by Nicholas Duck

It's round 12 of the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition, and with the home and away season nearly two thirds of the way through some of the sides fighting it out for the bottom part of the top six will be up against it to win this week. Here's what this week's matches are looking like.
Saturday June 25
2pm start for all matches.
Cora Lynn vs Bunyip
Location: Cora Lynn Recreation Reserve
With the race for finals well and truly on, some matches can be considered 'eight point games' and are worth their weight in gold. With fifth-placed Cora Lynn playing host to seventh-placed Bunyip, this can certainly be considered one of them.
The Cobras are on an absolute roll, having bounced back from a horror start to the season to win their past six straight, including a vital win last week against the Warragul industrials that saw them steal the Dusties' position on the ladder. With champion full-forward Nathan Gardiner back in full flight, Cora Lynn now looks every bit the contender fans will remember from seasons gone by.
For Bunyip, a solid win last week against Dalyston has their season back on track somewhat, as they fight to push up into the top six. Of all the teams currently outside the six, the Bulldogs appear the most likely, though they can't afford many slip-ups from this point onward.
Bunyip's issues in recent times, particularly against the better defences in the league, has been their scoring efficiency. Last week they managed to score 108 points against the struggling Dalyston, byt for the three weeks before that Bunyip failed to post more than 50 points.
Until they begin to fire against some of the better sides, finals may just remain out of reach for them.
And while the Bulldogs have a golden opportunity to push into the top six with a win here, Cora Lynn's form has been simply irresistible, making it near impossible to tip against them.
Cora Lynn to win this one.
Warragul Industrials vs Phillip Island
Location: Western Park
The Warragul Industrials are in a fight for survival in the top six, and this week against Phillip Island it will be a dogfight.
Sitting in sixth spot and just one win ahead of Bunyip, the Dusties remain in a solid position as we begin the run home to finals, but every game will be vital as they fight for a maiden finals berth in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition.
Last week's loss to Cora Lynn was a disappointing one given the chance it presented to put some distance between them and the teams below them, but internally there would still be a lot of confidence that they'll be a factor come finals time.
Still, they'll need to win their share of games to get there, and this week presents an extremely tough challenge given the calibre of their opponents.
Phillip Island have been near faultless since dropping their first game of the year against Tooradin-Dalmore, as they've obliterated both Bunyip and Korumburra-Bena in successive weeks to keep their season rolling along as expected. It means the Bulldogs are sitting pretty in second place, with dislodging them seeming like a near impossibility.
That one loss to the Seagulls was admittedly a fairly disastrous showing from the Bulldogs as they managed just three goals for the game, but outside of that they've appeared the champion team fans have come to know over the past few years.
A win here for the Dusties would be a massive scalp and a significant result of the context of their season, but with the might of their opponents being as it is, on paper a win would seem to be a bridge too far.
The Dusties will fight hard here, and were hardly embarrassed when these teams last met in round two, but Phillip Island should have the firepower and experience to get the job done.
Kilcunda Bass vs Dalyston
Location: Bass Recreation Reserve
Kilcunda Bass find themselves having won three games on the trot and looking for more as they meet Dalyston at home.
The Panthers, who managed just one win in their first eight matches, have found themselves in some winning form recently, and given that one early win was in fact against their opponents this week, confidence will be high at Kilcunda Bass.
Still, it hasn't been all smooth sailing, as last week it took a strong effort late from the Panthers to hold off the winless Garfield, and while they managed to escape with the four points, they wouldn't have been entirely happy with their performance. Regardless, for the teams outside the six who look to be a long shot of breaking in, creating a winning culture is really all that matters at this point of the year.
Dalyston came crashing back down to Earth last week against Bunyip, having been unable to carry on with the momentum they gained from a Shaun Burgoyne-inspired victory the week prior. The Magpies were blown out of the water early in the match, and while they were decently competitive from that point onwards they never seemed like a genuine threat.
Winnable games for Dalyston have been hard to come by this year, and while the win streak of their opponents while have them nervous, they will remember how they very nearly managed to overcome the Panthers when they last played. Though given they were in that games thanks to a seven-goal effort from Adam Amin, who hasn't played since that match, they'll have to find their goals from a different source.
With all that mind, plus the home ground advantage, Kilcunda Bass should prove too strong and make it four in a row.
Koo wee rup vs Inverloch-Kongwak
Location: Koo wee rup Recreation Reserve
Three losses from their past three games has seen Koo wee rup's finals hopes, slim as they were, seemingly go up in smoke.
The Demons are now two wins behind the sixth-placed Warragul Industrials, and with a significantly worse percentage than every team above them, a finals berth from here would be nothing short of a miracle.
Koo wee rup certainly has some weapons, with a very young and talented list that happens to boast one of the best forwards in the league in Jason Wells, but almost every game the Demons have played against the teams above them has ended in an absolute thrashing, showing a sizeable gap between them and the league's best. Last week's 117-point loss to Tooradin-Dalmore was just the latest evidence of that fact.
And unfortunately for the Demons, the team they play this week has made a habit out of destroying the teams below them on the table.
Inverloch-Kongwak claimed a vital win last week against Nar Nar Goon last week to sit one win clear in third spot, which will have them bursting with confidence as we begin the run home to finals.
It was the first time this season the Sea Eagles have claimed a significant scalp, having fallen short against Phillip Island and Tooradin-Dalmore. Their best is excellent, and more than enough to dispatch of the lower teams with impunity, but it remains to be seen whether or not they'll be able to match it with the big boys come finals.
They haven't had a single slip-up against those teams closer to the bottom of the table, and it's hard to see them starting here.
Inverloch-Kongwak to win.
Korumburra-Bena vs Tooradin-Dalmore
Location: Korumburra Showgrounds
Korumburra-Bena were utterly demoralised last week against Phillip Island, and if they were hoping for some respite this week they'll have to keep looking as they come up against the one side even more fearsome than the reigning premiers.
The Giants were never even remotely in that contest, having been 60 points down at half time before conceding 17 more goals in the second half to lose by 167 points.
With results like these becoming a consistent theme for the team, it's not entirely difficult to see why they're seeking a possible move to the Ellinbank and District Football League next season.
And given their opponents this week, the pain looks likely to continue for the hapless Giants.
Tooradin-Dalmore are a terrifying prospect at the current time, boasting incredible depth in all areas of the ground. They've hardly looked like dropping a game this year, and deservedly sit top of the table.
As it stands it's tough to see just who will beat them, and one would think for it to happen it would take an especially off day from the Seagulls.
However, even if they play a poor game this week, it will be very unlikely for Korumburra-Bena to have the talent necessary to capitalise.
Expect the Seagulls to claim another big win here and heap more pain on the Giants.
Nar Nar Goon vs Garfield
Location: Nar Nar Goon Recreation Reserve
Nar Nar Goon's once extremely promising season has hit a big of a snag in recent weeks. After starting the year with seven straight wins, the Goon have now lost three of past four games, all of which being against the three teams above them on the ladder.
And while they were well and truly in their match last week against Inverloch-Kongwak for most of the day, they ultimately fell short in the last quarter. It now points towards a consistent pattern for the Goon, that being their best can easily handle the sides below them, but that they struggle to overcome the competition's best.
The Goon forward line, starring the likes of current league leading goalkicker Dermott Yawney as well as a host of other options, just hasn't been able to fire as well as the team would like against some of the competition's most well-organised defences.
That, however, shouldn't be an issue this week against Garfield.
The Stars remain winless to this point of the season, and while their effort last week against Kilcunda Bass had them threatening at various times to break their duck, it just never eventuated.
It's been a big year of upheaval for the club as they adjust to an entirely new-look squad, and the growing pains have been evident, especially in the forward half.
Put simply, Garfield just can't find consistent avenues to goal. Nicholas Lang and Jonathan Sauze currently lead the club's goalkicking with just seven goals each.
It means that even when they've been defensively solid, they haven't been able to capitalise at the other end.
And given the firepower they're up against this week, it's tough to see this being the week they break through.
Nar Nar Goon to win.