Giants battle with the Dusties

SATURDAY delivered a tight contest between Korumburra-Bena and the Warragul Industrials, with the Dusties ultimately claiming a 33-point win.

Weather conditions were terrible at the Korumburra Showgrounds, but both teams took advantage of dry ball early on to get a score on the board.

The cold and player fatigue were yet to set in, so play looked evenly matched through the opening term.

It was a strong quarter for Korumburra-Bena, and it went into the second quarter just 10 points down.

The second quarter played out in much the same way, but the scoring opportunities were limited on both sides.

It was a tussle through the middle as both teams worked hard to adjust to the conditions.

Going into halftime, Korumburra-Bena was 15 points behind.

The halftime break has been critical for the Giants of late, as they seemingly lose a bit of momentum.

Coach Josh Hopkins did what he could to keep the mindset on the game and go back out with the focus and drive to continue with the same intensity.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work this time around and the Dusties took the opportunity to add four goals to the scoreboard.

The Giants were able to readjust the focus through the third quarter to come home strong in the final term.

During three quarter time, Hopkins put the emphasis on keeping the Dusties contained.

This message was received loud and clear, and the Giants kept the opposition to just one point, not allowing the score to blow out any further.

There was a breeze down the Giants’ end and they managed to kick one last goal to finish it off.

The Giants played well as a team, putting in solid three and half quarters of effort and showing real improvement across the board.

This has the Giants in high spirits at the end of the game, which will serve them well as they head into the next two games.

Next week, the Giants will play Garfield and are looking forward to another home game.

They will play Bunyip the following week, and are hungry and hopeful to come away with a couple of wins.