it respectable.
Football
Stars exorcise their Demons
Jul 02 2025
4 min read
Subscribe to The Warragul and Drouin Gazette to read the full story.