Panthers claw their way to victory

FOLLOWING on from its historic win against Nar Nar Goon, Kilcunda-Bass secured another four points after defeating Tooradin-Dalmore on Saturday.

Showcasing the depth of talent in the 2026 West Gippsland Football Netball Competition, the Panthers scraped through with a five-point win over a team that has yet to record a win.

Despite Tooradin-Dalmore’s losing streak, the Panthers knew this was not a game to take lightly.

Scores were tight in the first half, with a wind favouring one end before dying away in the second half.

“We started with the breeze, but we missed some important chances early,” Kilcunda-Bass coach Lee Rowe said.

“There was a lot of pressure in this game, and I think we were finding it hard out at Tooradin. It was a little bit narrow, and they had really good intensity. All our shots on goal were under pressure and we missed a few chances, but they did the same. We felt we were forcing them to have shots from a distance, which was good. It was looking healthy for us.”

It was more of the same into the second quarter.

Tooradin-Dalmore kicked three goals to Kilcunda-Bass’ two, which saw the home side ahead by a point heading into halftime.

Rowe took the halftime break as an opportunity to get some feedback from the boys, find out what the challenges were, and make a few adjustments.

“We tried a few positional changes in the third quarter to bring another target into the forward line just to see how it would go,” Rowe said.

That target was Tyce Kleverkamp, who performed the role extremely well.

“We just had to find another avenue, and it worked. We hit the scoreboard pretty well,” Rowe said.

“The breeze started to die down so both sides were able to have some attack up that top end. I didn’t think we needed to be three or four goals up at halftime, it was just a matter of grinding it out a bit.”

Kilcunda-Bass regained the lead by 10 points at three quarter time.

The last quarter was a race to the finish line.

Both sides kicked four goals each, but Kilcunda-Bass maintained the upper hand.

“Both sides were really trying to win it. We probably carried the footy a little bit more and were a little braver,” Rowe said.

“I think what probably won us the game was forcing them to take shots from long range. Our backs were super again. Everything that came in, they put under pressure and held firm in the defence.”

The defence was once again led by Steven and Lochlan Scott, who were well supported by Kilcunda-Bass’ young guns Lleyton Cartmel and Seth McBean.

Kilcunda-Bass’ win was celebrated with enthusiasm, as a large contingent of Panthers supporters made the journey to Tooradin.

“Having the supporters on board has been really spurring us on. It’s really healthy for us,” Rowe said.

Kilcunda-Bass also congratulated Jye Sutherland, who debuted in the Seniors this week.

“Sutherland is an ex-junior. He had a year or two with us in the juniors, then went away for a bit. He’s been playing really well in the Reserves, so he got his reward on Saturday with his first Senior game, which was great for a young kid,” Rowe said.

Kilcunda-Bass will come up against Inverloch-Kongwak again in round nine.

The 2026 Panthers first met the Sea Eagles in round one, but lost by 39 points.

“Personnel-wise, we are looking a little different than the first time round. We thought we had it right on that day, but we didn’t, so at least now we get to have a look at them, have a look at some vision and see if we can dissect a plan to get them,” Rowe said.

After round eight, Kilcunda-Bass is sitting just outside the top six.

However, with some highly competitive games and unpredictable outcomes, this season still has a long way to go.

“I don’t know where it’s as simple as luck of the draw, but I don’t think we’re going to know where everyone stands until really deep in the fixture,” Rowe said.