Sea Eagles win first clash of the season

A COMPETITIVE clash between rivals Inverloch-Kongwak and Cora Lynn opened the 2024 West Gippsland Football Netball Competition season on Easter Sunday.

The Easter Sunday crowd did not disappoint with spectators arriving in droves to see how the reigning premiers would fare against the new recruits in the Cobras’ lineup.

It was a tough game and proved to be a challenge for both sides.

Inverloch-Kongwak held the play early in the first quarter, but only managed four behinds.

It was young gun Tate Cumming who managed to kick the first goal of the season for the Sea Eagles, getting the ball rolling.

However, Cora Lynn also found some momentum late in the quarter and was up by one point at the siren.

Inverloch-Kongwak composed itself in the second quarter, allowing it to control the play a little more.

The Sea Eagles retained the ball for most of the term and made the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

The defence worked hard to ensure the Cobras could not increase their scoreboard pressure, and the Sea Eagles went into halftime with three goals of breathing room.

Cora Lynn wasn’t done, however, and managed to outscore Inverloch-Kongwak in the third quarter.

Scoring opportunities were scarce though, with the defence working overtime at both ends of the ground.

With one quarter left in it, Inverloch-Kongwak still had the lead, but it had diminished to 11 points.

The close clash culminated in the Sea Eagles hanging on to a nine-point win to kick off the season.

Inverloch-Kongwak coach Leigh Cole said the win was a team effort, with great contributions across the board.

“It was a tough contest all round and both sides defended very well. It was great to see the contributions made by the whole team, including some of our new players and younger players – some of which have only played up to five Senior games. We were lucky to hold on to the four points, but it was a good performance,” he said.

Inverloch-Kongwak will face Warragul Industrials away on April 13 – another tough side that made an appearance in the 2023 finals series. 

The Sea Eagles will take the small opportunity to recuperate after round one, but will ramp up its training ahead of the upcoming clash.