Panthers eye off the finals

KILCUNDA-Bass has cemented its place in the finals with a 32-point win over Koo Wee Rup on Saturday.

The win placed the Panthers firmly in sixth position, three games clear of seventh place with three games left to be played.

Barring disaster, the Panthers should see finals representation and are confident they have what it takes to retain their spot through the rest of the home and away season.

The Panthers enjoyed a good start to the game on Saturday, earning a 14-point lead before quarter time.

“That’s been us of late – we start really well and get a break on the opposition. We were able to maintain that through the game on Saturday,” coach Lee Rowe said.

The conditions were trying with rain falling intermittently throughout the day.

Despite this, the Panthers handled the ball well and demonstrated some excellent “dry weather” football.

“We played our best four-quarter game yet. We were able to pull everything together that we’ve been working on this season and it was really pleasing to see,” Rowe said.

“We were always at least a goal in front at the end of each quarter and there were no real panic moments for us.”

Courageously, Cam McKenzie put his body on the line during the first quarter and assisted a goal.

Unfortunately, this resulted in a cracked rib and McKenzie was pulled from the game.

The Panthers hope to see McKenzie back on the ground after a week to recover.

Two minutes before his injury, McKenzie also contributed a goal and was an asset to the game early. 

The Panthers are currently missing three players to injury and are looking to slowly see them return before the end of the season, looking to be at full strength come finals time. 

Koo Wee Rup came back strong after halftime but the Panthers were able to fend off the attack.

In what can be described as a “mature performance”, the Panthers skilfully slowed the play and forced Koo Wee Rup to play on their terms.

It was a team effort from the Panthers, with Travis Tuck kicking three goals for the game and singles shared between six other goal-kickers.

Tuck gave a strong performance up forward, playing polished football.

Captain Nathan Foote was in and under everything through the midfield alongside Ben Eddy.

Lochlan Scott played an exceptional game down back, taking on the big job of putting the pressure on Koo Wee Rup’s key forward.

A low-scoring second half saw both sides battle to the end, but the Panthers proved to have a stronger defence.

Next week, Kilcunda-Bass will take on Inverloch-Kongwak.

The Panthers have been in good form recently and are looking forward to seeing how they fare against another finals contender.