By Russell Bennett
WEST GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL NETBALL COMPETITION
REVIEW – ROUND 15
Kooweerup was in a menacing mood on Saturday against the Stars at Denhams Road, ultimately outclassing the finals aspirants to the tune of 70 points – 15.18 (108) to 5.8 (38).
The Demons, currently a game clear of Phillip Island and Nar Nar Goon in second on the ladder (behind only the reigning premier, Inverloch Kongwak), had too many weapons for the Stars to handle – despite not being at full-strength.
Skipper Tim Miller was instrumental for Ben Collins’ group, while Jason Wells (five goals), Dom Paynter, Dave Collins and Nathan Muratore also had a telling impact.
For the Stars, the consistent Tanner Stanton again stood tall alongside the likes of Michael Wallace, Jayden Goumas, Tyler McDonald (two goals) and Leigh Diston.
At Cora Lynn, sportsmanship, mateship and genuine camaraderie was on full display as both sides kept a close eye on Kilcunda Bass’ Mitch Whitham, who was involved in a worrying incident.
The two sides, bound together by the sport they love, came together in support of the player in a touching display of genuine care late in the fourth quarter.
With the Cobras up at that stage, and with an ambulance called to tend to Whitham, a common-sense approach was applied and the umpires blew the final whistle.
On Monday Kilcunda Bass even issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying: “The KBFNC would like to give a quick shout out to the Cora Lynn Football and Netball Club for the support shown to Mitch (Whitham) and our boys after the game on Saturday. To have your whole senior side out on the oval with our boys for over an hour was nothing short of amazing. We appreciated the effort and (it) shows you have some quality leaders. It really showed how great the local football community really is.”
Though Whitham suffered a concussion from what was effectively incidental contact – the sort of which could happen in any game of footy – the Panthers announced that he’d sustained “no serious structural injuries”.
The Panthers showed plenty of spirit during the game but were ultimately outclassed by the home side, with the Cobras winning 16.19 (115) to 11.7 (73).
Jackson Dalton showed his class with four majors, while Travis Woodfield and Jai Rout booted two apiece.
For Kilcunda Bass, player-coach Damien Holmes stood strong, as he has right throughout the season, while Jean Bezzene snagged three goals.
In the other games across the round, the Sea Eagles had too much class for Bunyip, despite a star performance by Yips’ favourite son Brad Walker in his 200th game; and Korumburra-Bena broke free of Dalyston in the second half to record a 37-point away win, 18.10 (118) to 12.9 (81).
Willie Jeffs (five goals), Josh Hill and Matt Edwards were just some of the standouts for the Giants.
