Corio might be one of three winless teams, but co-coach Darren Bennett can’t question his team’s commitment in the opening fortnight of the GDFNL season.
After pushing Werribee Centrals to 16 points in the opening round, the Devils entered the final term of the weekend’s clash with the Belmont Lions on level terms with the home team.
However, when the siren sounded, they were 11 points in arrears and still searching for their first victory of 2024.
“It’s been frustrating, (but) it’s not coming from lack of effort,” Bennett said.
“The boys are giving their all. They had a massive pre-season.
“We just haven’t got over the line; we’ve been on the wrong side of the ledger.
“Werribee moved a couple of guys that got a hold of us up forward.
“And on the weekend, I thought Benny Evans was super in the last quarter-and-a-half and turned the game a little bit for them.”
In a blow for Corio, young ruck Jack Green, who played every game in 2023, will spend at least a fortnight on the sidelines with a fractured elbow suffered during the third quarter.
“From what Jack told me—I didn’t see the incident—it just was a bit of a tangle of arms, and then he got flipped on his back,” Bennett said.
“Belmont’s ground was pretty hard on the weekend, so I don’t think that helped the cause.”
Matt Jelenic, Herschelle Carr, and Toby Bennett spent time in the ruck following Green’s injury.
However, that trio can expect to play in their usual positions against Bell Post Hill this Saturday.
“I think we’ll look to bring Aaron Taylor from the reserves,” Darren Bennett said.
“He’s played plenty of senior footy, so he should be more than capable.”
Corio needs to reverse recent history against Bell Post Hill to register its first win of the season.
The Devils haven’t beaten the Panthers in 21 attempts – the last victory was in Round 5, 2009.
However, Bennett believes his team can take it up to last year’s preliminary finalists.
“I think our competition’s going to be really even this year,” he said.
“It’s probably going to surprise a few with who can beat who on any given day.
“While Bell Post Hill might have lost a few, they’ve still got some really good players in their lineup.”
X: @krockfootball
