By Russell Bennett
WEST GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL NETBALL COMPETITION
REVIEW – ROUND 3
The girls from Inverloch Kongwak have maintained their unbeaten start to the new WGFNC A Grade season with a hard-fought win over the Yips at Bunyip.
The Bunyip side had one of the local region’s most accomplished defensive pairings of recent times in its midst, with Sam Walker (nee Hodge) joining Ebony Mumford.
It was a who’s who of former EDNA stars battling it out, with Nar Nar Goon legend Meg Evans now a goaler at Inverloch.
The Sea Eagles entered quarter-time with a slight, four-goal advantage – 10-6 – and that was reduced throughout the second.
At half-time, with only two goals in it, this was truly anyone’s contest but the Sea Eagles did just enough on the offensive end throughout the second half to get the job done.
The visitors held a six-goal lead at the end of the third, and maintained that in the last to win by that same margin – 40-34. Claire Ablett netted 32 goals for Bunyip, while Evans scored 24 for the Sea Eagles.
Korumburra-Bena, meanwhile, helped to provide a little more of an insight into where the Warragul Industrials sit in the scheme of things in their first WGFNC A Grade season.
Playing at the Showgrounds, the Giants started the stronger of the two sides and led by nine goals after the first.
They then stretched that out to 12 goals by half-time, and kept the Dusties at arms-length throughout the majority of the contest to come away 15-goal winners, 63-48.
Dalyston, meanwhile, claimed a crucial four points at home over Nar Nar Goon – emerging with an eight-goal victory, 45-37.
The Magpies trailed early but bounced back to lead by a goal at the main break. Both sides, which are sporting new-look line-ups in 2019, went neck and neck throughout the second and third quarters, before the home side ultimately edged away in the last – recording its first win of the season after the disappointment of its heavy Round 2 loss at the hands of the Seagulls.
Elsewhere across the round on the weekend Kooweerup emerged from Cora Lynn with a 10-goal win, 41-31; Tooradin-Dalmore was predictably far too strong for the Panthers at Bass, 71-10; and likewise Phillip Island over Garfield at Cowes, winning 61-40 after a 20-8 opening quarter.
The Round 4 split-round begins this weekend with a pair of blockbusters in the competition’s two holiday hotspots – Phillip Island hosting Kooweerup at Cowes, and Dalyston heading to Inverloch to battle the Sea Eagles.
The round will continue on Anzac Day when Tooradin-Dalmore hosts the Warragul Industrials, and conclude with Dalyston hosting Kilcunda Bass, Garfield hosting the neighbouring Bunyip, Nar Nar Goon hosting Cora Lynn, and the Sea Eagles hosting the Giants.
