WESTERN BORDER FOOTY PREVIOUS SEASONS
WESTERN BORDER FOOTY PREVIOUS SEASONS |
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WESTERN BORDER FOOTBALL - 2012 (all reports by Terry Willoughby unless otherwise mentioned)
(Teams: Casterton, East Gambier, Hamilton, Hamilton Imperials, Millicent, North Gambier, Portland, South Gambier and West Gambier)
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SPONSORS LEAGUES BEST TEAM EVER |
NORTH TOO STRONG IN STAND ALONE GAME Final game of Round 4 - report Sunday 19 May 2013 North Gambier were too good for West Gambier in the stand alone game to complete the 4th round. The game was pumped up during the week but West failed to deliver and North had their measure throughout. West looked to their tall forwards and mercurial Jarred Ryan for goals but their failure to move and provide opointions played into North’s hands as the defenders continually swept the ball away. North, conversely had mobile forwards and on-ballers to carry them forward. At half-back, Callum Hudson for North, marked strongly and cleared without much opposition. Tom Holmes and Brad Wilson tried hard against greater numbers around the mid-field but Adam Kurzman and Brock Egan were more effective for North. A goal on the ½ time siren gave West a glimmer of hope but North controlled play to lead by 50 points at ¾ time. West again had some chances in the last quarter but North surged away with coach Justin McConnell booting four goals late to boost his tally to 8 and his team’s lead to 69 points at the finish. Kurzman, Scott Flett at centre half forward, Hudson and the Egan brothers Brock and Sam were best for North. Young backman Sam Robson battled hard for West along with Holmes, Wilson and Abdullah Kamara. SOUTH GAMBIER HOLD ON AGAINST REBOUNDING CASTERTON Round 4 report - Monday 13 May 2013 Casterton made a gallant bid for victory after the previous weeks thrashing, with a strong effort against South Gambier. South held the lead throughout the 1st half with small forward Tyson Currie and clever Brett Exelby causing problems for Cat defenders. On-ballers Brett O’Neil and James Paprotny and defender Jed Mullen were also prominent for South. Casterton bounced back with a strong 3rd term through on-ballers Alex Richardson and coach Dylan Ayton. They held South goal-less in the quarter and added three to hold a narrow 7 point lead. Both teams defences were on top and goals were hard to get. Casterton were standing up to the pressure. Slowly South found a way through and won narrowly by 5 points. There was “curry” all round with Tyson Currie best for South and Jake and Callum Currie high in Casterton’s best. In the other game Millicent shot to a 25 point lead by quarter-time and East were forced to play catch-up for the rest of the day. Millicent had a distinct height advantage in ruck and across half-forward which they exploited through Gascoyne and Craig Thomson. Everytime East looked threatening Millicent steadied with goal with youngster Joe Pratt and veteran Chris Denton prominent in the 1st half. Jake Harrap was trying very hard to lift East but lacked support and when Josh Martin exploded with a solo 4 goal effort in the 3rd quarter the game looked headed for a one-sided finish for Millicent who held 39 point lead. Defender Chris Robinson and on-baller Hamish Gordon were others to play well for Millicent. East started the last term positively with Jayden Eldridge at full forward and Chris Povey at half forward. Quick goals to Harrap and three to Eldridge bought East right back into the contest but they couldn’t stop goals leaking at the other end and Gascoyne lazily snapped his 4th to keep East at arm’s length. East battled hard in the last term but fell 24 points short. Veteran defender Steve Duldig marked strongly all game to be Millicent’s best ahead of Thomson, Josh Martin with 5 goals, Robinson and Gordon. Jake Harrap who stood up to heavy punishment, Jayden Eldridge with 5 goals, on-baller Dylan Howard and defender Luke Thomson were best for East. West Gambier play North Gambier next week to complete the round. Round 4 - May 11, 2013
Best: South - Tyson Currie, Jed Mullen, Brett Exelby, Brett O'Neil, James Paprotny. Casterton : Jake Currie, Alexander Richardson, Mark Cowland, Dylan Ayton, Callum Currie, Christopher Perry. Goals: South - Ashley Bryant 3, Brett Exelby 3, Simon Berkefeld 2, Bradley Bryant 1, Brett O'Neil 1, Tyson Currie 1. Casterton : Christopher Perry 2, Peter Kleemann 2, Zachary Michau 2, Callum Currie 2, Alexander Richardson 1, Jake Currie 1
Best: Millicent - Steven Duldig, Craig Thomson, Joshua Martin, Cameron Haggett, Chris Robinson, Hamish Gordon. East Gambier : Jayden Eldridge, Jake Harrap, Chris Povey , Toby Case, Shem Balshaw. Goals: Millicent - Joshua Martin 5, Glen Gascoyne 4, Joseph Pratt 3, Christopher Denton 2, Jeremy Hales 1, Jonathan Agnew 1. East Gambier : Jayden Eldridge 5, Jake Harrap 3, Rhys Carman 1, Chris Povey 1, Christopher Anderson 1, Anthony Wilson 1, Grady Janeway 1 TIGERS TOO STRONG FOR CASTERTON - Round 3 report Sunday 5 May 2013 North Gambier clashed with improving Casterton but after an entertaining 1st quarter which saw both full forwards Zac Michau and Justin McConnell dominate it was all one way traffic for the Tigers. Coach Ayton berated his team at ¼ time but to no avail. Casterton’s short game got shorter and North capitalized on every mistake. O’Gady, Nulty, Egan and Kurzman were far too strong in the mid-field and at the stoppages for North and Michau was starved of opportunities at full forward for Casterton. North led by 47 points at ½ time and went further ahead with Anthony Kilsby joining the goal-kicking spree. North piled on 13 goals in the last term whilst Casterton added four to win by 131 points and remain undefeated. Casterton got a lesson in what they need to be a serious challenger. Kilsby, McConnell and O’Grady all kicked 6 goals for North. South Gambier bounced back from the Anzac Day loss to easily defeat a very soft Millicent by 74 points. Young ruckman Jak Ryan played well for South and on-ballers Simon Berkefeld and Brent Howard carted the ball forward. Millicent trailed by 29 points heading into the 2nd half but showed little fight as South went further ahead. The Demons had plenty of forwards lining up to kick goals as Millicent failed to man-up or chase at any stage. For Millicent only Josh Martin on the forward line with 5 goals and veteran defender Steve Duldig showed any fight. South kicked further ahead with 6 goals to two with only token opposition from Millicent. The usual suspects of Berkefeld, Howard, Paprotny were high in South’s best along with Jak Ryan, Tyson Currie and Brad Cordy. West Gambier bolted to a 6 goal lead by ¼ time under lights against East Gambier and this proved decisive in the end. East slowly edged their way back into the contest but poor disposal hampered their efforts and they still trailed by 31points at ½ time. West had more firepower on the forward line with Jarred Ryan, quick, clever and unpredictable, booting 5 goals. East had the better of the 3rd term with Shem Balshaw and Dylan Howard winning around the mid-field but they still lacked a winning forward. West newcomer Nick Lewis was impressive with 4 goals but East were now more competitive. Dogged backman Tom Dolan and classy Brad Wilson still gave West the edge and they steadied to win by 38 points. Lewis, Dolan, Wilson and youngster Mark Smith led the best players for West. Shem Balshaw, Howard, Anthony Wilson and Jayden Eldridge tried hard for East who will be rueing the slow start. Round 3 scores - May 4, 2013
Best: South - James Paprotny, Jed Mullen, Jak Ryan, Scott Fleming, Simon Berkefeld, Bradley Cordy. Millicent : Steven Duldig, Cameron Haggett, Joshua Martin, Taylor Redden, Phillip O'loughlin, Nathaniel Robbins. Goals South - Simon Berkefeld 3, Brett O'Neil 2, Brett Exelby 2, Bradley Cordy 2, Ashley Bryant 2, Mathew Weistra 1, Brent Howard 1, Luke Foran 1, Scott Fleming 1, Clay Von Duve 1, Jake Dowdy 1, Christopher Williams 1, Tyson Currie 1. Millicent : Joshua Martin 5, Glen Gascoyne 1, Travis Wilson 1
Best: North - Richard O'Grady, David Nulty, Scott Flett, Brock Egan, Nick Mcinerney, Adam Kurzman. Casterton : Tim Macmichael, Mark Cowland, Dale Bunnik, Jason Harvey. Goals: North - Richard O'Grady 6, Anthony Kilsby 6, Justin McConnell 6, Nick Blachut 3, Matthew Chapman 2, Adam Kurzman 2, Scott Flett 2, Patrick Perry 1, Glen Soper 1, Brock Egan 1, Nick Moretti 1. Casterton : Zachary Michau 3, Dylan Ayton 1, Christopher Perry 1, Alexander Richardson 1, Todd Clode 1, Brandon Currie 1, Zachery Howlett 1, Jason Harvey 1
CATS AND DOGS SCRAP IN WESTERN BORDER - Round 2 news April 29, 2013 Western Border’s annual Anzac Day game between North and South Gambier took place in front of a bumper crowd at Vansittart Park on Thursday. After a goal-less 1st quarter North Gambier booted 6 goals to lead by 24 points. North went further ahead early in the 3rd quarter before South Gambier made a solid challenge mid-way in the 3rd term through clever forward Brett Exelby but North snuffed out the challenge. It was the only time south managed to put consecutive goals together. South continued to battle hard but only Brent Howard and Exelby presented any danger and North repelled nearly all moves and with Justin McConnell adding goals they kicked away to be comfortable winners by 51 points. North’s Brock Egan won the Tony Casadio Medal for best on ground, Callum Hudson stood out at half-back and Kurzman and O’Grady did well around the stoppages of which there were too many. South hardly had a consistent performer but Howard worked relentlessly against the odds and Exelby was their only forward. In other games Phil Carman’s East Gambier remain winless after Casterton defeated them by 7 points. East led by 27 points at the first change but Casterton kicked accurately with 7 goals in the 2nd term to lead at ½ time by 8 points. Cat forward Zac Michau marked spectacularly and booted two great goals to provide a highlight. The second half was more tight football with neither side able to gain a break but the Cats accuracy was vital. They also had a height advantage which they exploited well and held on to win 12-2 74 to East 9-13 67. West Gambier narrowly defeated Millicent in the remaining game by 3 points in a wind affected contest. West kicked with a strong but flukey wind and led by 23 points with Daron McElroy and Nic Allen looking dangerous on the forward line. Defenders Joe Ferguson-Lane and Steve Wenman were strong for West and forced errors on the Millicent forwards as the home side still trailed by 8 points. West raced away in the 3rd quarter, adding 7 goals to three through McElroy and Allen to lead by 37points. Ruckman Cam Haggett and on-baller Jon Agnew lifted around the packs and Gascoyne and Josh Martin provided goal –kicking options as Millicent stormed back into the game with 6 last quarter goals but also some agonizing misses. West managed one crucial goal but it was enough to give them a 3 points win. McElroy 5 goals and Nic Allen 6 proved too difficult for Millicent to contain to be West’s best along with Wenman and Ferguson-Lane. Darcy Thwaites, Haggett, Agnew and Byron Pickett were among Millicent’s best. Round 2 - April 27, 2013
Best: West Gambier - Daron McElroy, Joe Ferguson-Lane, Steven Wenman, Nicolas Allen, Gabriel Tucker, Tom Dolan. Millicent - Darcy Thwaites, Cameron Haggett, Jonathan Agnew, Phillip O'loughlin, Byron Pickett, Joshua Martin. Goals: West Gambier - Nicolas Allen 6, Daron McElroy 5, Jarrod Ryan 1, Bradley Wilson 1. Millicent - Glen Gascoyne 5, Joshua Martin 4, Joseph Pratt 1, Byron Pickett 1, Travis Wilson 1, Jonathan Agnew 1
Best: Casterton - A. McKenzie, R. Smith, D. Ayton, Z. Michau, P. Kleemann, R. Killey. East - C. Povey , A. Wilson, J. Fry, J. Dempsey, M. Dempsey, S. Balshaw. Goals: Casterton – not available. East - J. Fry 5, M. McCallum , M. VanSchaik , M. Dempsey , B. Creek Round 2 - April 25, 2013
Best: North - B. Egan, C. Hudson, S. Egan, M. Ashby, A. Kurzman, N. Blachut. South - J. Paprotny, B. Howard, J. Ryan, S. Berkefeld, J. Wilson. Goals: North - J. McConnell 4, A. Kilsby 2, N. Blachut 2, S. Flett , R. O''Grady , M. Ashby , A. Kurzman , M. Chapman , B. Egan , G. Soper. South - B. Exelby 4, T. Currie 2, L. Duncan NEW LOOK SEASON BEGINS - ROUND 1 April 22, 2013 After 6 months of waiting and three teams departing to the Hampden League the 1st round of Western Border football kicked off with the 6 remaining teams. Reigning premiers North Gambier were opposed to arch-rival East Gambier and both teams had plenty of changes in personnel from last year. After a slow start North shook off a determined East and race to 23 point lead at quarter-time. Strong marking forwards in Flett and McConnell were causing headaches for the East defenders and Nulty was winning nearly every hitout. North maintained their lead throughout the 2nd term but East were hanging on tenaciously but poor finishing was costly as North led by 19. East goaled quickly in the 3rd quarter to reduce the margin to two goals and a close finish looked possible with North not looking particularly impressive. They were stung into action by the challenge and took complete control across the mid-field and half-back to give the forwards plenty of chances but 5-8 and some out of bounds was a poor reward but the margin blew out to 45 points. East looked a tired outfit in the warm conditions and North raced on another 5 goals with coach Justin McConnell booting 4 in a burst to finish with 7 for the game and lead his team to 72 point win. Nulty was North’s best in the ruck, Hudson at half-back closed East’s road to goal, Brock Egan around the mid-field and Flett were others to play well. For East Chris Anderson and Jayden Eldridge battled hard but lacked support. Casterton and Millicent fought out the closest game with the Cats hanging on by 10 points. Millicent were hampered by inaccuracy as they had more scoring chances but Casterton used the ball more efficiently. Simon Sealey, Bunnik, Currie and rugged on-baller Chris Perry were best for Casterton. The old reliables of Steve Duldig in defence, long-kicking Nat Robbins and hard-working on-baller Jon Agnew were best for Millicent who included Byron Pickett for the 1st time. South Gambier took a longtime to shake of a re-building West Gambier. The demons should have had a bigger lead than 12 points but sprayed plenty of chances wide whilst West got full value for limited shots at goal. Both teams had many newcomers but West had several premiership players returning to bolster their ranks which also included many youngsters. West kept South honest throughout the 2nd quarter but lacked the scoring power of experienced Simon Berkefeld and Bret O’Neil who kicked 5 goals each. The 3rd quarter saw the margin close with West hitting the front briefly before South booted late goals to lead by 21 points. South’s experience enabled them to kick away in the last quarter as West faded and record a 50 point win. Better players for South were quality contributors Simon Berkefeld and Bret O’Neil, Brad Bryant in defence and James Paprotny. Capointain Steve Wenman and star on-baller Brad Wilson stood out for West ahead of youngster Nic Allen who booted 3 goals and Daron McElroy. Round 1 SATURDAY NIGHT GAME – April 20, 2013
Best: Casterton - Simon Sealey, Dale Bunnik, Jake Currie, Christopher Perry, Kyle Carlin, Peter Kleemann. Millicent : Steven Duldig, Nathaniel Robbins, Jonathan Agnew, Cameron Haggett, Jeremy Hales, Shaun Withers. Goals: Casterton - Zachary Michau 3, Peter Kleemann 2, Tim Macmichael 2, Adam McKenzie 1, Dylan Ayton 1, Mark Cowland 1, Jock Cleary 1. Millicent : Glen Gascoyne 3, Nathaniel Robbins 2, Tyson Lindsay 1, Hamish Gordon 1, Jeremy Hales 1 DAY GAMES
Best: South - Brett O'Neil, James Paprotny, Simon Berkefeld, Bradley Bryant, Mathew Weistra. West Gambier : Steven Wenman, Bradley Wilson, Nicolas Allen, Daron McElroy, Nathan Lewis, Gabriel Tucker. Goals: South - Simon Berkefeld 5, Brett O'Neil 5, Scott Fleming 2, Brent Howard 2, Brett Exelby 2, Bradley Cordy 1, Luke Foran 1, Tyson Currie 1. West Gambier : Nicolas Allen 3, Jarrod Ryan 2, Nathan Lewis 2, Joshua Schapel 1, Clinton Cowell 1, Bradley Wilson 1, Daron McElroy 1, Keanu Hawke 1
Best: North - David Nulty, Callam Hudson, Brock Egan, Troy Hosking, Scott Flett, Nick Mcinerney. East Gambier : Flynn Balshaw, Christopher Anderson, Jayden Eldridge, Matt Dempsey, Jake Cairns, Rhys Carman. Goals: North - Justin McConnell 7, Scott Flett 4, Brock Egan 2, Anthony Kilsby 2, Matthew Chapman 1, Adam Kurzman 1, Nick Blachut 1, Jacob Galpin 1. East Gambier : Anthony Wilson 2, Matthew McCallum 1, Chris Povey 1, Shem Balshaw 1, Jake Cairns 1, Blake Lynch 1, Brad Creek 1 NORTH WINS FIRST FLAG SINCE 1989 TIGERS TRIUMPH IN LAST WB GRAND FINAL By Terry Willoughby - September 24, 2012 North and South Gambier met at McDonald Park in the last Western Border FL Grand Final as we know it. The conditions were warm and breezy and South kicked to the highway end with the breeze. It was a tight, hard tackling start with neither team conceding an inch but South were 1st to goal when veteran Leroy Capewell cleverly knocked the ball from a boundary throw-in to Brent Howard for a goal. North were having some influence at the stoppages through Nulty in the ruck and O’Grady and Kurzman at ground level but they wasted the good work with indifferent goal-shooting. South were trying to make use of their long-kicking but Jamie O’Neil was in terrific touch across the North backline and took some great marks to hold South up. The tackling had been very strong by both teams but North seemed to be getting more players around the contest but trailed by 3 points at quarter-time. North were quickly on the attack in the 2nd term and took the lead with goals to McConnell, Soper and Kilsby but continued to spray their kicks which kept South in touch. South captain Simon Berkefeld was running everywhere in a bid to lift his team but many others had the fumbles as North applied the pressure. Jed Mullen was solid at half-back for South as well but North had many more contributors around the stoppages with Hosking and Woodall linking up the close-in work of Kurzman and O’Grady. North stretched the margin to 20 points at ½ time but hadn’t put South away, but the signs were ominous. The Demons needed a big lift from their on-ballers such as Bret O’Neil and Howard who were being well held and put under pressure when they did get the ball. Goals to Berkefeld and Foster reduced the margin for South but North were able to match them with long goals from Flett and O’Grady. The 3rd quarter was even on the scoreboard but North looked a stronger team with many South players looking tired. North led by 21 points at the last change and were kicking with the breeze. The Tigers confidence was riding high when Flett and Kilsby goaled early to extend the lead beyond 30 points. South were battling hard but just couldn’t find a way to goal and North were on top almost everywhere. The Tigers piled on 7 goals to a solitary one from South in the last term to win their 1st flag since 1989. It was a poignant moment in WB football as North had won the 1st premiership back in 1964 and the last of the league in this, 2012. North had controlled play from quarter-time onwards to win by 59 points. Better players for the Tigers were Richie O’Grady as best on ground, captain Adam Kurzman on the ball, Troy Hosking, Doug Hudson and Jamie O’Neil at half-back and youngster Josh Woodall, but they had many others who made valuable contributions. Whilst it was South’s heaviest loss in sometime they didn’t give in at any stage. Their better players were tireless captain Simon Berkefeld, defender Jed Mullen, recruit Brett Exelby, Luke Foran and Jack Primer on the backline and on-baller James Paprotny. Grand Final on September 22, 2012
Best: North - R. O'Grady, A. Kurzman, T. Hosking, D. Hudson, J. O'Neil, J. Woodall. South: S. Berkefeld, J. Mullen, B. Exelby, L. Foran, J. Primer, J. Paprotny. Goals: North - J. McConnell 4, R. O'Grady 3, S. Flett 3, A. Kilsby 2, G. Soper 2, A. Kurzman 1, N. Blachut 1, P. Perry 1. South Gambier : B. Foster 3, S. Berkefeld 3, B. Howard 1, B. Exelby 1, L. Capewell 1 |
2013 PROGRAM Round 1 West Gambier South Gambier 20/4/13 North Gambier South Gambier 25/4/2013 ANZAC DAY East Gambier West Gambier 4/5/2013 NIGHT West Gambier North Gambier 11/5/2013 Casterton West Gambier 25/5/2013 West Gambier South Gambier 1/6/2013 West Gambier Millicent 15/6/2013 East Gambier West Gambier 22/6/2013 West Gambier Casterton 29/6/2013 North Gambier West Gambier 13/7/2013 Millicent West Gambier 20/7/2013 SPLIT ROUND West Gambier North Gambier 3/8/2013 Casterton West Gambier 10/8/2013 West Gambier East Gambier 17/8/2013 South Gambier West Gambier 24/8/2013 Finals Series - August 31, Sept 7, 14 & 21
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