Giants fall in Warragul ‘dust-up’

KORUMBURRA BENA travelled to Western Park to face off with the Warragul Industrials on Saturday and it was a tense battle from the outset. 

Unfortunately for the Giants, they were dealt more bad luck on the day, starting before the first bounce as they lost multiple players through injury, meaning some of their reserves had to soldier on and play a second match on the day. 

The visitors started slow but were able to stay in the contest in the first term with Joel Greaves starting well in his first senior game after returning to the club this season. 

As they have all year, the young Korumburra Bena side stuck to their guns and kept fighting in the second term, despite being outmatched, their defenders worked incredibly hard putting pressure on the Dusties forwards, making them work for their possessions. 

However, the tension reached boiling point in the second term when a brutal late hit from Warragul’s Nick Visser on Korumburra Bena’s Luke Walker saw him hit the turf and struggle to get up.

Walker’s teammates immediately went to his aid, and to back him up, which led to the eruption of a brawl, Walker was helped from the ground by the trainers and later found the hit had broken his jaw. 

Tempers continued to flare around Western Park as the Dusties again found themselves in hot water.

Another incident in the middle of the ground distracted players once again, but some quick thinking from Nick Besley saw the giants into attack as he passed to Christian Sewell for a shot on goal. 

Unfortunately for the brave Giants outfit, Sewell’s potential momentum stealing goal went awry and their bad luck continued.

A clash of heads in the centre saw Byron Walker leave the ground with a nasty gash above his eye, he was sent to hospital to be stitched up, leaving the giants two men down on the bench. 

Tough luck and inaccurate kicking were the two common themes for the Giants as the Dusties kept showing to their ill-discipline, giving the Giants 50 metre penalties and other opportunities on goal, to which they kept failing to take advantage of. 

Warragul proved too good in the end, winning by 62-points thanks to a five-goal-to-none final term, they’ll now head down to Inverloch where a surging Sea Eagles side awaits, with revenge in their minds. 

As for Korumburra Bena, they once again battled on bravely despite some serious bad luck and will now host Garfield this Saturday, a team they defeated in 2022 at the same venue.