Cobras leap into favour

By Ken Moore
CORA Lynn’s EDFL premiership odds firmed drastically after it pummelled Warragul Industrials by 93 points in the first elimination final on Saturday.
The Dusties were outsized and outbodied over most of the field – and their midfielders could not match the hard-working Cobras’ on-ball brigade.
While Cora Lynn will need to win four successive games to grab the flag, its chances cannot be dismissed.
Under cloudless skies and kicking with a two-to-three-goal wind blowing towards the scoreboard end of the Poowong ground, Cora Lynn’s first raid forward was profitable when Nathan Gillis produced an accurate snap.
Warragul replied soon after through coach Shane Brewster, but from then on the Cobras underlined their superiority, steering through six of the next seven goals to take a handy 31-point lead into the first break.
Cobra tall Brad Horaczko starred in the opening term with a series of strong marks and three goals, the highlight a stunning snap from the boundary line that easily won goal-of-the-day honours.
Inside five minutes of the second quarter, Cora Lynn forward Ryan Gillis seized on a defensive error to score his first goal and busy wingman Anthony Giuliano, with a wonderful snap from an acute, gave the Cobras a 45-point advantage.
Midway into the term, the Dusties showed a bit of fight and with four of the next five goals, reduced the margin to 34 points at half-time.
Lightweight forward Daniel Johnson, who looks a real talent, scored two goals and set up Nathan Brewster with his first goal to give supporters a bit of hope. Johnson was the best of the Dusties players to half-time.
Seconds after the first bounce of the second half, Cobra livewire Sean Marchetti drilled his first goal, but it was quickly cancelled out by Shane Brewster, who put through his second major, another from a difficult angle.
But it proved to be the last hurrah for the Dusties and for the rest of the quarter it was showtime for the Cobras, who ran forward at every opportunity and kicked six unanswered goals to set up a 73-point lead by late in the quarter.
Aside from a few minor skirmishes – most notably between feisty Dusties defender Damian Dawson and Cobra goal-sneak Gillis – the Cobras continued to attack for most of the latter parts of the third and fourth quarters.
Cora Lynn was impressive and played as a united team on a mission from the opening bounce.
Cobra midfielders Brady White, Sean Marchetti and Nathan Gills, all newcomers this season, pumped the ball forward with metronomic efficiency and had strong support from Brendan Kimber, Michael Duiker, Craig Taylor and Anthony Giuliano.
Ruckman Dan Harders won plenty of centre hit-outs against Ben Hobgen and is starting to show why the wraps on him are so big.
Relief ruckman Brad Horaczko gave the Cobras a leg up with three fine first-quarter goals, defenders Matt Pierce, Tim Payne and Daniel van den Broek executed many timely spoils and Tom van Diemen, in his 100th game, is starting to put his best foot forward at the right time. Cora Lynn’s victory was all the better, considering star forward Matt Robinson did not play because of an ankle injury.
“Happy with the victory, our intensity was good and we put it together for four quarters,” contented first-year Cora Lynn coach Brendan Kimber said.
It was hard to find any winners for the Industrials.
Elusive forward Daniel Johnson, along with midfielders Chris Potalej and Ben Campbell, caught the eye, Rhett O’Hara and Jason Kennedy won their fair share of possessions and in the first half Dean Johnson did well to quell the influence of Cobra captain James Bradshaw.
“We didn’t play to our capabilities and they wanted it more,” disappointed Dusties coach Shane Brewster said.
Brewster mostly played out of a forward pocket with a torn calf muscle injury that restricted his usual output.