By David Nagel
Cora Lynn begins the toughest opening three rounds imaginable in the WGFNC when the Cobras kick-start their 2024 campaign against reigning premier Inverloch-Kongwak on Easter Saturday.
Cobras coach Shaun Sparks would have shuddered when fixtures were released; with Phillip Island and Tooradin-Dalmore to follow the Sea Eagles, making it the top-three from last year that the Cobras will need to tackle in a very tough initiation to the new season.
But at least Sparks will enter the ‘extreme’ challenge with a very-much bolstered midfield.
Casey Demons champion Jimmy Munro will call Cora Lynn home on a full-time basis this year after five games for the Cobras over the last two seasons.
He played three in 2022; and backed that up with two games, in rounds 10 and 13, last year.
Importantly for Inverloch-Kongwak, there will be no ‘surprise factor’ from Munro, who played against the Sea Eagles in that round-10 encounter last season.
In further exciting news for Sparks, gun-midfielder Jaxon Briggs will join Munro in the centre square for the opening bounce of the year.
The Cobras certainly missed the ‘line-breaking’ speed of Briggs, who was injured in round one and took no further part in 2023.
Sparks – and his playing-assistant Munro – will need to find answers to seriously challenge this season, with the Cobras last two campaigns almost identical in regards to scoring and overall output.
They finished the last two years in fifth spot, both times with a 12-win, 6-loss record, but the similarities don’t end there.
In 2022 they scored 1580 points and conceded 1114, while last year it was an eerily similar 1552-1148 output.
And 2022 was slightly more productive; defeating Nar Nar Goon in a semi-final but losing to the same team, at the same stage, last year.
The Cobras don’t need to look any further than this week’s opponent to identify a team that made significant improvement during an off-season.
The basis for Inverloch’s premiership success last year was a stingy defence, clearly the most frugal in the league.
Lewis Rankin, Michael Eales, Jarvis Pryor and Shem Hawking did what they do best, while the inclusion of Tate Short and Kairon Dorling bolstered the defensive pressure even further.
The Sea Eagles conceded 54 points a game in 2022; but improved that to the ridiculous level of 34 points per game last year.
The Cobras have the fire-power, with Nathan Gardiner coming off his maiden 100-goal season, while Ryan Gillis and new recruit Will Stephenson are sure to cause the Sea Eagles some headaches around goals.
If ruck Billy Thomas can feed Munro, Briggs and Nathan Gillis with clean supply, then Gardiner, Stephenson and Ryan Gillis should get plenty of one-on-one looks.
This one should be a cracker; but we’ll go for the Sea Eagles to begin their title defence with a 13-point victory.
Phillip Island has been on the wrong side of grand final day for the last two years and the Bulldogs will look to take the first step towards getting back to the big stage when they play host to Warragul Industrials on Saturday.
The Bulldogs have been training away from home for the best part of the pre-season as a $300,000 drainage upgrade and resurfacing project took place at the Cowes Recreation Reserve.
The ground now looks magnificent and ready to host a blockbuster opening-day clash.
Bulldogs coach Cam Pedersen has had to deal with a high-turnover of players during the pre-season.
Departing the Kennel are star performers in Max Blake, Brendan Kimber, Eli Richards, Jason Tomada and Jack Opitz (ACL), but some familiar faces return – and some newcomers arrive – to balance the pre-season ledger.
2022 Team of the Year member Zak Vernon – a star mid-forward – returns after a year away from the club, while former skipper Jaymie Youle returns from injury and is sure to make his presence felt in the pivot.
Marcus Wright also returns, while Aaron Harris, Charlie Bruce, and Jay and Ryan Ladson are names that we will all become familiar with as the season rolls on.
And Tik-Tok sensation, Tom ‘Prime Train’ Baulch, is sure to add an element of colour and excitement to the opening game of the season.
As for the Dusties, we’ll they’ve had an interesting off-season of their own.
The club was thrilled to initially appoint Mark Collison as a replacement for Harmit Singh, but parted ways with the new coach just prior to Christmas.
The search for a successor ended not long after when Morwell premiership player Michael Duncan made the move from Woodside in the North Gippsland League.
“You could look at it in different ways, perhaps it’s one of the more interrupted preseasons you could have in the lead-up to Christmas, however, since the boys returned in late January, it’s been a steady and solid preseason,” Duncan explained.
“Numbers have been consistent and good, training workload has been good, and we’re already seeing some improvement in areas that we’ve been working on.”
The Dusties lose Kyle Staples to Montrose and nuggety midfielder Kane Oldham to Longwarry, but have picked up three exciting talents.
Key tall Corie Intveen has played some good-quality suburban footy, while Lachlan Bambridge kicked 55 goals for Neerim South in the Ellinbank League last year.
And in Essendon NGA talent Anthony Munkara, the Dusties have acquired a half-forward flanker with real X-factor.
There are many unknowns in this one; but we’ll stick with the tried-and-tested Bulldogs to win by 11 points.
The netballers also get cracking on Saturday with reigning back-to-back champions Inverloch-Kongwak welcoming a new-look Cora Lynn to Inverloch.
The Sea Eagles have heard a new voice in the off-season, with incumbent Jarrad Walker heading overseas and being replaced by Liza Burrows.
Lou Walsh will once again take the reins at Cora Lynn, who have a new-look side after plenty of recruiting during a busy off-season.
The Cobras are expected to improve, but the likes of three-time league medallist Renee Pilkington should do enough to pilot the Sea Eagles to a first up victory.
And new Warragul Industrials coach Jess Ayres will look to break a long run of outs when the Dusties hit the road to take on Phillip Island.
The Dusties failed to win a game last year, but will improve with some fresh talent walking through the door.
Ayres will have her eye on a first-up victory, with the Bulldogs finishing outside the top-six with a 7-11 record last year.
We’ll go for Christie Edwards to lead the Bulldogs to a solid first-up win.
While these round-four games are season-openers; the WGFNC season will not begin in earnest until round one is played on Saturday 13 April.
