Magpies fight back against dominant Sea Eagles

A DOMINANT second quarter by the Sea Eagles won the game for Inverloch-Kongwak, but Dalyston’s intensity kept the contest exciting until the end.

Playing at the Inverloch Recreation Reserve, the Sea Eagles moved the ball well in the first quarter.

Despite kicking into the wind, Inverloch-Kongwak managed to gain the lead with some quality defence heading into quarter time.

The Sea Eagles turned it on in the second quarter, leaving Dalyston behind with a 10-goal haul.

One of the goals was kicked by Cooper Newman, an U18s player making his debut in the Seniors.

“The second quarter was about how we used the ball and the wind to our advantage,” Inverloch-Kongwak coach Leigh Cole said.

“We got on top of the centre bounce, got some ascendency there and were able to capitalise on the scoreboard.”

Inverloch-Kongwak’s impressive performance stemmed from the midfield.

Ryan Sparkes got on the scoreboard and did some excellent clearance work, backed by Ethan Park and Lachlan Gale in the ruck.

Inverloch-Kongwak was up by 65 points going into halftime.

During halftime, the crowd was treated to matches played by both clubs’ Auskickers, showcasing the future talent.

Over in the visitor’s changerooms, a few words were said to bring the Magpies’ mentality back into the game.

“The boys knew they could bounce back if they came out with a good attitude and hit them hard,” Dalyston’s football operations manager Stephen Howell said.

“They responded well and turned it around a bit in the third quarter. The midfield got a bit more defensive. Instead of kicking down the line, they were switching and mixing it up a bit, which sort of threw them.”

The wind dropped in the third quarter and Dalyston’s game intensified with Cale Love-Linay playing another stellar game in the middle.

Mitch Hallahan also became a strong presence through Dalyston’s midfield and Dino Karamoshos used the ball well off the backline to get the play back into the Magpies’ favour.

Unwilling to back down, Dalyston kept Inverloch-Kongwak to two goals and kicked four, reducing the margin.

“Dalyston played some good footy in the second half. We didn’t finish quite the way we wanted to,” Cole said.

Inverloch-Kongwak ran out the game to claim the four points with a 41-point win.

“There were plenty of positives to take from this game, but also a little bit we need to keep working on,” Cole said.

Despite the scoreline, Dalyston was happy with the result of the second half.

“It was pleasing to see they didn’t just roll over after being down at halftime. They dug in and made a bit of a comeback, which showed a bit of character,” Howell said.

“I felt the boys gelled a bit more. Even though it was a loss, I think they all felt good about their efforts.”

Inverloch-Kongwak will face Kilcunda-Bass this weekend.

“That’ll be a tough game. We got the better of them last time, but they’ve had some good results against some strong sides,” Cole said.

Dalyston enjoyed its ball on Saturday night, but this week it will be back to training before taking on Warragul Industrials.

“To Inverloch’s credit, they just went bang, bang, bang, and we couldn’t stop it. Something we will have to learn is how to stop that flow,” Howell said.

“We’ve got Warragul Industrials this weekend. I think the boys are confident that if they can play a four-quarter game they can definitely take it right up to them.”