by Nicholas Duck
An AFL legend is the talk of the town this week in the West Gippsland Football Competition, while there are some serious eight point games that will go a long way to shaping the top six. The second half of the home and away season is here, and here's how this round is shaping up.
Dalyston vs Garfield
Location: Dalyston Recreation Reserve
It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for Dalyston fans this week as former-AFL legend Shaun Burgoyne will be pulling on the black and white to try and help the Magpies nab their second win of the season.
With 407 games and four premierships of experience under his belt, Burgoyne will be hoping some of his past success can translate on the field this week against the Stars.
And the Magpies are clearly in need of it, after a competitive start to the season has given way to some less than ideal performances.
Dalyston have been held to two goals or fewer in four of their past six matches, looking borderline non-competitive in some truly demoralising thrashings.
Still, the inclusion of Burgoyne will bring some much-needed enthusiasm both in the team and for the local fans who are sure to flock to the Dalyston Recreation Reserve to see an AFL hero in action.
Another reason for optimism from the home crowd will be the state of their opponent this week, as they face the winless Garfield.
The Stars have endured a torrid season this year, with just one of their nine losses being under 50 points.
Their list turnover prior to round one has clearly been felt, as the loss of senior experience has hurt Garfield's ability to stem the bleeding when it does occur, and has meant that they struggle to put on any sort of score themselves.
This is still very much a winnable game for the Stars, but Burgoyne lining up against them is yet another case of the bad luck they've had to deal with this year.
Dalyston to win.
Inverloch-Kongwak vs Warragul Industrials
Location: Inverloch Recreation Reserve
It's fourth vs fifth in a game that will have some serious consequences for the make-up of the top six heading into the second half of the season.
For Inverloch-Kongwak it's been a positive, if not frustrating, first half of the season.
The Sea Eagles have had little to no trouble dealing with most teams in the competition, their smallest win still being by a whopping 49 points.
It's when they've run into that upper echelon, however, that problems have appeared.
Losses to Phillip Island and Tooradin-Dalmore have exposed some chinks in the armour, particularly when the Sea Eagles come up against some of the stingier defences in the league.
Their scoring capacity, which is normally free-flowing and powerful, has looked a lot less potent in these matches,
It makes this week's game a very interesting one as they come up against a team that aren't exactly in that extremely high bracket but are still more than capable.
As we move past the halfway mark of the season the Warragul Industrials sit two wins inside the top six and look like a solid bet to make their maiden finals appearance since joining the West Gippsland Football Competition.
Some early season shakiness against the top sides has subsided, as they've now won five of their past six games, including a crucial one against fellow finals contender Koo wee rup last week.
The defensive lapses that the Dusties were punished through in some of their losses appear to be disappearing, and with a decent dose of forward potency led by spearhead Mason McGarrity the team appears solid in most areas around the ground.
They still have fallen short in their matches against the top sides, however, and will be looking at an away trip to Inverloch as a chance to show the league they're a significant threat in the run home.
A win would see them move to equal points on the ladder with the Sea Eagles, while a loss may leave their top six spot vulnerable to the teams below them.
Overall it's a bit of a tough match to predict, though with the home ground advantage and an impeccable record against the teams below them Inverloch-Kongwak will be going into this one as the favourite.
Kilcunda Bass vs Korumburra-Bena
Location: Bass Recreation Reserve
Fresh off their astounding second win of the season Kilcunda Bass will be looking to capure back to back wins for the first time this season as they face Korumburra-Bena.
The Panthers were simply outstanding last week as they caused a serious upset against finals-hopeful Bunyip.
To win that match was one thing but it was the way they went about it, showing strength in all areas of the ground to win by 32 points, that would have left the home crowd excited.
With forward Taylor Gibson kicking nine goals and ruckman Dale Gawley utterly dominating, Kilcunda Bass will be very optimistic about their chances of repeating their heroics this week against a team that could certainly do with their own confidence-boosting win.
Korumburra-Bena are a team lost in the wilderness right now, their 124-point loss to Nar Nar Goon last week just being the most recent in a long list of poor performances this year.
What would have been even more disappointing for the Giants was the fact that in their loss against Koo wee rup the week prior they showed some of their most positive signs in a long while, making their capitulation to the Goon all the more frustrating.
The Giants would still see Kilcunda Bass as gettable this week, especially given the Panthers' worst hasn't been much better than their own, but it will be a tough ask against a team that may just have figured out how to play their best footy.
Kilcunda Bass should win this one.
Koo wee rup vs Cora Lynn
Location: Koo wee rup Recreation Reserve
As the second half of the home and away season begins the race for finals spots will be heating up, and it may just be starting here as Koo wee rup faces Cora Lynn at home.
Both of these sides currently sit on four wins each, along with Bunyip, and both will be eyeing off sixth spot this week.
For Koo wee rup last week was a lost opportunity, as they let slip a golden chance to make up the distance between them and the Warragul Industrials. They were up to their eyeballs in that game for much of the day, but just couldn't overcome the deficit, going down by just 10 points.
Taking into account that their relatively poor percentage means that Koo wee rup are currently relying purely on wins to keep in touch with the top six it makes for an especially bitter pill to swallow.
It means that this week they face the team that are currently sitting in the sixth spot they could have been occupying themselves had last week's result gone the other way.
For Cora Lynn their stunning revival continued last week, a 97-point win over Dalyston being their fourth on the trot after starting the season with five straight losses.
The Cobras have been a mainstay in the league's top half for years so in hindsight their resurrection isn't too shocking, but the sheer difference between the team that played last week and the one that lost their first five is stark to say the least.
The form of star forward Nathan Gardiner has certainly played a large role in this, with the two-time league leading goalkicker having booted 25 goals in his last four games.
The Demons will need to keep him quiet if they are to win this one, but as many other teams have found over the years this is easier said than done.
Both sides will be desperate for a win here to keep their finals hopes on track, but it's hard to go past Cora Lynn given their recent irresistible form.
Nar Nar Goon vs Tooradin-Dalmore
Location: Nar Nar Goon Recreation Reserve
Tooradin-Dalmore sent a message to the rest of the competition last week: 'come and get us.'
The Seagulls are the kings of the competition, having handed the mighty Phillip Island their first loss since 2019.
It wasn't just the fact that Tooradin-Dalmore won, it was that the final margin stood at an imposing 74 points at the final siren that would be sending shudders through the rest of the competition.
Star forward Stewart Scanlon outscored the entirety of the Phillip Island side by himself, kicking eight goals while the Bulldogs as a whole could manage just three.
With the rest of the league now taking notice, the Seagulls now turn their attention to a new challenger, that being second-placed Nar Nar Goon.
Having lost just the one game so far this season, the Goon have been one of the league's top performers to this point.
They responded to their first loss in style last week, showing no mercy in an absolutely dominant win over Korumburra-Bena to sit in second spot,
This will be a battle won and lost in each team's forward half, as these two boast arguably the two deepest forward lines in the competition.
With Tooradin-Dalmore being led by Stewart Scanlon and Nar Nar Goon by Dermott Yawney, both teams' spearheads will be hoping for a big day out to pull their side over the line.
Nar Nar Goon's home ground advantage will be helpful here, but after last week it's nearly impossible to tip against the only undefeated side left in the league.
Tooradin-Dalmore to win.
Phillip Island vs Bunyip
Location: Cowes Recreation Reserve
It's the battle of the Bulldogs this week as Phillip Island and Bunyip face off at Cowes.
For the first time in a long time, all eyes will be on Phillip Island to see how they respond after a loss.
They were completely and utterly outclassed last week against Tooradin-Dalmore, conceding the first eight goals of the game and managing just three for themselves.
It was so very unlike the dominant Phillip Island side we've known over the years. Time and time again when they've been challenged they've found another level to go to, but against the Seagulls they just couldn't find any sort of rhythm or consistency.
For the rest of the league it showed that despite the aura they've built around themselves, that if you play well enough Phillip Island are beatable.
And Bunyip will certainly need to be at their best, particularly after their performance last week.
Bunyip were thoroughly outplayed by Kilcunda Bass after going in as strong favourites, leaving their finals hopes in some serious trouble.
They were exposed in their defensive half, where the height of some of the Kilcunda Bass forwards caused serious headaches.
The loss has left them in seventh spot, on four wins equal with Cora Lynn and Koo wee rup.
And with those two teams will be facing off each against other, it means that a loss here is guaranteed to leave Bunyip adrift of the top six.
Bunyip's best is still reasonable, but against a fired up Phillip Island they're likely going to find things very difficult.
Phillip Island should win this one and win it well.