Round 9 Match Review
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Coburg Tigers v Gold Coast Football Club, Highgate Recreation Reserve, Craigieburn
Hunt shows promise but Coburg take points
Richmond-aligned Coburg Tigers have run out comfortable 47 point winners over Gold Coast Football Club at Craigieburn today.
A big crowd turned out to witness the long awaited debut of rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt and although Coburg may have rained on Hunt’s parade, GCFC’s newest recruit certainly showed he’s got plenty to offer.
In a fairytale start to his AFL career - at least for a few moments early in the first quarter - it was the Karmichael Hunt show. Hunt kicked two goals in the space of a minute, one after reading an early surge to be free in the goal square, another from a free kick a few seconds later when a Coburg player took apparent offence at Hunt’s apparent ability to hit the ground running in his new sport. It could have been three, too, if Hunt had threaded the free kick he earned when he laid a spectacular crunching tackle just minutes earlier.
But it wasn’t all about Hunt in the formative stages. The defensive work rate that eluded GCFC last week was back and the visitor’s early intensity at the ball carrier was forcing a frazzled Coburg into error. Daniel Harris, David Swallow and newcomer Josh Toy were all hard at it, and Sam Iles and Danny Stanley were looking sharp.
In fact it was a big Stanley tackle in the forward fifty set the tone for the visitors. From the resulting free kick, he threaded across a fluky wind for the game’s opening goal.
Hunt then snagged his pair to set the crowd abuzz, but soon after GCFC first lost concentration and then momentum and Coburg took advantage by banging on four straight to wrest control of the opening stanza. Harris snagged one late for the visitors, but at quarter time it was Coburg by 10 points.
GCFC started the second quarter with plenty of zip and looked the more dangerous side. Hunt was involved again when he did well to bring the ball to ground in a two on one contest. Iles was there to pounce on the crumb to open the visitor’s scoring. Coburg scrambled one back after a sloppy GCFC defensive lapse, but a strong Dixon mark and goal soon after kept GCFC in touch with a Coburg side that appeared unable to keep a handle on GCFC’s ‘get and go’ style. Still, in the shadows of the main break the home side managed to goal against the run of play to steal a thirteen point half time lead.
GCFC needed a good start in the second half, but they didn’t get one. Where Coburg was full of run and energy the visitors were flat-footed and devoid of answers. By the end of a horribly lop-sided quarter, the home side had slotted eight goals to GCFC’s three points.
With a stinging three quarter time rebuke from senior coach Guy McKenna ringing in their ears, it was little surprise to see GCFC start the last term with more purpose. Trent McKenzie led the way when he landed an extraordinary 75 metre long bomb from deep in the centre square, Stanley kicked his second moments later and Patrick marking strongly in the goal square to make it three in a row. Dixon and Swallow also converted late chances to cap a much improved last quarter effort, but in the end it was too little, too late.
GCFC will now enjoy a bye before taking on Frankston at Broadbeach in two weeks time.
Coburg Tigers: 5.5 (35) 7.11 (53) 15.17 (107) 17.21(123)
GCFC: 4.1 (25) 6.4 (40) 6.7 (43) 11.10 (76)
Goals: Dixon 2, Hunt 2, Stanley 2, Harris, Iles, McKenzie, Patrick, Swallow
Best: Stanley, Toy, McKenzie, Iles, Harris, Swallow
