Sitting in fourth spot on the West Gippsland ladder, a game behind Nar Nar Goon and Koo Wee Rup,Phillip Island has been doing everything right in order to put their destiny in their own hands.
Last Saturday at Bunyip they completed the first task of securing the points early and then went on to a percentage boosting win of 91 points on a day that wasn’t necessarily conducive to big scores.
The game last Saturday was iced by quarter time after the Bulldogs were relentless in the opening 30 minutes, kicking the first eight goals of the game. After Brendan Kimber opened the Island’s account early, winger Matt Jones set up Youle and Jack Taylor to give the Island all the momentum.
It was an absolute procession for the first 30 minutes with all the play inside the Island’s front half. The opening term belonged to Taylor who kicked three goals and looked set for day out. The second quarter saw a more competitive Bunyip side. It took 10 minutes into this term before Taylor kicked his 4th and when he soon followed with his 5th, the Island had the first 10 goals of the game.
The end of the quarter saw a great team goal with Kimber on the end of some great work by Officer, Youle and Vernon. Taylor started where he finished of the first half with his 6th and he looked destined for a huge bag. Play became more congested which didn’t make for a great spectacle. Youle kicked a goal courtesy of some soccer skills to take the Island into the final break leading by 89.
The final term wasn’t pleasant viewing with stoppage after stoppage but the Island had done the hard work in the first half to walk away with an impressive victory.
South Gippsland Sentinel Times

While Cora Lynn is a side rebuilding on the run – with a particularly young average age – it’s also particularly well placed for yet another finals campaign – an achievement that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Predictably, the Magpies were absolutely no match for the Cobras on Saturday – losing by a whopping 160 points and conceding 47 scoring shots in the process, 26.21 (177) to 2.5 (17).

Promisingly for David Main’s Cora Lynn side, Blackwood (seven goals), Travis Woodfield (five), and Ryan Spierings (three) combined for 15 of their majors on Saturday and all three are notable inclusions to the group that lost to Kooweerup and Bunyip earlier in their campaign. The silky-skilled Jai Rout also added four majors of his own for an outfit that booted 14 unanswered goals in the first half.

Russell Bennett

Pakenham Gazette

On paper, it looks as though the Sea Eagles emerged from Saturday's clash with the Stars with a hard-fought four-point victory. And they did 12.8 (80) to 11.10 (76).
But just how they did it was the most telling. The Stars matched their highly-fancied opponents in the opening stanzas, leading by two points at the first change before the visitors made their charge in the second and third terms. But they did so without champion 0n-baller, reigning league medallist and arguably the best player in the competition, Andy Soumilas. He succumbed to a nasty thumb injury in the opening term, one that had him looking at midweek surgery this week and an expected six to eight week layoff.
Given the tight confines of the upper echelon of the ladder, it's a situation that the Sea Eagles could scarcely afford. And then they lost their skipper, Dale Lawton, to a knee injury. The lead-by-example club favourite returned from a separate knee injury last year to be part of the Sea Eagles' breakthrough premiership-winning campaign, and hopefully for his sake he gets the chance to do the same this season. He was stretchered off the field and was in good spirits after the contest, and when he was carried from the ground Ben Soumilas' side showed its true colours similar to the way in which the Tigers headed straight for a stricken Reece Conca against Sydney earlier this year.
One by one, they comforted him as one, tight-knit, group no matter what. That moment typified the way in which lnverloch-Kongwak went about its footy on Saturday grinding out a win despite three significant first-half injuries (the other being a hamstring to Shane Buxton). Take nothing away from Garfield, though. Remember, Hayden Stanton's side lost by over 100 points last time these two sides met in Inverloch back in Round 5.
The Stars, battling with the Cobras for their finals lives, led in the early going on Saturday and later fought back from significant deficits multiple times throughout Saturday's contest. And, despite being four goals in arrears at three-quarter time, they had a chance to snare a famous win in the game's final moments. The ball was loose, well inside Garfield's forward 50 are when the final siren sounded.
At just 16-years-of age, Tom Fitzpatrick was simply unbelievable up forward for the home side, snaring six majors, while the likes of Tanner Stanton, Jayden Goumas, Michael Wallace and undersized ruckman Tyler McDonald (in the absence of Corie Intveen) also impressed in a team display that showed plenty of ticker in its own way.
Daniel Reid, Will Hetherington, Michael Eales and big man Conor Cunningham, meanwhile, led the charge for the undermanned Sea Eagles. After the contest, Ben Soumilas summed up exactly what he thought of the win.
"In footy, you always hear things said like: 'that's a character-building win'," he said. "People say the word, and they don't really know what it is."
"When you've got character, in sports clubs and in teams, it means you'll do what's best for the team."
"When they say today was a character building win, it's because you guys just put the team first. You put the team first, you moved on from mistakes, and that's why people are excited by watching you play."
"Close wins are fantastic anyway, but they've watched you build your character and prove what your character is."
(There is more content to this article, see at the bottom of this post for details)
Russell Bennett

Pakenham Gazette

Korumburra-Bena faced a massive task when it played third placed Koo Wee Rup at home on Saturday.
The Giants were still depleted by injury and several young Thirds players had to step up to fill the gaps left.
The Giants won the toss and kicked to the town end, favoured by a slight breeze.
It played a great first term, attacking the ball and playing on at all times.
The defence was on top and Jake McMillan at full forward kicked three goals.
A late goal to Koo Wee Rup ended the quarter.
Going into the second term, the score was Korumburra-Bena 3.2.20 to Koo Wee Rup 1.1.7.
Whatever the Koo Wee Rup coach said spurred the Demons into action.
It’s running game clicked into gear, and they were hitting targets, resulting in six goals.
The Giants were left scoreless.
At half time, the score was Korumburra-Bena 3.2.20 to Koo Wee Rup 7.3.45.
The Giants were in trouble, only having a single player left on the interchange bench.
Jahwot, who had played well in both the ruck and around ground, was a massive loss and Koo Wee Rup took full advantage.
Koo Wee Rup kicked four goals to the Giants’ one.
With the Giants in deep trouble, Koo Wee Rup showed why it is a flag contender.
Its bigger bodied players took over and its running game was too much for the depleted Giants.
The Demons dominated, kicking five goals nine behinds to blow the Giants away by 76 points.

Sarah Vella

The Great Southern Star

Nar Nar Goon kept its ambitions of a top finish on track, thumping a lowly Kilcunda-Bass 23-16 (154) to 4-5 (29).

The Goon booted nine goals to no score in the first term to have the match on their terms from the outset.

Four goals to one established a commanding lead for half time and the Goon didn‘t let up, adding seven goals to one in the third term to push the margin beyond three figures by the final change.

The Panthers saved some face with two goals in the final term, but the Goon still managed five of their own.

Matthew Stevens, Troy McDermott and Tom Dovaston each finished with a bag of five goals in the mammoth score. Brent Hughes, Trent Armour, Brendan Hermann, Shannon Stocco and Mitch Virtue were also prominent.

For Kilcunda-Bass, James Phillips kicked 2 of the Panthers' 4 goals, while Jake Weightman continued his good season being named as his side's best player for the game.

Warragul & Drouin Gazette and Gippsland Footy admin

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Bunyip v Phillip Island match review taken from article published by South Gippsland Sentinel Times. To view original article in full online subscribe to South Gippsland Sentinel Times here https://subscribe.realviewtechnologies.com/global/subscribe/rvportal/subscribe.aspx?cpid=14264

Dalyston v Cora Lynn match review taken from article written by Russell Bennett reporting for Pakenham Gazette. To view original article in full online visit https://pakenham.starcommunity.com.au/gazette/2018-07-24/young-guns-to-watch/

Garfield v Inverloch-Kongwak match review written by Russell Bennett reporting for Pakenham Gazette. To view original article in full online visit https://pakenham.starcommunity.com.au/gazette/2018-07-24/the-test-is-yet-to-come/ (viewability may be subject to subcription. To subscribe to Pakenham Gazette visit https://pakenham.starcommunity.com.au/subscribe/

Korumburra-Bena v Koo Wee Rup match review written by Sarah Vella reporting for the Great Southern Star. To view original article in full online visit http://thestar.com.au/blog/demons-run-over-the-giants/

Nar Nar Goon v Kilcunda-Bas match review taken from article published by Warragul & Drouin Gazette. To view original article in full online subscribe to Warragul & Drouin Gazette here http://thegazette.com.au/subscribe/

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