By David Nagel
Cora Lynn champion Nathan Gardiner is just two kicks away from consecutive 100-goal seasons after booting nine majors in the Cobras 16.10(106) to 8.11(59) victory over a plucky Warragul Industrials.
The Cobras headed to Western Park knowing they needed to beat the Dusties, and then back up against Kilcunda-Bass in the final round of the season, to earn a top-two finish and a great grid position for finals.
They also knew Gardiner was on 89 goals; needing 11 to crack the ton!
The Dusties had only tasted success once in their last seven matches, but it became clear early that they had come to play.
A quick kick off the ground from Nic Visser, after 90 seconds of play, gave the home side the early lead.
Gardiner then found himself on the end of a Dylan Ross pass to lock things away for the Cobras, before speedy midfielder Jaxon Briggs kicked the first of his three goals for the quarter.
Star youngster Cody Templeton answered the call for the Dusties, but when Gardiner put one on the chest of Briggs the Cobras were back in control.
Briggs then found himself way too loose inside forward 50 to give the Cobras an eight-point lead.
Kicking late goals would become a trend for the Cobras in this one, and they needed it; with the Dusties kicking the opening goal in all four quarters of footy.
This time it was Mason McGarrity who did the damage for the Dusties, kicking the opening goal of the second term to cut the deficit back to two points.
Gardiner then put on a goal-kicking clinic.
Briggs first found him on a tight angle for his second, before Jimmy Munro thought he would test Gardiner’s kicking even further; finding him 40-out on the boundary.
The champ simply went back and put one over the goal umpire’s head!
Dusties veteran Luke ‘Tex’ Walker then had a three-minute patch that highlights the ups and downs of football.
Tex first drilled a long bomb from 50-metres out, cutting the second-quarter margin back to 10 points, after 16 minutes of play, before kicking the ball straight to Max McDermott from a full-back kickout.
His brilliance and blunder saw the lead at 17 points, which Gardiner extended to an even four goals with his third goal of the second quarter.
Two equations mattered; the 24-point half-time break and Gardiner was now on 93 goals for the season!
The Dusties continued to seriously challenge the Cobras in the third term, with goals to Tom Cornwall and big-man Billy Bundle cutting the margin back to 13 points, midway through the third.
It was left to Gardiner and Munro to once again settle things down.
Gardiner kicked his fifth, after some nice lead-up play from Ryan Spierings, before Munro kicked truly after the non-officiating umpire – from 50 metres away – deemed he had been sling-tackled to the ground.
Munro then found Gardiner on the lead, setting up the full-forward’s sixth goal for the day; and 95th for the season.
Templeton kicked the first of the last quarter to give the Dusties renewed hope, before Cora Lynn finished off well with five of the last six goals.
Three of those came from Gardiner.
The first came courtesy of Luke Ryan, before a slick pass from Briggs set him up for number eight.
The star forward needed no help with his ninth goal; pouncing on a loose bouncing ball before snapping truly off his right foot.
The Cobras did well to win this one so convincingly in the end, with the Dusties playing super-competitive football for four quarters.
The home-side conceded the last two goals in the first and second quarters, then the last three of the third, which basically told the difference in the end.
The Cobras just went that little harder for longer.
Gardiner with nine, Briggs three, and Munro with two were the multiple goal-kickers for the Cobras, while Gus Da Costa, Jett Edwards and Luke Black did some nice things in the back half of the ground.
Bundle and Templeton slotted two each for the Dusties, who had Tom Commadeur, Bailey Beck and Kyle Beveridge take things right up to one of this year’s premiership contenders.
The Dusties host Garfield this week in what should be a winning finish to their season, while the Cobras have plenty to play for when they roll out the red-carpet for Kilcunda-Bass.
They need to win to finish top two…and some bloke named Gardiner needs two more goals to register a major milestone in his career.
Kooweerup is breasting the tape in the style of an Olympic sprinter with the Demons making it back-to-back wins at Dalyston on Saturday.
The Demons put their 14 chances to much better use than the Magpies until three-quarter time; leading 11.3 to 8.6, but then put their stamp on the contest with a very impressive final term.
The Demons booted 4.6 to 1.1 in the concluding stages to surge clear to a 15.9(99) to 9.7(61) success.
Star-skipper Nathan Voss was once again the star for the ‘Ruppers’, slotting five important majors, while two each to playing-coach Dale Alanis and livewire Luke McMaster put the final issue beyond doubt.
Ethan McDonald, Zak Banks and Nathan Muratore were other Demons to shine, while three goals to Hayden Wallis, and stylish performances from Mitch Hallahan, Will Clarke and Brad Monson, gave the home-town Dalyston supporters something to cheer about.
After back-to-back 38-point wins, the Demons will look to improve on that margin when they host Korumburra-Bena this week, while Dalyston stays at home against Tooradin-Dalmore.
Nar Nar Goon completely spiflicated Garfield with a 27.13(175) to 1.4(10) thumping at Beswick Street on Saturday.
The Goon gave the surface for this year’s grand final a nice try out; being particularly impressive in a 9.2 to no score second term.
Coach Justin Stanton would love that type of conversion rate come finals!
Dermott Yawney kicked six, Matthew Gentile four, and Troy McDermott and Jake Smith three each to be the dominant forwards on the ground, while skipper Trent Armour and the damaging Harry Brain kicked two each to further strengthen their Team of the Year claims.
The season-end can’t come quick enough for Garfield, who finish off at Warragul this week before Eddie Morris takes over the reins for next year.
In other games, Dean McRae kicked five and Anthony Daraio three in Kilcunda-Bass’s 36-point victory over Korumburra-Bena
The Giants were in it up to their necks until the main break, before McRae, Scott Pugh and Brad Aldwell led the Panthers to a seven-goal-to-two second half.
Kye Benson and Josh Hopkins once again in top form for the Giants.
And a 10-goal final term has propelled Tooradin-Dalmore to a 23.20(158) to 2.2(14) victory over Bunyip.
There was nothing to write home about for the Seagulls before half time, leading by 35 points at the break, before 17.7 to no score after the interval gave a greater reflection of the true gap between the teams.
Xavier Shinners kicked four, Matthew Buntine three, and Daniel Ahern, Brodie Matthews and Anthony Mirauta two each for the Gulls, while Piva Wright, Andrew Proctor and up-and-coming talent Jesse Craven were in red-hot nick for four quarters.
Matt O’Halloran, Reid Jenkin, Curtis Jenkin, Alex Dijkstra, Mitchell Sproles and Anthony Haddrick were best for the beaten Bulldogs.
