Western Border

WEST GAMBIER CRACK THE “SCHUTZ” AND NORTH KEY FORWARDS CLEAN UP IN GRAND FINAL VICTORY

by Terry Willoughby – September 16, 2019

West Gambier won the toss and kicked with the breeze which was nothing like the freezing gales of recent finals but they lacked the goal-kicking forwards to make it pay. Strong- marking Sam Stafford made a statement early with two good goals after marking and West were already searching for answers. West worked the ball forward but missed chances before they intercepointed an errant kick-in and goaled after ten minutes of play. The North defence led by the long-kicking and strong marking of Jake Schutz worked over the West forwards, they repelled attacks with ease around the scoreboard wing with booming kicks which travelled further the most kicks with the wind. West led narrowly by three points at quarter time but North had been the more dangerous team ahead of centre.

North were on top across the centre with Hamish Telford involved in many forward moves and Brett Kennedy winning at the ball-ups. West defended grimly in the second term but lost Minuzzo to injury and Matt McInerney, the enigmatic small North forward missed from long-range. Tom Holmes was winning plenty of kicks for West but they struggled to get past Schutz and company in defence for North, Dylan Munn roaming unchecked across the midfield and Kenny combined well and turned West back also. McInerney goaled from a free and put North in front and this opened the way to a mini-burst of  goals with McLennan and McInerney again goaling and coach McConnell swooping on a loose ball to dribble one through to put North 23 points up at half-time, they had used the ball better with long –kicking and played in front, they attacked through the corridor and outer wing playing on at every opportunity.

West now had an uphill battle. Tom Holmes had been their best along with Bradley-Brown, Jess Pfitzner and Tom Zietz but many had little influence. Emboldened to attack, Schutz’s flying long shot missed but he combined with Telford and Munn for the telescopic reach of Sam Stafford to mark and goal. He was a constant danger near goal, rarely missing when kicking for goal. North, stronger in most positions led by 30 points. West’s Reid Kuller had hardly been sighted but he had team-mates more anonymous. West goaled but McLennan replied for North and West seemed unable to gain any traction. Morton and Schapel, two of the unsighted, goaled for West and coach, Brad Wilson was now getting some valuable touches as they reduced the margin to less than 20 points. North responded quickly through Hamish Telford and Blachut to lead by 19 points at three quarter-time.

 Schutz continued to star in defence and Kennedy’s ruck-work gave many chances to the small lmen in Nic McInerney, Telford and Munn. It had been a high scoring third quarter with both teams booting five goals but North now had the breeze to finish. Sam Stafford marked strongly for North and slotted through his sixth goal from long-range and West’s task looked mountainous. Several West chances went begging as Schutz cut off most attacks. North were in complete control even though scoring dropped away. West were unable to get hold of the ball enough to have any influence. North coach, Justin McConnell, playing more as a director, marked and goaled as the clock wound-down. The North defence easily repelled the tired West attacks and McLennan’s long kick was marked by McConnell who booted the last goal of the game to give North Gambier the Premiership by 39 points. Jake Schutz was awarded the Best on ground medal for his outstanding game in defence.

NORTH GAMBIER 15-9 99 COMPREHENSIVELY OUTPLAYED WEST GAMBIER 8-12 60   

Grand Final at Millicent on September 14, 2019

North Gambier	2.0	7.4	12.5	15.9 (99)
West Gambier	2.3	3.5	8.8	8.12 (60)

Best:   North – J. Schutz, S. Stafford, N. McInerney, D. Munn, H. Telford, F. Marshall. West – L. Bradley-Brown, J. Pfitzner, K. Giddings, T. Zeitz, T. Lewis. Goals: North – S. Stafford 6, J. Mcconnell 3, M. McInerney 2, T. McLennan 2, N. Blachut, H. Telford. West – J. Schapel 2, T. Zeitz 2, B. Papps, J. Williams, L. Morton, S. Zeitz

WEST GAMBIER REDISCOVER FORM TO DEFEAT CASTERTON/SANDFORD IN PRELIM FINAL

by Terry Willoughby – September 8, 2019

The wild weather that hampered last week’s finals was again on display as this weeks’ prelim final got under way. West kicked with the strong wind in the first quarter but the Cats defended stoutly with Nesbitt outstanding at full back. Papps missed an early chance for West but Ayton marked and goaled against the flow for Casterton/Sandford. West were jolted into action and Papps made amends for earlier when his snap bounced through. Some indirect play followed before Reid Kuller, off duty from Glenelg, found Wilson with a pin-point pass and a goal to give West the lead. The Cats defended well for most of the quarter but late goals enabled West to lead by 21 points. Casterton/Sandford now had the wind but conditions were becoming harder with rain falling. The Cats were fumbling chances with West tackling and harassing strongly. Will MacDonald should have been used more in the ruck as he had little influence up forward. The Cats goaled again but West got the ball to Brad Wilson for a goal and they looked the better team with a lead of 15 points at the long break.

An early goal to the Cats gave them some hope but they had to take risks to overcome West and they gave away many frees with poor tackling. Wilson again goaled for West who were travelling like winners whilst Casterton/Sandford were hardly threatening in a low scoring game even though the margin was only 16 points at three quarter-time. The Cats pushed forward numerous times in the last quarter but Tom Zietz repelled them with ease. West battled their way forward even though Nesbitt and Cowland defended strongly. Garrett Ha bobbed up unattended for goals as West sealed the game by 25 points and will play North Gambier in the Grand Final.

WEST GAMBIER 9-11 65 OUTPLAYED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 5-10 40

Preliminary Final on September 7, 2019

West Gambier	4.3	5.3	6.10	9.11 (65)
Casterton Sandford	1.0	3.4	5.10	5.10 (40)

Best:   West – L. Bradley-Brown, T. Zeitz, R. Kuller, G. Ha, J. Zeitz. Casterton Sandford – T. Nesbitt, M. Cowland, W. Macdonald, D. Richardson, L. Kelson, D. Wombwell. Goals: West – G. Ha 3, B. Wilson 3, B. Papps 3. Casterton Sandford – J. Gibbs, D. Ayton, W. Macdonald, D. Richardson

NORTH GAMBIER IMPRESS OVER WEST GAMBIER IN SECOND SEMI FINAL

by Terry Willoughby, September 3, 2019

On the wild and windy Blue Lake Sports park North defeated West by 19 points. North started with the gale at the back but they didn’t use it very well and West defended strongly and had the ball on their forward line for long spells. A late goal to Papps for West was valuable just on the quarter time siren but North led by eight points. The Tigers made light of the conditions and tacked skilfully into it and were rewarded with goals. Dylan Munn was excellent for North as he attacked from defence and was able to run unchecked through the middle of the ground to provide chances for his forwards. Kennedy was also good in the ruck for North and gave his on-ballers first use of the ball. West didn’t have a winner on the forward line and it was only good defence by Tom Zietz that prevented North from being further ahead at halftime.

West started the third quarter with a goal and some changes but North quickly responded. They were able to isolate Jake Schutz across half-back and use his long direct kicking to advantage. Sam Stafford, tall and mobile, had the west defence in trouble with his strong marking and goal-kicking as North extended the lead. They were playing much better than West and with long-kicking gave their forwards a swag of chances. West were being beaten across the middle and around the stoppages as North were quicker, tackling better and using the ball more effectively to lead by 33 points. Neither team attacked early in the last quarter as North seemed content to bottle up play before a Tom Holmes intercepointion allowed Papps to goal and a quick clearance from the centre got them another and the margin was now just 21 points with plenty of time left to play. Holmes and Phillips had lifted for West as they attacked but a couple of misses slowed their progress. Ashby for North kicked poorly and gifted the ball to West who slammed on another goal, only 14 points now and North need a steadier. Hamish Telford a consistent performer all day cuts off an errant West pass and finds McLennan near goal and he makes no mistake with a goal. North capitalise on another turnover and McLennan obliges with another goal to make the game safe for North before the hardly sighted Schapel gets one for West.

NORTH GAMBIER 10-11 71 DEFEATED WEST GAMBIER 7-10 52

CASTERTON/SANDFORD DEFEAT EAST GAMBIER IN LAST GASP THRILLER FIRST SEMI FINAL

by Terry Willoughby, September 3, 2019

The powerful wind which hampered Saturday’s football remained for Sunday, just blowing from the other way. The conditions hard to handle but East managed early goals to Matt Scanlon and Willson to lead by 21 points. The first quarter was marred by the wind but poor tackling and kicking were a lowlight. Repeated high tackles had players testy in a physical game. The quality didn’t rise much at all in the second quarter but Casterton/Sandford goaled to have the game on an even keel. Goals were hard to come by and ball-ups were abundant in a tough contest. Nesbitt at full-back for the Cats was excellent and Richardson was their best ahead of centre whilst East had Jake Dempsey in defence and Cooper doing well.

The third quarter was much the same as earlier but East soon took control with a burst of goals to Cooper and Rumbelow and looked likely to blow the game away from the Cats who lost Justin Carlin to what appeared a game-ending injury. This gave East a bit more of a lift and they goaled again to finish with six straight for the quarter and a 27 point buffer at three quarter-time. Casterton/Sandford had managed one at the non-scoring end but would not realise its value until later. The Cats now had the job in front of them but continued to overdo handball which made East’s task easier to slow down the play. East still held on despite the Cats having to take all the risks. Will Macdonald marked strongly and goaled from a sharp angle which was quickly followed by another to Carlin who had climbed off the injured list as Casterton/Sandford closed in. Using long-kicking effectively helped the Cats as they caught the East defence out and unable to defend the open spaces as goals seemed to through Eldridge. Scores again level but the “near-death” Carlin boots another for the Cats with time running out. East manage to get forward again and goal but the Cats aren’t done with yet. Play is frenzied but an East behind adds to the tension as they lead by that minor score. Inside the final minute Casterton/Sandford launch an all-out attack from full-back and keeping the ball in play is vital as they pass the scoreboard wing just in time for Richardson to snap the match-winning goal, seconds before the siren.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 12-8 80 LAST GASP WINNERS OVER EAST GAMBIER 11-9 75

First Semi Final on Sunday September 1, 2019

East Gambier	3.5	3.7	9.7	11.9 (75)
Casterton Sandford	0.1	4.2	5.4	12.8 (80)

Best:   Casterton Sandford – not av. East – M. Rumbelow, G. Janeway , P. Hatch, K. Rodis, J. Dempsey, G. Cooper. Goals: East – M. Rumbelow 3, G. Cooper 3, P. Hatch 2, J. Eldridge, M. Scanlon, K. Thomson

Second Semi Final on Saturday August 31, 2019

North Gambier	2.3	5.5	8.11	10.11 (71)
West Gambier	1.5	2.7	3.8	7.10 (52)

Best:   North – F. Marshall, D. Munn, B. Kennedy, S. Stafford, T. McLennan, J. Stafford. West – L. Bradley-Brown, J. Williams, T. Holmes, T. Zeitz, K. Giddings. Goals: North – T. McLennan 3, J. Mcconnell 2, S. Stafford 2, D. Munn, M. Ashby, J. Stafford. West – B. Papps 2, J. Schapel, S. Zeitz, M. Minuzzo, D. Phillips , B. Wilson

CASTERTON/SANDFORD SHATTER SOUTH GAMBIER’S FINALS DREAM

by Terry Willoughby  August 26, 2019

South Gambier, impressive winners last round looked set to hold onto fourth spot when they led throughout  a low-scoring first half against Casterton/Sandford who needed to win to regain a place in the top four. South were not able to reproduce the free-flowing form of last week but looked slightly beter than the cats. Neither team had any winning forwards and goals were hard to come by. Will MacDonald was winning handsomely in the ruck and marking well around the ground and Nesbitt in defence were big contributors for Casterton/Sandford but South had prolific kick-winning veteran Bret O’Neil doing well in support of youngsters Reid and Ty Opie. South held a 14 point lead at the long break but it was always open to challenge in a low-scoring game and Casterton/Sandford also had their season on the line. With MacDonald dominant at the stoppages for the Cats the on-ball brigade of Boulton, heavyweight Justin Carlin and Tom Sullivan had the Cats in front by 10 points at the last change. The tight defence had held South to just two behinds for the quarter. The last quarter was a dour struggle but Casterton/Sandford booted the only goal to win a not so great spectacle by 16 points and regain fourth spot in the process.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 8-6 54 OVERCAME SOUTH GAMBIER 5-8 38

Top team North Gambier looked anything but in a low-scoring first half against wooden-spooner Millicent. The Saints were held scoreless against the strong wind in the first quarter but North were wasteful with it. Their predictable play on the score board wing stifled scoring and made hard work for the forwards. North momentarily looked better early in the second quarter and quickly goaled twice as the lead blew out beyond 20 points. Dylan Munn was one of few players for North to attack through the centre corridor with defenders always pushing sideways to the outer limits. Youngsters Kade and Frazer Bradley were trying very hard for Millicent but they lacked support and scoring power. North, although unimpressive, led by 28 points at the halftime break. Maybe it was the warmth of the changerooms or an earache but North emerged in the third quarter and piled on 7 unanswered goals to have Millicent reeling! Matt McInerney, Jake and Sam Stafford were all prominent for North who dominated play all over the ground. Leading by 76 points the last quarter was a formality as North booted another three goals and allowed Millicent in for two token ones before winning by 85 points.

NORTH GAMBIER 15-18 108 THRASHED MILLICENT 3-5 23

West Gambier doubled East Gambier’s score by halftime and looked se for an easy win as East battled to make any impression early in the third term. West had made better use of the strong, bitingly cold wind earlier and East consistently turned the ball over with sloppy disposal. East started the third term 23 points in arrears and seemed unable to make any advance on that as their ball movement appeared without plan and execution and the West defence held them out quite easily. East slowly reduced the margin with Tully Balshaw, as tidy as an unmade bed, goaling and coach Matt Willson winning many kicks across the centre. In a burst of play East attacked relentlessly, mostly on clubroom side and were rewarded handsomely with goals as the West defence was under siege. Matt Scanlon marked  strongly, Kev Thomson, onballer Jack Dawe end Brewster and goaled to put East in front, quickly it was two points then eight and 14 as East stormed ahead to lead by 15 points at three quarter time and West fortuitously got a late goal to stem the tide.

It was a complete turnaround by East but could they maintain it when going into the wind? East goaled early in the last quarter to extend the lead to 21 points but West hit-back strongly and reduced the margin as quickly as East had established it with goals to Jordan Zietz,  a brilliant snap and followed by another and when Brad Wilson goaled West were back in front and East looked done. They made several critical kicking mistakes as the clock ticked over. East mounted a late charge through Brewster and East marked and goaled right on the final siren to win by the barest of margins. It was a case of “de javu” as East won the opening game of the season in almost identical circumstances! Best for East were Matt Willson, Matt Scanlon, Eldridge, Tom Williams in defence and Frazer Scanlon. West, shell-shocked, were best served by Sam Zietz, Bradley-Brown, Tom Zietz and Dwayne Phillips and Lewis in the ruck.

EAST GAMBIER 12-8 80 AT THE DEATH DEFEATED WEST GAMBIER 11-13 79

Round 16 – August 24, 2019

Casterton Sandford	1.1-7	3.2-20	7.4-46	8.6 (54)
South Gambier	2.2-14	5.4-34	5.6-36	5.8 (38)

Best: CS – W. Macdonald, T. Nesbitt, T. Sullivan, J. Boulton, B. Guthrie, J. Carlin. SG – T. Reid, B. O”Neil, T. Opie, C. Munro, S. Fleming. Goals: CS – H. Jarrad 2, D. Ayton, T. Malone, J. Carlin, W. Macdonald, D. Richardson, J. Boulton. SG – T. Reid, N. Kourmouzis, B. Howard, B. Kain, B. Exelby.

West Gambier	1.5	6.10	7.11	11.13 (79)
East Gambier	3.4	3.5	10.8	12.8 (80)

Best: EG – N. Lock , M. Scanlon, J. Eldridge, F. Scanlon, T. Williams, K. Rodis. WG – S. Zeitz, L. Bradley-Brown, T. Zeitz, D. Phillips , Z. Kuller. Goals: EG – M. Scanlon 3, J. Dawe 2, M. Rumbelow 2, T. Balshaw, R. Brewster, L. Thomson, J. Eldridge, K. Thomson. WG – J. Zeitz 3, G. Ha 2, D. Phillips 2, J. Coombe, J. Schapel, L. Morton, B. Wilson.

North Gambier	2.4	5.8	12.14	15.18 (108)
Millicent	–	1.4	1.4	3.5 (23)

Best: NG – D. Munn, B. Shepherdson, J. Stafford, M. Ashby, J. Jenner, M. Telford. Millicent – K. Bradley, D. Tincknell, F. Bradley, l. smith, S. Willis, F. Grimes. Goals: NG – M. McInerney 4, J. Stafford 4, S. Stafford 3, N. Moretti, N. Blachut, N. McInerney, C. Schultz. Millicent – Z. Bradley, S. Duldig, D. Tincknell.

SOUTH GAMBIER WHIP EAST GAMBIER TO REGAIN FOURTH SPOT

by Terry Willoughby, August 19, 2019

The first quarter was a battle of defences as South Gambier battled hard against East Gambier who were making their own task difficult with poor tackling and disposal. South, conversely, looked good with some late attacking moves which resulted in goals and gave them a handy 10 point lead. It was now East’s turn to frustrate and they forced errors on South forward line and counter attacked and goaled through Matt Scanlon and Cooper to level the scores. Kain at full forward for South always looked threatening but had missed several gettable shots before splitting the game open with a mini burst of three goals followed by one from Bronson Saffin who was winning strongly around the centre and stoppages. East had no one to counter him as he was able to get out of trouble easily and use his long-kicking to devastating effect. South raced to a 26 point lead. East had made many errors with poor tackling and the cardinal sin of kicking into the man on the mark which South converted, the ultimate punishment. East looked to be in serious trouble entering the third quarter but they did have some wind assistance. Matt Scanlon was east’s only productive forward and his brother Frazer was good in defence. Three quick goals to East reduced the margin to less than a kick but South steadied late in the quarter to lead by 13 points. With the breeze behind them heading into the last quarter. Playing positively South surged ahead in the last quarter this time it was coach Brett Exelby among the goals. East became disjointed as South piled on the goals with Bret O’neil and youngster Todd Reid joining in with Saffin to heap more pain on East. South booted eight goals without a miss to completely overwhelm East by 48 points, they had used the ball better, were quicker and attacked more directly. Kain and Exelby each booted 4 goals and benefitted hugely from the good play of Bronson Saffin, O’neil, Reid and Taylor Saffin who cleared the defensive area time and again. East had few good players but Matt and Frazer Scanlon battled right to the end and Eldridge had his moments. If South can maintain the form they will be a distinct threat to the top teams.

 

SOUTH GAMBIER 15-8 98 IMPRESSIVE WINNERS OVER EAST GAMBIER 7-8 50

Despite kicking against the wind at the start West still managed to outscore Millicent which was ominous for later and the second quarter showed that when West with many more forward opointions raced ahead with five goals to one and Millicent looked set for an ugly day. Garret Ha relatively quiet in recent games bounced back strongly and booted five goals and Tom Holmes back after injury used all his experience to kick four. The brittle Millicent defence was already showing signs of collapse with West 37 points up at halftime. More of the same in the third quarter as West unhindered by strong wind slotted through another five goals with Dwayne Phillips and Tom Zietz continually pumping the ball forward. Millicent had few good players with defender Dylan Tincknell constantly under notice because West were always in attack. Millicent had no answers as West romped away with a lazy five goals to nil in the last quarter to win as they liked.

WEST GAMBIER 18-10 118 THRASHED MILLICENT 4-7 31

North Gambier threatened to do a similar job on Casterton/Sandford when they kicked three goals into the wind and held the Cats to a solitary one. McConnell looked dangerous for North as did Sam Stafford and North went further ahead in the second quarter with Casterton/Sandford unable to add to their single goal. The margin was 35 points in North’s favour as the second half started but if there had been good football earlier now it plunged into milling packs, poor and indirect kicking. Casterton/Sandford had Will MacDonald on the forward and he at least made a promising start with a goal but chances went begging at both ends. North seemed becalmed on the scoreboard wing and their forwards were starved of opportunities. Ugly packs continued to be the order as Casterton/Sandford clogged up play and North did little to improve the situation. They continually kicked and indirectly which resulted in turnovers. The Cats three goals gave them a sniff of a chance but North as unimpressive  as they were still had more of the play, they just didn’t kick the goals but Casterton/Sandford couldn’t either and North won by 26 points.

NORTH GAMBIER 8-13 61 GROUND OUT A WIN , CASTERTON/SANDFORD 5-5 35

Round 15 – August 17, 2019

Millicent	1.1	2.4	4.6	4.7 (31)
West Gambier	3.2	8.5	13.7	18.10 (118)

Best: WG – D. Phillips , J. Williams, G. Ha, T. Zeitz, T. Holmes. Millicent – C. Williams, D. Tincknell, Z. Bradley, B. Shanks, R. Duncan, J. Grimes. Goals: WG – G. Ha 5, T. Holmes 4, J. Attard, S. Zeitz, T. Lewis, D. Phillips , J. Zeitz, B. Papps, L. Morton, J. Williams, S. Wenman. Millicent – N. Robbins, S. Duldig, J. Walker, F. Bradley.

East Gambier	0.4	2.4	5.7	7.8 (50)
South Gambier	2.2	6.6	7.8	15.8 (98)

Best: SG – B. Saffin, B. O”Neil, T. Reid, t. saffin, B. Kain, S. Fleming. EG – J. Eldridge, F. Scanlon, M. Scanlon, J. Dempsey, J. Forster, P. Hatch. SG – B. Kain 4, B. Exelby 4, T. Saffin 2, T. Reid, M. Pratt, S. Fleming, N. Patzel, K. Bowd. EG – M. Scanlon 4, M. Willson, G. Cooper, J. Eldridge.

North Gambier	3.2	6.7	7.9	8.13 (61)
Casterton Sandford	1.1	1.2	4.4	5.5 (35)

Best: NG – M. Telford, F. Marshall, N. McInerney, T. McLennan, M. Ashby, D. Munn. CS – W. Macdonald, B. Guthrie, D. Richardson, T. Malone, T. Sullivan, J. Boulton. Goals: NG – J. Mcconnell 4, S. Stafford 2, M. Telford, T. McLennan. CS – D. Ayton 2, J. Boulton, W. Macdonald, J. Carlin.

NORTH GAMBIER RISE TO TOP SPOT WITH SLOGGING WIN OVER WEST GAMBIER

Terry Willoughby – August 12, 2019

North Gambier were scoreless in the first quarter against West Gambier but defended well enough to only concede two goals and trailed by just 13 points. Defence was the order of the day for both teams with Ashby and Tim McInerney doing well for North but Wenman and Kuller were equally as good at the back or on the ball for West. North briefly reached lead in the second quarter but a costly free near goal enabled West to lead by two points at halftime. Play was never free-flowing and many packs formed with the hard tackling and heavy ground making things difficult. Both teams were missing key personnel but North scored two extremely valuable goals against the wind in the third quarter. Marshall and Nic McInerney were strong around the stoppages, of which there were many, for  North but Sam Zietz and Phillips were constantly under notice for West. North led by 3 points entering the last quarter but now had the wind advantage. West were not about to surrender and battled hard to get the ball on the forward line but North had the more dangerous Sam Stafford on theirs and extended the lead to 15 points midway through the last quarter. west hit back almost immediately with a goal and continued to attack but a couple of near misses and stout defence enabled North to hold-on and win by nine points.

NORTH GAMBIER 6-11 47 IN A SLOGGING BATTLE WEST GAMBIER 5-8 38

Millicent looked set to break the ice for their first win, no pun intended but it was freezing cold wherever football was played, when they led South Gambier for more than three quarter of the game at Blue Lake Sport’s park. Apart from last week’s loss South Gambier have improved steadily in recent games but looked a little off the boil as Millicent showed their best form for the season. Youngsters Sam Willis  and Kade Bradley led the charge from the opening and defenders Dylan Tincknell and Lyndon Smith blocked the direct way to goal as Millicent went to quarter time with 15 points lead. South hit the scoreboard early the second quarter but Millicent were playing confidently and matched everything that South had and responded to lead by 19 points at halftime. Most games have seen Millicent fall away badly in the second half but they continued to hold the lead despite being outscored. Tarca around the centre along with defenders Caleb Bowd and O’Neil were now becoming more influential for South and they pulled the margin back to 10 points with a quarter to play. sSuth upped the ante in the last quarter as Millicent started to show signs of distress. Finishing strongly with a full head of steam or was that sail, South banged through five last quarter goals to one and Millicent still remain winless. The win keeps South’s slim finals hopes very much alive with two rounds remaining.

SOUTH GAMBIER 11-10 76 DEFEATED MILICENT 9-6 60

 

Casterton/Sandford also scored a vital win over third placed East Gambier by seven points and sees them hang on to fourth spot on the ladder. Again conditions reduced scoring with East in front by eight points at quarter time. Ground level players such as Giancarlo Cooper, John Forster and Jack Dawe looked dangerous for East but the Cats managed two goals against the flow of play. Casterton/Sandford struggled to go forward effectively in the second quarter but they did kick the only goal as East went scoreless. The battle continued in the third term as East made the most of their chances when they were near goal to boot four without a miss but Casterton/Sandford also did well with two at the non-scoring end. The game was very much in the balance at the last change with East in front by seven points but Casterton/Sandford were coming home with the wind.  The Cats goals against the wind earlier now shone like gold as they booted 4 and restricted East to a solitary one to win by seven points. Cowland, Sullivan, Richardson and Nesbitt played well for Casterton/Sandford. East’s better players were Shem Balshaw, Forster, Cooper, Matt Dempsey and Dawe.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 9-6 60 NARROWLY DEFEATED EAST GAMBIER 8-5 53 Round 14 – August 10, 2019

South Gambier	0.1	3.4	6.8	11.10 (76)
Millicent	2.4	6.5	8.6	9.6 (60)

Best:   South Gambier – N. Tarca, K. Bowd, B. Saffin, B. O”Neil, N. Kourmouzis. Millicent – S. Willis, K. Bradley, D. Tincknell, P. Duncan, C. Williams, L. Smith. Goals: South – M. Pratt 2, B. O”Neil 2, B. Saffin 2, J. Tentye 2, B. Kain, N. Tarca, N. Patzel. Millicent – S. Duldig 2, S. Willis 2, Z. Bradley, C. Williams, l. smith, P. Duncan, K. Bradley

Casterton Sandford	2.0	3.4	5.5	9.6 (60)
East Gambier	3.2	3.2	7.2	8.5 (53)

Best:   Casterton Sandford – M. Cowland, T. Sullivan, D. Richardson, L. Kelson, B. Guthrie, T. Nesbitt. East – S. Balshaw, J. Forster, P. Hatch, M. Dempsey, G. Cooper, J. Dawe. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 2, H. Jarrad 2, W. Macdonald, D. Richardson, T. Sullivan, A. Mccrae, G. Parsons. East – G. Cooper 3, K. Thomson 2, J. Dawe, M. Rumbelow, T. Balshaw

West Gambier	2.1	3.1	4.5	5.8 (38)
North Gambier	–	2.5	4.8	6.11 (47)

Best:   North – M. Ashby, D. Munn, N. McInerney, F. Marshall, T. McInerney, M. Telford. West – R. Kuller, S. Zeitz, S. Wenman, D. Phillips , J. Coombe. Goals: North – S. Stafford 2, M. Telford, J. Jenner, T. McLennan, N. Blachut. West – T. Lewis, B. Papps, M. Minuzzo, R. Kuller, K. Giddings

WEST AND NORTH GAMBIER RETURN TO WINNING FORM AFTER RECENT LOSSES

Terry Willoughby – August 5, 2019

South Gambier, full of confidence after good wins in the last two rounds, matched West Gambier in the first quarter with both teams employing play-on at every occasion tactics which made for attractive watching. Bret O’Neil used his long-kicking ability for South and Mason Hein won most of the hit-outs at the stoppages. South goaled early in the second quarter to hit the front but West responded in style and piled on the next six goals in impressive fashion with Papps, Minuzzo and Ha heavily involved. South were now in deep trouble and despite a couple of late goals from Bowd and Kain they trailed by 34 points. West were now in almost complete charge and they added another five goals in the third term to extend that lead to 45 points South had only Brayden Kain to thank that it wasn’t more as he was their only winner on the forward line whilst West had multiple targets. West again outscored South in the last quarter and went onto win by 48 points and put South back in fifth spot after they briefly looked a threat to those higher on the ladder. No doubt that South have improved greatly of late and they may yet play in finals? Best for West Gambier were Williams, Lock, Morton in defence, Jordan Zietz and Holmes whilst Ha, Papps and Minuzzo were always threatening near goal. Brayden Kain with six goals stood out for South along with O’Neil, Bronson Saffin, Harkness, Hein and Kourmouzis.

WEST GAMBIER 19-10 124 TOO STRONG FOR SOUTH GAMBIER 11-10 76

Millicent still searching for that elusive first win in 2019 were blown away by Casterton/Sandford by quarter time when the Cats blasted five goals to nil to lead by 34 points. Daniel Richardson and Dylan Ayton were chief beneficiaries of the ruck dominance of Will MacDonald as the Cats went further ahead in the second term as Millicent struggled to get on terms and trailing by 45 points. Casterton/Sandford hit a flat spot in the third quarter when Millicent held them goal-less whilst booting three but damage had been done. Defenders Tincknell and Smith were resolute and smal men Sam Willis and Harry Tunkin won kicks around the middle and half-forward. The Cats shook off the doldrums and piled on another five goals in the last quarter as Millicent faded and went on to win by 55 point and regain their place in the top four.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 14-15 99 OUTCLASSED MILLICENT 6-8 44

North Gambier regained some composure after two losses with a good win over rivals East Gambier. North made a good start with four early goals to lead by 11 points before East struck back. Gathering momentum in the second quarter East booted five goals to just one from North and the game took on a different complexion. Cooper was a constant threat around goals and the Scanlon brothers also goaled with positive attacking football from defence. North again looked vulnerable as the third quarter began with Rumbelow missing an easy shot at goal for East. North quickly regrouped with Ashby and Jordan Hatt combining for a goal and Dylan Munn popping one through after marking straight in front which surprisingly put North ahead. Matt Scanlon was playing well for East but they wasted several very good chances with bad kicking. North were now playing well and East gave away a 50m penalty on the wing but Hatt missed from close range. Another 50 m allowed McConnell to goal and North now had most of the play and were doing it confidently. Eldridge came into the game for East but a dreadful handpass gifted North a free. Veteran Scott Flett was on for North and he had an immediate impact in the ruck. North added 4 goals in the quarter and now held a 12 point lead. Play went back and forth in the last quarter before Buckley  kicked to McLennan for a goal to North but Cooper struck back for East as play tightened. East had several chances but only one was difficult and missed the lot only for North to regain the ascendancy through Sam Stafford who became the match-winner with 3 good goals after marking strongly which was a marked contrast to East when Rumbelow marked well but missed a sitter from 20m. Cooper goaled again for East but North replied when Brown snapped truly from long range. East could do no more and had kicked only two goals in the second half whilst North booted eight to win by 22 points after looking in trouble earlier. Sam Stafford with five goals was best for North along with Nic McInerney, Michael Telford, Tim McInerney, Hatt, Ashby and Buckley with a special mention to Scott Flett. Cooper was excellent for East and booted five goals, Nick Lock defended stoutly along with the Scanlon brothers, Eldridge and Rumbelow who would have been higher but for missing four easy shots at goal.

NORTH GAMBIER 13-12 90 DEFEATED EAST GAMBIER 9-14 68

Round 13 – August 3, 2019

West Gambier	2.5	10.7	15.8	19.10 (124)
South Gambier	2.2	5.3	8.5	11.10 (76)

Best: West – J. Williams, J. Lock, M. Minuzzo, G. Ha, L. Morton, J. Zeitz. South – B. Kain, B. O”Neil, T. Reid, B. Saffin, N. Kourmouzis, A. Harkness. Goals: West – G. Ha 4, T. Lewis 3, B. Papps 3, M. Minuzzo 3, J. Schapel, T. Holmes, J. Attard, D. Phillips , B. Wilson, J. Lock. South – B. Kain 6, T. Reid, B. Keding, M. Pratt, B. Saffin, B. O”Neil.

Millicent	0.1	2.3	5.7	6.8 (44)
Casterton Sandford	5.5	9.6	9.8	14.15 (99)

Best: Casterton – D. Richardson, D. Ayton, M. Cowland, W. Macdonald, J. Gibbs, B. Guthrie. Millicent – D. Tincknell, H. Tunkin, S. Willis, C. Williams, l. smith, N. Lang. Goals: Casteron – J. Gibbs 3, W. Macdonald 3, D. Ayton 2, K. Carlin 2, H. McCrae, D. Richardson, M. Killey, N. Georgiadis. Millicent – M. Reilly 2, F. Bradley, K. Varcoe, H. Tunkin, K. Bradley.

North Gambier	4.3	5.6	9.9	13.12 (90)
East Gambier	2.4	7.7	7.9	9.14 (68)

Best: North – S. Stafford, N. McInerney, M. Telford, T. McInerney, J. Hatt, M. Ashby. East – G. Cooper, N. Lock , M. Scanlon, M. Rumbelow, F. Scanlon, J. Eldridge. Goals: North – S. Stafford 5, J. Mcconnell 2, N. McInerney 2, H. Telford 2, N. Brown, D. Munn. East – G. Cooper 5, M. Rumbelow, F. Scanlon, M. Scanlon, M. Dempsey.

FIGHT FOR FINALS HOTS UP WITH TWO UPSETS IN WESTERN BORDER FOOTBALL

by Terry Wiloughby, July 28, 2019

Losses to both West and North Gambier have opened the premiership race in Western Border football and with South Gambier improving by the game the door is open for five of the six teams, only Millicent are out of it !

North Gambier, unimpressive winners last week less impressive losers this week despite the return of coach McConnell and key defender Jake Schutz. North had much more of the play in the first quarter but South hung on as North wasted chances with too much short kicking.

North maintained the lead throughout the first half with the ever dangerous McCconnell booting three goals and Kennedy doing well in the ruck but they again lost Schutz to injury and his long kicking was sorely missed. South started the third term positively and although trailing by 12 points suddenly had North in trouble with Mason Hein taking control at the stoppages and giving his on-ballers plenty of chances. South moved the ball quickly and penetrated North’s defence with longer kicking of which key forward Brayden Kain was chief recipient, in a purple patch of play he booted three goals as South surged to the lead.

They now had North on the ropes as players swarmed forward and the North defence was crumbling. South had turned the game on its head and raced to a 23 point lead before Nic McInerney scrambled a goal late in the quarter. South still had all the momentum and held North to a solitary goal in the last quarter whilst Kain added to his tally to finish with five. Best for South were Hein in the ruck, Kain, O’Neil, Todd Reid and Tentye along with feisty Brent Howard. North’s better players were in defence but they looked slow and unable to plug the holes that appeared when Schutz was lost. Shepherdson, Ashby and Buckley tried hard but kicked short and indirectly too often which made life difficult for their forwards. The win gives South a handy buffer and confidence boost come finals, North have some hard thinking to do!

SOUTH GAMBIER 11-10 76 OUTPLAYED NORTH GAMBIER 8-4 52

East Gambier had a tough battle against winless Millicent in the first half with only two goals separating the teams at half-time but that was the end of the contest as far as Millicent were concerned. East took control of the game in the third quarter when they added four goals to nil with on-baller Dawe, Tully Balshaw and McKeon winning handsomely at the stoppages. Millicent’s lack of fitness and leg-speed became more evident as the game wore on. East continued to press home their advantage in the last quarter and punished Millicent’s lack of skill at every opportunity. The over-rated Rumbelow finished with five goals for East and Jack Dawe four as East went on to win easily by 59 points.

EAST GAMBIER 15-14 104 DEFEATED AN INEPOINT MILLICENT 6-9 45

West Gambier looked to have overcome last week’s shock loss when they booted five goals without a miss to lead Casterton/Sandford by five points at quarter time. With Dwayne Phillips doing well across the midfiled and Tomas Zietz racking up plenty of possessions West looked good but were about to be stunned. Will MacDonald controlled the ruck and marked strongly around the ground with on-baller Kyle Carlin  and gathering kicks at the stoppages the Cats stopped Wests momentum almost completely. Casterton/Sandford added 3 goals keeping West goal-less before halftime to hit the front by 13 points.

West struggled to go forward in the third quarter where Nesbitt defended strongly for Casterton/Sandford. Dylan Ayton was another for the Cat’s that West couldn’t contain and he drove them forward whenever in possession and West were able to kick only one goal in the middle quarters. Whilst Casterton/Sandford booted seven and led by 34 points.  West did a little better in the final quarter but the damage had been done and Casterton/Sandford’s finals hopes were well and truly alive after the 21 point win.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 12-6 78 TOO GOOD WEST GAMBIER 9-3 57   

Round 12 – July 27, 2019

South Gambier	2.1	4.4	9.9	11.10 (76)
North Gambier	3.2	6.4	7.4	8.4 (52)

Best:   South – M. Hein, B. Kain, L. Foran, B. O”Neil, T. Reid, J. Tentye. North – B. Shepherdson, T. Bruhn, M. Ashby, J. Stafford, C. Buckley, S. Stafford. Goals: South – B. Kain 5, T. Reid, J. Tentye, C. Munro, B. Saffin, B. Howard, L. Foran. North – J. Mcconnell 4, F. Marshall, N. Brown, T. McLennan, N. McInerney

Casterton Sandford	4.1	7.2	11.5	12.6 (78)
West Gambier	5.0	5.1	6.1	9.3 (57)

Best:   Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, K. Carlin, D. Ayton, T. Nesbitt, B. Guthrie, D. Richardson. West – D. Phillips , T. Zeitz, J. Pfitzner, M. Minuzzo. Goals: Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 5, K. Carlin 2, H. Jarrad, T. Sullivan, T. Malone, R. Killey, J. Carlin

1. West – L. Bradley-Brown 2, J. Schapel 2, J. Williams, A. Pfitzner, S. Zeitz, J. Attard, B. Wilson

East Gambier	2.6	7.8	11.10	15.14 (104)
Millicent	2.3	5.5	5.6	6.9 (45)

Best:   East – M. Rumbelow, J. Dawe, J. McKeon, T. Balshaw, R. Janeway, K. Rodis. Millicent – D. Tincknell, F. Bradley, J. Walker, C. Gysbers, K. Varcoe, A. Watts. Goals: East Gambier – M. Rumbelow 5, J. Dawe 4, S. Balshaw 3, M. Kieselbach, J. McKeon, K. Thomson. Millicent – L. Smith 2, P. Duncan 2, J. Grimes, H. Armfield

WEST SUFFER SECOND DEFEAT AT HANDS OF EAST

Terry Willoughby – July 22, 2019

East Gambier may have been lucky to defeat West Gambier in the opening round but that was not the case on this occasion! Playing at home where the strong winds were not as bad as other grounds East with Scanlon, Shem Balshaw and Mark Keiselbach kicking goals and ruffling oponents went to an early lead. West goaled early in the second term but they were not the smooth moving team of earlier rounds and East maintained a strong grip on the game with Forster around the mid-field constantly under notice and Jake Dempsey in defence doing well. East pressed on in the third quarter with three valauble goals in a low scoring game and West could not find a winner in their forward line. The lead had blown out to 40 points in East’s favour entering the last quarter and West now had an opportunity to show why they were the top team but East continued to tackle strongly and harass them at every contest. East went on to win by 34 points and suggested that they were still a contender for the premiership. West Gambier will no doubt regroup and bounce back.

EAST GAMBIER 10-11 71 GOOD WINNERS OVER WEST GAMBIER 5-7 37

Millicent may be winless so far in 2019 but their form has fluctuated between poor and threatening and it threatened against North Gambier. North were in front from the start but Millicent showed that they could still cause some damage with Jonah Grimes leading the way in the ruck. Whilst North always looked steadier and better skilled when they had the ball Millicent forced enough errors to stay in touch. Shepherdson in defence was a good player for North along with the elusive Moretti in attack whilst Nic McInerney did well around the stoppages. Youngsters Sam Willis with five goals and Harry Tunkin with two caused some headaches for Millicent although North had extended their lead to 19 points. Milicent tried to get on terms but North held them out to win by 10 points. Weather conditions had made it a hard day for football.

NORTH GAMBIER 11-9 75 DEFEATED MILLICENT 9-11 65

South Gambier, needing a win to stay in final’s contention, kicked with the persistently strong wind which was worth at least four goals and that is what they kicked whilst Casterton/Sandford kicked an extremely valuable one against it! Would the Cats be able to make better use of the wind or could South restrict them was the big question. Casterton/Sandford quickly erased the deficit to draw almost level but South, using the ball wisely, tacked into the wind and goaled twice to be in front at the long break by seven points. Small defender Kaleb Bowd was very good for South and turned back many Casterton/Sandford attacks whilst ruckman Mason Hein was bettering his opposite ruckman in MacDonald. South again surged clear with four goals in the third quarter with Bret O’Neil, Jake Tentye and Brent Howard heavily involved around the stoppages and mid-field. South now led by 33 points at the last change. Casterton/Sandford attacked relentlessly but South forced them wide and held them up repeatedly. The Cats accuracy failed with only two goals from eight scoring shots and whilst South were scoreless they held on to win by 15 points and jump into fourth spot displacing Casterton/Sandford.

SOUTH GAMBIER 10-11 71 IN A HARD FOUGHT BATTLE CASTERTON/SANDFORD 8-8 56

Round 11 – July 20, 2019

South Gambier	4.2	6.3	10.11	10.11 (71)
Casterton Sandford	1.0	5.2	6.2	8.8 (56)

Best:  South – K. Bowd, M. Hein, B. O”Neil, J. Tentye, B. Howard. Casteron Sandford – M. Cowland, D. Richardson, L. Kelson, K. Carlin, G. Widdicombe, H. Carlin. Goals: South – J. Tentye 2, B. Exelby 2, T. Reid, B. Saffin, R. Timms, A. Harkness, B. Glynn, B. O”Neil. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 2, D. Richardson, R. Killey, T. Sullivan, D. Wombwell, G. Parsons, K. Carlin

East Gambier	4.1	6.5	9.8	10.11 (71)
West Gambier	1.0	3.3	3.4	5.7 (37)

Best:  East – J. Forster, M. Scanlon, M. Dempsey, S. Balshaw, P. Hatch, J. McKeon. West – G. Ha, S. Zeitz, T. Lewis, N. Taylor, L. Morton, K. Giddings. Goals: East – S. Balshaw 4, M. Kieselbach 3, M. Scanlon 3. West – G. Ha 2, B. Papps, T. Lewis, B. Wilson

Millicent	3.3	4.5	7.7	9.11 (65)
North Gambier	4.4	6.6	10.8	11.9 (75)

Best:  North – B. Shepherdson, N. McInerney, H. Telford, N. Moretti, M. Telford, M. Ashby. Millicent – J. Grimes, F. Bradley, S. Willis, D. Tincknell, J. Walker, H. Tunkin. Goals: North – N. Moretti 3, M. Telford 2, J. Stafford 2, F. Marshall, N. McInerney, T. Gould, C. Schultz. Millicent – S. Willis 5, H. Tunkin 2, H. Smith, P. Duncan

WEST GAMBIER REDUCE MILLICENT TO A RABBLE

Terry Willoughby, July 7, 2019

In bright sunshine West Gambier showed why they are the top team in the WBFL. Kicking with a two or three goal breeze they sliced their way through the Millicent defence like a hot knife through butter. The Westerners piled on 8 goals to nil from Millicent and the game looked more like skills session on a Tuesday night. Playing attacking football they kicked longer and penetrated the Millicent backline easily, some much so that un-notable goal -kicker Dylan Walsh booted three. In the second term Millicent tried to apply the same kicking method as West, the only problem being that they repeatedly kicked to the West defenders who raced it to the other end to extend the lead to 60 points. Third verse same as the first as West piled on the goals with little opposition, 7 to one in fact with Papps and Attard the major contributors. West strolled through the last quarter with an additional four goals whilst Millicent also booted four.  The Zietz brothers were all effective players for West along with Phillips, Papps with six goals and Holmes. Millicent’s best were Sam Willis, Frazer Bradley and Dylan Bromley and Joe Walker who should have been taught to kick by his mother not his father!

WEST GAMBIER 23-16 154 DEMOLISHED MILLICENT 8-10 58 

Second-placed North Gambier needed some-one to step up and kick goals in place of injured coach Justin McConnell and Matthew McInerney did just that! He booted eight goals with a mixture ball-handling magic and ballet like foot skills. North charged to an early lead and were never threatened. They out-scored Casterton/Sandford in every quarter bar the last but it was all over bar the shouting by then. Casterton/Sandford have had an indifferent season with injuries and lack of players taking their toll. Nic McInerney and Fraser Marshall outplayed their opposition in the mid-field and at the stoppages along with Michael Telford. Casterton/Sandford were reduced to chasing most of the game with Tom Sullivan, Ben Guthrie and Ayton doing most of it! North allowed the Cats in for five last quarter goals but they were thinking of showers by then!

NORTH GAMBIER 18-6 114 EASILY OVER CASTERTON/SANDFORD 10-12 72

South Gambier need to cause an upset if they are to play in finals but wasn’t about to happen against third placed East Gambier. It was a hard fought battle by a team full of youngsters against a more hardened outfit. South continually forced East into error but couldn’t make it pay on the scoreboard. East were in front at every change but never by so much that they were safe. The game was marred by a serious looking incident that resulted in a long delay during the third quarter when South’s Nic Jenkin was laid low and taken to hospital. East recovered best from the delay and four third quarter goals gave them a 27 point lead. South had plenty of chances but turned the ball over on numerous occasions. All the sting went out of the game in the last quarter as East extended their lead to 40 points. Matt Scanlon booted four goals for East with Lock, Eldridge and Dawe among the better players. South’s lack of a potent forward shows out with on-baller Jake Tentye their best player and only multiple goal-kicker with two. Other battlers were youngsters Bowd, Reid and Kourmouzis.

EAST GAMBIER 12-12 84 TOO STRONG SOUTH GAMBIER 6-8 44    

Round 10 – June 6, 2019

South Gambier	1.1	3.2	5.5	6.8 (44)
East Gambier	2.5	5.7	9.8	12.12 (84)

Best:  East – N. Lock , J. Eldridge, J. Dawe, L. Thomson, T. Balshaw, M. Scanlon. South – J. Tentye, T. Reid, B. Saffin, K. Bowd, N. Kourmouzis. Goals: East – M. Scanlon 4, K. Thomson 3, J. Dawe 2, J. Clayton, P. Hatch, G. Janeway. South – J. Tentye 2, T. Reid, C. Munro, B. Howard, B. Exelby

Casterton Sandford	2.2	4.5	5.7	10.12 (72)
North Gambier	6.2	11.3	16.5	18.6 (114)

Best:   North – M. McInerney, N. McInerney, F. Marshall, T. Gould, J. Stafford, D. Kenny. Casterton Sandford – T. Sullivan, B. Guthrie, H. McCrae, D. Ayton, D. Richardson, H. Carlin. Goals: North – M. McInerney 8, S. Stafford 3, M. Telford 2, S. Flett 2, T. Gould, J. Stafford, N. Blachut. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 2, J. Gibbs 2, B. Guthrie 2, D. Richardson 2, J. Searle, G. Widdicombe

West Gambier	8.7	12.11	19.13	23.16 (154)
Millicent	–	3.5	4.7	8.10 (58)

Best:  West – M. Minuzzo, G. Ha, D. Phillips , J. Zeitz, B. Papps, D. Walsh. Millicent – D. Bromley, F. Bradley, S. Willis, K. Varcoe, J. Walker, B. Shanks. Goals: West – B. Papps 6, J. Attard 4, D. Walsh 3, T. Zeitz 3, G. Ha 2, J. Schapel, J. Zeitz, T. Lewis, J. Williams, T. Holmes. Millicent – S. Willis 2, J. Grosser 2, H. Smith, D. Bromley, P. Duncan, N. Lang

ALL GAMES PLAYED IN HEAVY RAIN AFTER EARLY STORMS

by Terry Willoughby, June 30, 2019

South Gambier sank any hopes of a Millicent win with a 24 point win over the reigning premier. A good start was imperative in the heavy conditions and it was South with a couple of suitable wet-weather players who slogged their way to an early lead. Bronson Saffin and Brent Howard may have struggled in good conditions but these were tailor-made and South were three goals up at quarter time. Millicent scored the only goal of the second quarter but South’s halftime lead of 11 points could have been ten goals in the heavy going. The third quarter has been Millicent’s Achilles heel most of the season and it proved so again as South charged further ahead with 3 goals to nil and held a match-winning 29 point lead. Saffin and Howard relished the conditions along with defender Nic Jenkins and on-baller Jake Tentye. That Millicent had been under siege all day and they had no forwards capable of goals, only one in three quarters. wasn’t going to cut it! The last quarter again produced only a solitary goal, ironically for Millicent but South had their third win of the season wrapped up by then and Millicent remain winless and anchored to the bottom.

SOUTH GAMBIER 6-8 44 OVER A WATER-LOGGED MILLICENT 2-8 20

Top teams North and West Gambier slogged out the battle of Vansittart Park in continuous rain and wind. Scoring was minimal with West registering the only goal of the first quarter to lead by 7 points. You could be excused for thinking there had been a break in the weather as West booted a match-winning 4 goals in the second term. North had lost coach Justin McConnell to injury but it made little difference as West won around the midfield and stoppages through Minuzzo, Dwayne Phillips and Brad Wilson. The play was anything like two top teams should produce but the persistent and sometimes heavy rain put paid to that. North needed goals badly and got two and missed several other chances but West made the most of their forward moves and put through 3 to lead by 26 points at three quarter-time. West had been a quicker around the stoppages and their ball use was better than North. That North outscored West in the last quarter didn’t lessen their efforts and the 15 point win put them on top of the ladder with a distinct advantage in skill and teamwork.

WEST GAMBIER 9-6 60 TOO GOOD FOR NORTH GAMBIER 6-9 45

Casterton/Sandford needed a win to secure their spot in the top four and they started positively with Ayton and MacDonald having a hand in many moves. The Cats moved the ball quickly and exposed holes in the East defence to lead by 11 points. East started to get on top in the second term when rain continued to fall and on-ballers Janeway, Dawe and McKeon were prominent. Casterton/Sandford’s earlier work rate dropped away as East kicked 4 goals to one to lead by 5 points. East continued to control the play in the third quarter and gained a healthy break with 4 goals. The Cats were struggling to stay in touch despite the efforts of Ayton, MacDonald and Sullivan. East led by 25 points entering the last quarter and appeared likely winners. The Cats made a determined bid to shake them and booted four goals to get back in the game but East always seemed in control and steadied to win by 11 points.

EAST GAMBIER 10-11 71 OUTLASTED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 9-6 60           

Round 9 – June 29, 2019

East Gambier	1.4	5.4	9.7	10.11 (71)
Casterton Sandford	3.3	4.5	5.6	9.6 (60)

Best: East – G. Janeway , S. Balshaw, J. Dawe, T. Balshaw, J. McKeon, M. Kieselbach. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton, W. Macdonald, T. Sullivan, M. Killey, K. Carlin, R. Killey. Goals: East – M. Scanlon 3, K. Thomson 2, J. Dawe, J. Eldridge, T. Balshaw, G. Janeway , M. Willson. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 3, W. Macdonald 2, T. Sullivan, G. Parsons, H. Jarrad, M. Killey

Millicent	0.2	1.5	1.8	2.8 (20)
South Gambier	3.2	3.4	6.7	6.8 (44)

Best:  South – B. Saffin, B. Howard, N. Jenkin, J. Tentye, T. Saffin. Millicent – D. Tincknell, J. Walker, J. Grosser, B. Gibbs, K. Varcoe, J. Grimes. Goals: South – E. Marks 2, B. Kain, N. Kourmouzis, D. Stratford, J. Tentye. Millicent – M. Reilly, S. Willis

North Gambier	0.2	1.5	3.9	6.9 (45)
West Gambier	1.3	5.4	8.5	9.6 (60)

Best:  West – M. Minuzzo, D. Phillips , B. Wilson, T. Lewis, J. Pfitzner. North – C. Schultz, J. Hollitt, B. Kennedy, D. Kenny, N. McInerney, F. Marshall. Goals: West – B. Papps 3, D. Phillips 2, J. Schapel, B. Wilson, M. Minuzzo, J. Attard. North – N. Blachut 2, D. Munn, D. Kenny, N. Brown, T. McLennan

NORTH AND WEST CONTINUE ON TOP BUT MILLICENT MISS CHANCE TO BREAK ICE IN ROUND EIGHT

By Terry Willoughby – June 24, 2019

Millicent’s horrendous losing streak looked under threat when they went goal for goal with Casterton/Sandford in the first half, trailing by just two points. Dylan Bromley continued his recent good form and he had support from Frazer Bradley, Sam Willis and defender Tincknell. The second half was a different story, it has been a disastrous area for Millicent in 2019 and so it proved again as Casterton/Sandford poured on the goals as Millicent wilted. The Cats were purring nicely with a 43 point lead after the nine goal burst. Will Macdonald led with the way with four goals and Tom Sullivan picked up many possessions all over the ground, Hamish McCrae’s strong marking was also a big factor. Millicent were held scoreless in the final quarter as Casterton/Sandford added three to run out easy winners by 64 points.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 18-11 OVER-RAN MILLICENT 8-7 55

Injury riddled South Gambier gave West Gambier a hard-time in the first quarter, holding them to a solitary goal but were unable to make anything of their own opportunities. Coach Brett Exelby was playing his first game since the 2015 grand final but it was more a move of desperation than anything else. The arm wrestle continued in the second term but West were now getting more freedom around the stoppages and midfield and goals to Sam Zietz, Schapel and Attard gave West a 24 point lead before Jake Tentye drew the Bronx cheers with South’s first just before half-time. West continued to call the tune in the third quarter although South never conceded an easy kick. Tentye again registered South’s second goal but the margin was 46 points at the last change. The pattern of play was much the same in the last quarter as West Gambier went on to win easily by 60 points. Best for West were Tom  Zietz, Tom Holmes on the ball, Minuzzo, Bradley-Brown and Pfitzner in defence. Mason Hein in the ruck, Tentye, Harkness and Taylor Saffin battled hard for south.

WEST GAMBIER 11-14 80 OUTCLASSED SOUTH GAMBIER 2-8 20

East gambier challenged strongly in the first quarter and trailed by just six points at quarter time. the inclusion of 2005 Magarey medallist Jeremy Clayton was of little consequence for East, he looked out of condition and rusty in  the skill department. North edged further in front with Brett Kennedy dominating in the ruck and around the ground, he gave his on-ballers Marshall and Nic McInerney an armchair ride. Two early thir^d quarter goals to North gave them a 30 point lead but East dug-in and responded with two of their own to stay in touch but that was as close as they would get. The lights were on in the gathering gloom in the last quarter and North goaled early but East again replied. Kennedy again stepped up for North and in a mini-burst he goaled along and with McConnell, McLennan after a well-judged mark and Dylan Munn. East struggled to go forward as Schutz and Shepherdson intercepointed expertly. The margin had blown out to 42 points as the siren mercifully ended East’s misery. Kennedy, Munn, McInerney all starred for North ahead of Marshall, Schutz and Shepherdson. Kev Thomson was East’s only effective player ahead of centre and he booted 5 goals, Lock and Eldridge battled hard. North were better skilled and drilled, they used the open spaces to great advantage to outclass East Gambier.

NORTH GAMBIER 15-12 102 TOO GOOD FOR EAST GAMBIER 9-6 60

Round 8 – June 22, 2019

South Gambier	0.1	1.2	2.4	2.8 (20)
West Gambier	1.2	5.11	8.14	11.14 (80)

Best:   West – T. Zeitz, T. Holmes, M. Minuzzo, L. Bradley-Brown, J. Pfitzner, J. Zeitz. South –  B. Saffin, M. Hein, J. Tentye, A. Harkness, T. Saffin, B. Howard. Goals: West – J. Schapel 3, J. Attard 2, S. Zeitz 2, G. Ha, J. Lock, B. Wilson, L. Bradley-Brown. South – J. Tentye 2

Casterton Sandford	3.4	6.6	15.8	18.11 (119)
Millicent	1.2	6.4	8.7	8.7 (55)

Best:   Casterton Sandford – T. Sullivan, H. McCrae, J. Gibbs, D. Povey, T. Nesbitt, T. Malone. Millicent – D. Bromley, F. Bradley, D. Tincknell, S. Willis, M. Withers, H. Reilly. Goals: Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald 4, D. Richardson 2, J. Gibbs 2, D. Ayton, J. Boulton, D. Povey, H. McCrae, T. Malone, R. Killey, T. Nesbitt, J. Carlin, D. Wombwell, J. Searle. Millicent – H. Smith 2, P. Duncan 2, M. Withers 2, M. Reilly, N. Lang

East Gambier	2.3	4.5	6.6	9.6 (60)
North Gambier	3.3	7.6	9.10	15.12 (102)

Best:   North – D. Munn, F. Marshall, N. McInerney, B. Kennedy, J. Schutz, B. Shepherdson. East – N. Lock , J. Eldridge, K. Thomson, T. Balshaw, P. Hatch, J. Dempsey. Goals: North – J. McConnell 4, T. McLennan 3, D. Munn 2, H. Telford 2, M. Ashby, F. Marshall, B. Kennedy, J. Stafford. East – K. Thomson 5, S. Balshaw, J. Clayton, J. Eldridge, R. Brewster

NO SURPRISES AS TOP SIDES MAINTAIN DOMINANCE

Terry Willoughby – June 17, 2019

West Gambier quickly put paid to any ideas Casterton/Sandford may have held about an upset by blasting six goals in each of the first two quarters to lead by 37 points at half-time. The Zietz brothers, Sam and Tom outclassed the opposition around mid-field and stoppages despite the valiant efforts of Will Macdonald in the ruck for the Cats. West easily repelled most Casterton/Sandford forward moves with good teamwork and better use of the ball which was a feature of the game from Reid Kuller back from some excellent games at Glenelg in SANFL, 30 metre tacking handball from half-back if you don’t mind!. Casterton/Sandford could only match West intermittently and but for two goals in a minute from Dylan Ayton in the third quarter they would have very little to enthuse about. West had many good players whilst Casterton/Sandford had few.

WEST GAMBIER 19-6 120 FAR TOO GOOD FOR CASTERTON/SANDFORD 9-8 62

Nnorth Gambier maintained their position at the top of the ladder with an easy 63 point win over rivals South Gambier. North held South goal-less in the first quarter whilst booting four themselves. Justin McConnell was already a constant danger to South defenders whether kicking goals or running his opponents ragged whilst others ran into open goal. North with more opointions ahead of centre used the ball better even if they sometimes overdid the short-passing but on the big ground South were unable to plug all the holes. South’s two goals just before half-time gave them some scoreboard credibility and had limited success as the margin remained the same. Kennedy in the ruck for North played well as did midfielders and on-ballers Marshall and Hamish Telford. South’s hard working youngsters Reid and Caleb Bowd stuck manfully to their task but mistakes and slowness further afield were costly. North kicked further ahead at the end with 4 goals to one with McConnell booting eight and Hamish Telford three. Maybe it is also about time that clubs recognise their coaches contributions and add them to the best player lists as well, that applies to all clubs!

NORTH GAMBIER 15-8 98 EASILY OVER SOUTH GAMBIER 5-5 35

What appeared something of a revival recently by 2018 premier Millicent vanished as quickly as it appeared when East Gambier ran away with an easy 55 point win. East booted five early goals with Eldridge and Forster winning strongly across the centre and Matt Scanlon and Tom Williams mopping up any leakage in defence. Millicent scarcely entered their forward line in the first half and trailed by seven goals entering the third quarter. Eeast also struggled with scoring as Millicent sought to get back in the game but only managed two goals and still trailed dismally. Bromley and the Bradley’s Frazer and Kade battled hard to limit the damage but East had more players contributing. Millicent again went goal-less in the last quarter whilst East booted three to win easily.

EAST GAMBIER 11-14 80 EASILY OVER MILLICENT 3-7 25     

Round 7 – June 15, 2019

South Gambier	0.1	2.3	4.5	5.5 (35)
North Gambier	4.3	9.4	11.6	15.8 (98)

Best:  North – F. Marshall, B. Kennedy, B. Stafford, H. Telford, M. McInerney, C. Buckley. South – B. Saffin, M. Hein, T. Reid, K. Bowd, J. Tentye, T. Saffin. Goals: North – J. McConnell 8, H. Telford 3, M. McInerney 2, D. Munn, T. Gould. South – T. Reid 2, B. Kain 2, S. Fleming

West Gambier	6.2	12.3	16.5	19.6 (120)
Casterton Sandford	3.0	6.2	9.5	9.8 (62)

Best:   West – T. Zeitz, S. Zeitz, L. Bradley-Brown, R. Kuller, M. Minuzzo, J. Attard. Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, J. Boulton, L. Kelson, M. Cowland, H. Carlin, T. Sullivan. Goals: West – J. Attard 4, G. Ha 2, J. Coombe 2, J. Williams 2, B. Papps 2, K. Giddings, Z. Kuller, T. Holmes, T. Lewis, M. Minuzzo, R. Kuller, J. Schapel. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 3, R. Killey 2, W. Macdonald 2, T. Sullivan, J. Carlin

Millicent	0.1	1.3	3.6	3.7 (25)
East Gambier	5.2	8.3	8.7	11.14 (80)

Best:   East – J. Eldridge, K. Thomson, J. Forster, M. Scanlon, T. Williams, M. Rumbelow. Millicent – D. Bromley, F. Bradley, K. Varcoe, D. Tincknell, K. Bradley, A. Dickenson. Goals: East – P. Hatch 2, K. Thomson 2, R. Brewster 2, M. Rumbelow 2, G. Cooper 2, J. Dawe. Millicent –  H. Smith, F. Bradley, S. Willis

TOP TWO NOW A GAME CLEAR IN AS CASTERTON/SANDFORD SNEAK INTO FOUR

Terry Willoughby – June 2, 2019

South Gambier paid a high price for their goal-less first quarter when Casterton/Sandford booted five and condemned South to playing catch-up football for the rest of the game. The Cat’s form has scarcely been convincing all season but players returning from injury helped their cause. Josh Searle stood out for Casterton/Sandford and they held South Gambier to a solitary goal in the first half. South made a better fist of play in the third quarter with Scott Fleming, Bronson Saffin and Nic Jenkin lifting and youngster Brock Keding having some impact. Both teams added two goals but play was nothing to write home about with Casterton still 43 points up. South continued to battle hard and restricted the Cats and booted three goals to nil. They had at least been competitive in the secondhalf but it was all over before that.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 10-9 69 TOO GOOD FOR SOUTH GAMBIER 6-9 45

East Gambier, last gasp winners against West Gambier earlier in the season looked to see whether they could repeat that win when the led by just three points at quarter time. West had looked good early but turned the ball over too easily and East made them pay. Rumbelow, much vaunted and back after injury had goaled but that was his only contribution! West took control in the secondquarter and banged on six goals to one and were on top in just about every position on the ground. It was only the efforts of Matt Scanlon and Jayden Eldridge for East that prevented the margin from being greater. East had no forwards and played more in hope than with any precision. West led by 30 points at half time and looked in no danger. They had been quicker, tackled harder and used the ball better. Scoring fell away in the third quarter but West continued to control the play with the margin out to 36 points at the last change. East could do no better and had been outplayed comprehensively with West winning by 41 points. There were no after the final siren heroics this time. Papps with 4 goals was best for West Gambier ahead of Giddings, Attard, Jordan Zietz and Lewis. Better players for East were harder to find but Eldridge, Matt Scanlon and Matt Wilson tried hard.

WEST GAMBIER 12-12 84 EASY WINNERS OVER EAST GAMBIER 6-7 43

Could Millicent repeat last week’s bold and improved showing and get them their first win in 2019 was the question? North Gambier, on top of the ladder and without coach and leading goal-kicker Justin McConnell may have been vulnerable??  It was not to be, North were quickly on the offensive with another returning player in Nick Moretti causing problems near goal and Tom McLennan also in good touch. North booted five goals in the opening quarter but Millicent stayed reasonably close with two and trailed by 17 points. Scoring was more difficult in  the secondterm with both teams battling tough defensive tactics with North ahead by 23 points. Scoring was even in the third quarter and North couldn’t quite shake Millicent off and the margin was slightly reduced to 22 at three quarter time. Millicent struggled when going forward with Schutz and Tim McInerney shutting down many Millicent moves. Hamish Telford in the mid-field had been a winner for North and his 2 goals midway through the last quarter sealed Millicent’s fate as the margin blew out to 42 points. Moretti booted five goals in his return and McLennan four for North. Jonah Grimes was Millicent’s best but Bromley was among their better players for the first time this year.

NORTH GAMBIER 15-7 97 TOO GOOD FOR MILLICENT 8-7 55

Round 6 – June 1, 2019

Casterton Sandford	5.1	8.3	10.6	10.9 (69)
South Gambier	0.1	1.1	3.5	6.9 (45)

Best:   Casterton Sandford – J. Searle, G. Widdicombe, M. Cowland, B. Guthrie, J. Carlin. South Gambier – S. Fleming, B. Keding, B. Saffin, N. Jenkin, J. Tentye. Goals: Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 3, W. Macdonald 3, R. Killey 3, J. Searle. South Gambier – B. Kain 2, T. Reid, J. Tentye, A. Harkness, K. Jones

East Gambier	3.0	4.1	5.4	6.7 (43)
West Gambier	2.3	8.7	10.10	12.12 (84)

Best:  West Gambier – B. Papps, K. Giddings, J. Attard, J. Williams, S. Wenman, T. Lewis. East Gambier – J. Eldridge, T. Balshaw, R. Brewster, G. Janeway , M. Scanlon, F. Scanlon. Goals: West – B. Papps 4, J. Attard 3, J. Schapel 2, G. Ha, S. Zeitz, T. Holmes. East – J. Dawe 3, M. Rumbelow, M. Scanlon, M. Willson

North Gambier	5.0	7.2	11.4	15.7 (97)
Millicent	2.1	3.3	7.6	8.7 (55)

Best:   North – H. Telford, T. McLennan, M. Telford, J. Hollitt, B. Kennedy, C. Buckley. Millicent – D. Bromley, J. Grimes, F. Bradley, J. Walker, D. Tincknell, K. Bradley. North – N. Moretti 5, T. McLennan 4, H. Telford 2, M. McInerney 2, N. McInerney, N. Brown. Millicent – F. Bradley 2, Z. Mcguinness, M. Reilly, P. Duncan, K. Bradley, L. Smith

NO SURPRISES WITH THE TOP THREE NOW TWO GAMES CLEAR OF THE REST

Terry Willoughby – May 27, 2019

Injury riddled Casterton/Sandford were no match for North Gambier who were in control from the opening bounce. With coach McConnell not in his usual goal-kicking best form somebody else had to step up and this was recently returned Matt McInerney, the antagonistic and enigmatic small forward. He booted seven goals and probably let his opponents know all about it! North were never threatened by the Cats who were seriously under-manned but also played with little passion or system. North led by 49 points at half-time and the game became as interesting as watching paint dry. Rarely challenged, North added another 6 goals in the third quarter before coasting to an 86 point win. The clever, quick and skilled, and noisy Matt McInerney was best with seven goals ahead of consistent Hamish Telford and Charles “Snoopy” Schultz. Casterton/Sandford needing a win badly had only battlers and even they turned the ball over too easily.

NORTH GAMBIER 19-7 121 CRUSHED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 5-5 35

West Gambier, impressive winners last week, were seriously challenged by the extremely disappointing Millicent who had been winless so far, and still are! West bounced out to a three goal lead by quarter time and all looked much the same for Millicent. Lawrence Bradley-Brown on the ball and under-rated Tom Zietz were influential for West and small forwards Attard and Schapel looked dangerous. Millicent, who have rolled over ingloriously so far in 2019, now showed a bit more fight with Jonah Grimes leading the way at the ball-ups and around the ground they matched West at the one on one contests and fared marginally better on the scoreboard although they were still 14 points in arrears. With defenders Joe Walker and coach Lyndon Smith having good games and big Mitch Reilly looming at full forward the Saints closed the margin to 9 points at three quarter-time. West were now being challenged with many making little contribution and only Bradley-Brown, Zietz, Minuzzo relishing the contest. It was two goals apiece in the last quarter with West holding on to win by seven points. Millicent may have turned the corner but next week’s challenge is a tough one.

WEST GAMBIER 12-5 77 HELD OUT MILLICENT 10-10 70

The South Gambier youngsters led the way to a good win last week but East Gambier were ready and waiting for the resurgent Demons’. The bigger, stronger East players made life difficult for South who looked good in patches but could never sustain the effort. Giancarlo Cooper around the stoppages used his pace and ball-winning ability to advantage and bobbed around the goals when needed along with Brewster. South drew within three goals shortly after half-time but East responded and cleared out to a 33 point lead by three quarter-time. South could do no more and East added two more in an uninspiring last quarter to win by 48 points. South were scoreless in the final quarter.

EAST GAMBIER 12-10 82 EASY WINNERS OVER SOUTH GAMBIER 5-4 34

Round 5 – May 25, 2019

East Gambier	4.5	7.6	10.7	12.10 (82)
South Gambier	2.1	3.3	5.4	5.4 (34)

Best:  East – G. Cooper, R. Brewster, A. Waples, L. Thomson, J. Eldridge. South – B. Saffin, D. Stratford, C. Munro, C. Williams, K. Bowd. Goals: East – R. Brewster 3, G. Cooper 3, J. Dawe, K. Thomson, C. O”Dea, R. Janeway, J. Forster, S. Balshaw. South – K. Jones, J. Tentye, B. Kain, A. Harkness, B. Glynn

Millicent	2.2	5.6	8.7	10.10 (70)
West Gambier	5.2	8.2	10.4	12.5 (77)

Best:  West – L. Bradley-Brown, T. Zeitz, M. Minuzzo, J. Pfitzner, K. Giddings. Millicent – J. Grimes, J. Walker, M. Reilly, l. Smith, K. Bradley, P. Duncan. Goals: West – J. Williams 2, J. Attard 2, J. Schapel 2, G. Ha, M. Minuzzo, J. Lock, D. Robbins, B. Papps, B. Wilson. Millicent – M. Reilly 5, P. Duncan 3, S. Willis, K. Bradley

North Gambier	5.1	10.3	16.6	19.7 (121)
Casterton Sandford	0.2	2.2	3.4	5.5 (35)

Best:  North – M. McInerney, H. Telford, C. Schultz, M. Telford, N. McInerney, B. Stafford. Casterton Sandford – J. Carlin, W. Macdonald, D. Ayton, G. Widdicombe, H. Carlin, L. Kelson. Goals: North – M. McInerney 7, M. Telford 2, H. Telford 2, J. Schutz 2, T. McLennan 2, J. Hollitt, J. McConnell, F. Marshall, B. Stafford. Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, S. Broomby, H. McCrae, J. Boulton, R. Killey

NO UNDEFEATED TEAMS NOW IN AND MILLICENT CRASH AGAIN

Terry Willoughby – May 20, 2019

South Gambier, struggling for form and relevance after two heavy losses rebounded strongly to confound their detractors and outplay Millicent conclusively. After an even first quarter South Gambier, a team full of youngsters started to pull ahead of the winless reigning premiers. Entering the third quarter South held a handy but not substantial lead and now they exploded away with Todd Reid, Kyle Jones and other youngsters playing with great freedom and a rocketing confidence to put Millicent out for the count. Experienced players in full forward Brayden Kain joined in the action along with Tarca, who kicked the ball the wrong way last week but atoned now and Bronson Saffin who had been ordinary until now. Millicent had no answers and again looked unfit and somewhat disinterested in chasing a revved up South. It was all over as the last quarter started but South pressed on before easing up which allowed Millicent in for some token goals near the end. South Gambier big winners by 47 points and that left Millicent without a win since the 2018 Grand Final.

SOUTH GAMBIER 15-10 100 SMASHED MILLICENT 8-5 53

Casterton/Sandford looked set to upset East Gambier when they led through most of the first half. Ruckman Will MacDonald was the catalyst, winning handsomely at the stoppages and in the air gave the Cats the edge. Dylan Ayton capitalised on the play as Casterton/ Sandford ran to a 19 point lead at half-time. A rapid change came over the game in the third quarter when East Gambier were stung into action. They outran and out-played the Cats all over the ground and slammed on 9 goals to nil and the game changed dramatically with East now in front by 37 points. Matt Scanlon, Riley Janeway and Tully Balshaw led the way and other previously unsighted players came into the game. East didn’t relent and added another seven goals in the last quarter to the Cats four to win by 51 points.

EAST GAMBIER 21-8 134 SWAMPED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 12-11 83

The two top teams North and West Gambier went hard at it in a chase for victory. North had first use of the wind but failed to make good use of it and only led by six points. Goals were hard to get with the West defence making life tough for the North goal-kickers in McConnell and McLennan but poor delivery also contributed. Late in the second quarter West got on top through the ball-winning ability of Tom Holmes around the stoppages and Sam Zietz, three quick goals with Garrett Ha, Papps and Wenman prominent gave West a mini break and they led by 16 points. North again had use of the breeze but again couldn’t take advantage as West tackled strongly and won decisively at ground level. North kicked too short on many occasions and West punished them for it. A late flurry of goals to McConnell (two) and McLennan one saw North hit back to trail by just six points at the last change but West looked the much better team heading into the last quarter. Both teams sought early goals in the last and it was North who got one which levelled the scores at the seven minute mark. Suddenly they looked a chance but West upped the ante and when McConnell hit the post from close in West raced the play down-field to goal and the lead. West now proceeded to cut off most North moves and another goal from an impossible angle by Papps gave west a two goal buffer. North were now making disposal and decision errors as West goaled again to lead by 18 points in the dying stages. Better players for West were Holmes, Minuzzo, Pfitzner in defence, Garrett Ha and Sam Zietz. North struggled for sustained best with Hamish Telford, Jake Schutz, Marshall and Sam Stafford trying hard.

WEST GAMBIER 10-9 69 AFTER A BATTLE NORTH GAMBIER 7-9 51

Round 4 – May 18, 2019

South Gambier	15.10	(100)
Millicent	8.5	(53)

Best: South Gambier – T. Reid, N. Tarca, J. Tentye, B. Saffin, S. Fleming, B. Keding. Millicent – J. Grimes, S. Willis, l. smith, K. Varcoe, P. Duncan, K. Bradley. Goals: South Gambier – B. Kain 5, T. Reid 3, K. Jones 2, C. Munro, B. Saffin, B. Keding, K. Bowd, A. Harkness. Millicent – S. Willis 3, Z. Bradley 2, P. Duncan 2, D. Tincknell

Casterton Sandford	3.2	8.6	8.8	12.11 (83)
East Gambier	3.0	5.5	14.7	21.8 (134)

Best: East Gambier – M. Scanlon, R. Janeway, T. Balshaw, R. Brewster, G. Cooper, T. Williams. Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, D. Ayton, J. Carlin, J. Gibbs, T. Malone, B. Guthrie. Goals: East Gambier – K. Thomson 5, R. Brewster 3, M. Willson 3, G. Cooper 3, M. Scanlon 2, M. Dempsey 2, R. Janeway, J. McKeon, J. Nunan. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 4, N. Georgiadis 2, J. Boulton 2, S. Broomby, J. Searle, J. Gibbs, G. Widdicombe

West Gambier	1.2	5.7	7.7	10.9 (69)
North Gambier	2.2	3.3	6.7	7.9 (51)

Best: West – T. Lewis, T. Holmes, M. Minuzzo, J. Pfitzner, J. Coombe, G. Ha. Goals: West – G. Ha 3, B. Papps 3, S. Wenman, T. Holmes, J. Schapel, K. Giddings

SOUTH GAMBIER SUFFER SECOND CRUSHING DEFEAT FROM WEST GAMBIER

by Terry Willoughby, May 13, 2019

South Gambier would have been looking to bounce back after being humbled on ANZAC Day but it wasn’t to be ! Their first quarter wasn’t too bad when they trailed West by just five points but it went downhill from there. West were not too convincing either but South made some poor choices with ball in hand, they kicked short when should have kicked long and vice versa, wide when they should been direct. West weren’t able to capitalise on the mistakes until late in the second quarter when Lewis marked and got the Bronx cheers as he had spilled several easy marks earlier, his goal opened the flood gates and West quickly raced to a 39 point lead. South lost Taylor Saffin to a heavy knock but it made little difference. The third quarter was very much all West’s as the lead blew out beyond 10 goals before South posted their second and last goal of the game and another Bronx cheer ! The last quarter was a formality as West went to win very easily by 96 points. Bradley-Brown, Minuzzo and Tom Holmes racked up a stack of possessions for West, mostly against little opposition. South were let down badly by their older brigade whilst the youngsters in Bowd, Denton, Harkness and Hein tried hard throughout.

WEST GAMBIER 16-19 115 THRASHED SOUTH GAMBIER 2-7 19 

North Gambier carried on from thrashing South on ANZAC Day by putting the heat on East Gambier. They looked likely to win by a street when they led by more than five goals at quarter time with East goal- less. McConnell again loomed as the big danger at full forward for North but East slowly worked their way back into the contest during the second quarter and it was North’s turn to be goal-less, but in front by 14 points. The game closed right in in the third quarter as East turned the tables on North. Tully Balshaw, Jayden Eldridge and coach Matt Wilson were winning kicks around the stoppages and mid-field. East momentarily reached the lead midway through the quarter but North suddenly sprang to life with McConnell goaling to regain the lead. Two further goals stretched the margin 16 points at the last change and East’s challenge appeared to have petered out. McConnell goaled again early in the last quarter and North’s defence repelled every East attack until the siren. The Tigers kicked the last five goals of the game which suggests that East failed to run out the match. McConnell with seven goals was the stark difference in the teams whilst Hollitt, Hamish Telford, Nic McInerney and Michael Telford played well for North. East had no four quarter contributors with Tully Balshaw, Eldridge, Rodis and John Forster their best.

NORTH GAMBIER 12-10 82 TOO GOOD FOR EAST GAMBIER 7-6 48  

Rest of Round 3 – May 11, 2019

West Gambier	2.3	8.9	13.12	16.19 (115)
South Gambier	1.3	1.5	2.7	2.7 (19)

Best: West – L. Bradley-Brown, M. Minuzzo, T. Holmes, S. Zeitz, G. Ha. South – N. Kourmouzis, N. Jenkin, R. Timms, T. Reid, B. Keding, S. Fleming. Goals: West – J. Attard 4, T. Holmes 2, T. Lewis 2, D. Robbins 2, M. Minuzzo 2, G. Ha, L. Bradley-Brown, S. Zeitz, R. Kuller. South – B. Saffin, H. Capewell

North Gambier	5.3	5.6	9.9	12.10 (82)
East Gambier	0.1	3.4	7.5	7.6 (48)

Best: North – J. Hollitt, H. Telford, T. Bruhn, N. McInerney, M. Telford, J. Schutz. East – T. Balshaw, K. Rodis, J. Eldridge, J. Forster, S. Balshaw, L. Thomson. Goals; North – J. McConnell 7, D. Munn 2, M. Ashby, B. Kennedy, J. Schutz. East – K. Thomson 2, T. Balshaw 2, J. Dawe, M. Willson, S. Balshaw

MILLICENT PLUMMET TO THE BOTTOM OF WB LADDER STILL WINLESS IN 2019

by Terry Willoughby – May 6, 2019

Millicent and Casterton/Sandford both winless at the start of the round looked to get away from the bottom of the ladder and it was the Cats who got the cream with a 31 point win. Casterton/Sandford started positively and had the reigning premiers in trouble immediately, they led the Saints to the ball throughout and used the ball much more efficiently, playing on at every opportunity. Will MacDonald was winning the hit-outs and gave his on-ballers an armchair ride. The Cats were always on the attack and raced to a 21 point lead at quarter-time. Play became a lot more physical in the second term as Millicent battled to back in the game. Sam Willis was Millicent’s only effective forward but Casterton/Sandford maintained the lead before a melee disrupted play and the ensuing 50m penalty resulted in a goal. Tempers were boiling when Millicent’s Frazer Bradley was knocked out in an unsavoury incident and the resultant yellow card left Casterton/Sandford a man short. Play was held up for a considerable time before an ambulance took the stricken player from the ground. Millicent responded with a quick goal to trail by 13 points at halftime. Casterton/Sandford started well in the third quarter and quick goals saw the margin blow out to 32 points. Millicent were unable to make any impression on the Cats and defenders Dylan Tincknell and Steve Duldig were battling against enormous odds to keep the Saints in the contest. A late goal to Casterton/Sandford gave them a 40 point lead at three quarter-time. The ruck work of MacDonald aided by Carlin and Ayton stopped Millicent and despite three late goals the Cats won quite easily.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 11-10 76 TOO GOOD FOR MILLICENT 7-3 45

Round 3 – May 4, 2019

Millicent	2.1	4.3	4.3	7.3 (45)
Casterton Sandford	5.2	6.4	10.7	11.10 (76)

Best: Casterton Sandford – Justin  Carlin, Daniel Richardson, William Macdonald, Dylan Ayton, Hamish Jarrad, Thomas Sullivan. Millicent – Dylan Tincknell, Sam Willis, Steven Duldig, Finn Grimes, Kade Bradley, Joe Walker. Goals: Casterton Sandford – Dylan Ayton 2, Joshua Searle 2, Daniel Richardson 2, Sam Broomby 1, Justin  Carlin 1, Jackson Gibbs 1, Thomas Sullivan 1, Adam McKinnon 1. Millicent – Sam Willis 5, Hamish Smith 2

REIGNING PREMIERS GO DOWN AGAIN AND NORTH MAINTAIN ANZAC DAY SEQUENCE IN WBFL

Terry Willoughby – April 29, 2019

Millicent, last year’s premiers suffered a second loss in a row when East Gambier defeated them by 23 points. Looking very much unfit the Saints failed to score in the opening quarter although East Gambier were also less than impressive and only booted two goals to lead by 13 points. Millicent goaled early in the second term but East clearly had more of the play from there on and extended their lead to 26 points at half-time and it was difficult to see where Millicent could get back in the contest. Again the Saints started positively in the third quarter with quick goals but East counter attacked with Forster across half-back and Eldridge on the ball repeatedly showing out. The East lead was now 33 points at three quarter time and it looked all-over for Millicent. The Saints staged something of a recovery but poor finishing cost them dearly with only two goals from nine scoring shots which left them 23 points down at the final siren. East had been forced to defend grimly as Millicent surged forward time and again in the last quarter.

EAST GAMBIER 11-7 73 HELD ON AGAINST MILLICENT 7-8 50

 Casterton/Sandford and West Gambier, both narrow losers in the first round had a chance to atone but it was West who responded  better. Leading narrowly by just five points at quarter time they steadily gained the upperhand with Bradley-Brown and Holmes winning many possessions around the mid-field and stoppages. Ruckman Wil Macdonald was prominent for the Cats but had little support and West increased the margin to 15 points by half-time. It was clearly crunch-time for both teams but it was West who took control with Garrett Ha and Attard dangerous near goal and veteran defender Steve Wenman lurking forward at every opportunity. West booted five goals to two from Casterton/Sandford and now led by a substantial 34 points. The Cats were doing nothing to suggest that they could get back into the game and West again outscored them in the last quarter to win quite easily by 41 points.

WEST GAMBIER 13-12 90 EASILY DEFEATED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 7-7 49

The annual Anzac Day clash between North and South Gambier was a litmus test for the two powerhouse teams of the past 25 years who finished in unfamiliar positions at the bottom of the ladder in 2018. Both teams have former premiership coaches back in charge and each scored victories in round one, both probably unexpected. South kicked with a fluky breeze in the first quarter but North made the most of their scoring chances to lead by five points with Justin McConnell looking very dangerous up forward which forced a change on South. North quickly goaled in the second quarter and extended their lead beyond two goals but South regained some momentum and controlled most of the play approaching half-time with Liam Denton prominent and Bret O’Neil blocking North’s path to goal. South were constantly in attack but couldn’t buy a goal and six consecutive behinds allowed North to lead by 16 points. North again goaled quickly to start the third quarter with Hamish Telford winning many kicks across the mid-field along with Jenner and McLennan who relished the lack of attention. Taylor Saffin had done a good job in quelling the influence of Justin McConnell but North extended their lead to 33 points at three quarter-time. South began to unravel early in the last quarter with Brent Howard and Bronson Saffin both yellow carded for ill-timed undisciplined play. North were easily able to exploit the difference with players now without opponents and the South forwards in particular sometimes having multiple. North went on to win by 64 points but it is difficult to gauge how good they are in the circumstances.

WESTERN BORDER – Round 2

North Gambier	4.1	7.2	11.7	16.11 (107)
South Gambier	3.2	3.8	5.10	5.13 (43)

Best: North – H. Telford, B. Shepherdson, D. Munn, S. Stafford, J. Jenner, T. McLennan. South – T. Saffin, B. O”Neil, L. Denton, C. O’Reilley, S. Fleming. Goals: North – J. McConnell 7, T. McLennan 3, F. Marshall 2, N. Mark, J. Schutz, S. Stafford, N. McInerney. South – B. Kain 3, T. Reid, C. O’Reilley.

Casterton Sandford	2.3	3.4	5.5	7.7 (49)
West Gambier	3.2	5.7	10.9	13.12 (90)

Best: Casterton – W. Macdonald, B. Guthrie, M. Rogers, T. Malone, K. Carlin, T. Sullivan. West – L. Bradley-Brown, G. Ha, J. Attard, S. Wenman, T. Zeitz. Goals: Casterton – W. Macdonald 2, D. Richardson, J. Searle, J. Gibbs, N. Georgiadis, B. Guthrie. West – J. Attard 3, G. Ha 2, B. Papps 2, L. Bradley-Brown, T. Lewis, S. Wenman, J. Schapel, T. Holmes, D. Phillips.

East Gambier	2.1	6.2	10.4	11.7 (73)
Millicent	0.0	2.0	5.1	7.8 (50)

Best: East – J. Forster, M. Kieselbach, P. Hatch, J. Eldridge, T. Williams, J. Dawe. Millicent – F. Bradley, D. Tincknell, C. Reilly, K. Bradley, S. Duldig, F. Grimes. Goals: East – J. Eldridge 2, K. Thomson 2, J. Dawe, S. King, M. Willson, L. VanSchaik, S. Lock, R. Brewster, P. Hatch. Millicent – P. Duncan 3, N. Ash 2, D. Bromley, S. Willis.

TWO THRILLERS AND A MAULING OF THE PREMIERS IN OPENING ROUND

Terry Willoughby – April 15, 2019

Reigning premiers Millicent looked to have covered the loss of seven players when they traded goals with a North Gambier strengthened by the return of coach Justin McConnell. The lead changed hands often in the first half with neither team able gain a lead of more than a few points. At quarter time it was North by just three points but the pattern of play continued with the ball being transferred from end to end constantly and Millicent were in front by two points at half-time. League medallist Tom Hutchesson was continuing on from 2018 and defenders Tincknell and Walker were resisting strongly for Millicent. Nic McInerney, injury free and an unmolested Tom McLennan were playing well for North. The game changed remarkably after half-time when North went a goal scoring blitz and cut Millicent to pieces with a nine goal to one burst and the Millicent crowd were left stunned. McConnell was in electric form around the goals and had strong support from Telford and McInerney as North rocketed to an eight goal lead. A further four goals in the last quarter saw North run out easy winners by 64 points over the bedraggled and stunned Millicent, this just doesn’t happen to reigning premiers, does it!!

NORTH GAMBIER 19-9 123 WITH A BLISTERING SECOND HALF TROUNCED MILLICENT 8-11 59

Wooden-spooners in any year would look for improvement the next and South Gambier were looking for just that. With premiership coach Brett Exelby back in charge the Demons made Casterton/Sandford earn every possession. The Cats were in front almost all game but South were always in close touch but unable to get their efforts rewarded. Casterton/Sandford looked like the regular finalists that they have been with Searle always dangerous and the prolific Dylan Ayton winning many touches, youngster Gabe Parsons proving he was no slouch at this senior football lark. The Cats went a little further in front in the third quarter as South battled to stay in touch. Casterton/Sandford looked steadier with the experienced players in charge and led by 15 points at three quarter-time. They goaled early in the last quarter and looked set for comfortable but hard fought win. South, however weren’t lying down and began to inroads into the 20 point margin and late in the quarter hit the front before Casterton/ Sandford hit back to regain the lead. South surged forward again and goaled with the siren imminent to win by two points after trailing virtually all game. On-baller Jake Tentye and veteran O’neil led the way and Brayden Kain booted six goals that could have been more but for inaccuracy and young ruckman Mason Hein more than held his own against Wil Macdonald. The Cat’s best included Josh Searle with 4 goals, Parsons, Ayton and Daniel Richardson but they didn’t get the cream.

SOUTH GAMBIER 12-13 85 LAST GASP WINNERS CASTERTON/SANDFORD 12-11 83

West Gambier and East Gambier had an arm wrestle of a game where the lead changed hands right  up to and after the final siren. West looked the better team early on when the goaled early and East struggled ahead of centre. Strong defence from Williams, Lock and Matt Scanlon rescued East on many occasions but West led by a solitary behind but had more of the play. Play flashed up and down the ground with defences of both teams working hard to restrict their opponents. East were now getting on level terms with West but were only  fourpoints up at half-time. The tight struggle continued in the third quarter but East started get on top and opened up a 10 point lead  before West struck back with a couple of goals and regained the lead nearing three quarter-time. The game was still very much up for grabs and the pattern of play didn’t change, the tackling was fierce as players attempted to break free. West seemed be going better well into the last quarter with play on their forward line constantly but again strong defence by Scanlon and Williams drove East forward where they goaled to reduce the margin to a point. Time was running out as East made a last gasp attack and a mark was taken 50 metres out a split second before the final sounded. All three scenarios came into play, a draw or a win for either team as Shaun King composed himself to kick from about 50 metres out. He kicked truly to give what appeared an unlikely win only moments earlier. East players were jubilant and West players slumped despondently all over the ground. The spectators were in stunned silence. East Gambier won by five points in a thriller. Both teams had good players but clearly the day belongs to Shaun King.

EAST GAMBIER 10-9 69 IN A NAILBITER WEST GAMBIER 10-4 64

Round 1 – April 13, 2019

South Gambier	2.3	5.5	7.7	12.13 (85)
Casterton Sandford	2.5	6.6	9.10	12.11 (83)

Best: South Gambier – J. Tentye, B. O”Neil, T. Reid, B. Kain, M. Hein, K. Jones. Casterton Sandford – J. Searle, G. Parsons, D. Richardson, D. Ayton, W. Macdonald, T. Sullivan. Goals: South Gambier – B. Kain 6, T. Reid 2, K. Jones 2, B. Glynn, B. Howard. Casterton Sandford – J. Searle 4, D. Richardson 2, D. Ayton, K. Carlin, J. Carlin, S. Broomby, G. Parsons, N. Georgiadis

West Gambier	2.2	4.2	8.3	10.4 (64)
East Gambier	2.1	4.6	7.8	10.9 (69)

Best: East – R. Janeway, N. Lock , G. Cooper, J. Dawe, K. Rodis, T. Williams. West – T. Zeitz, D. Phillips , B. Papps, S. Wenman, J. Pfitzner. Goals: East – R. Brewster 3, K. Thomson 2, M. Rumbelow 2, J. Dawe, S. Balshaw, S. King. West – G. Ha 2, J. Williams 2, J. Schapel 2, M. Minuzzo, L. Bradley-Brown, K. Giddings, D. Robbins

Millicent	3.2	6.7	7.7	8.11 (59)
North Gambier	3.5	6.5	15.7	19.9 (123)

Best: North – T. McLennan, N. McInerney, F. Marshall, J. Schutz, M. Telford, B. Shepherdson. Millicent – T. Hutchesson, D. Tincknell, B. Gibbs, J. Walker, K. Bradley, L. Smith. Goals: North – J. McConnell 8, M. Telford 3, N. McInerney 3, T. McLennan 2, B. Stafford, H. Telford, J. Schutz. Millicent – H. Smith 2, l. smith, S. Willis, C. Gibbs, T. Hutchesson, D. Bromley, M. Reilly

34 YEAR PREMIERSHIP DROUGHT ENDS WITH MILLICENT’S

FOUR POINT WIN IN GRAND FINAL

By Terry Willoughby

It has been a rain-soaking winter in Millicent but it took the football team to break a drought after 34 years to win its second premiership in Western Border history to really rock the town. The Saints started impressively and immediately had East Gambier battling to hold them out. Early goals to Mitch and Hamish Gordon along with two to Dylan Bromley gave East some serious thinking to do. Lyndon Smith and Tom Hutchesson around the midfield had capitalised on Grimes ruck work and sent Millicent forward on numerous occasions. East slowly got back into the game as Kieselbach started to win some of the hit outs which gave chances to Matt Willson and Josh Ransom. Pfeiffer was defending strongly for East and had cut out any influence that Matt Duldig may have had and quick goals saw East pull the margin back to a manageable 11 points at quarter time.

The second term was a battle of attrition with many packs forming and neither team was able to kick a goal. Heavy tackling was a feature quarter with only four behinds added to the scores and Millicent led by 13 points at the long break. The second half started with Millicent looking to race clear when they got goals from the previously quiet Sam Willis and Gysbers and East looked to be struggling to stay in touch. Playing catch-up football takes its toll of players but East lifted and again goaled through Forster courtesy of a 50m penalty, Willson and Scanlon to bring the margin back to 15 points at the three quarter-time siren.

The football had hardly been a display of great skill but it was certainly physically demanding with plenty of frees paid for poor tackling and rolling packs across the ground. Millicent started the last quarter determined to put East away as quickly as possible and appeared headed that way when Sam Willis stepped up and booted his third goal of the second half. East were battling to keep in touch but couldn’t manage a goal when going forward. Rumbelow, missed a very gettable shot but Millicent looked secure. East continued to battle hard but made little headway. Matt Scanlon, another relatively quiet player for East, goaled to give them a glimmer of hope but time was running out.

Jack Dawe for East got better as the game got longer and his goal really got the East supporters worked up. Millicent seemed to be tiring and East sensed it too but Sam Willis snapped truly on his left after Matt Duldig had been brought down illegally just when about to gain possession. East had earlier lost Luke Thomson to a yellow card after a crude knock to the face of a Millicent opponent but now they surged forward again and Ferguson and Scanlon goaled and suddenly the scores were within a straight kick as the clock ticked well past the 20 minute mark. Millicent veteran defender Steve Duldig and Jonah Grimes were working hard to keep East out in the final moments as the siren sounded with Millicent victors by four points. Better players for the jubilant winners were captain Tom Hutchesson, ruckman Jonah Grimes, on-baller Lyndon Smith,  particularly in the first half, Sam Willis, ever the opportunist with 4 good goals, Steve Duldig and Mitch Gordon. For the disconsolate East, Alex Pfeiffer in defence, on-baller Jack Dawe, Keiselbach, Matt Willson and Josh Ransom.

MILLICENT 11-10 76 FLYING THE PREMIERSHIP FLAG, DEFEATED EAST GAMBIER 11-6 72 

Grand Final on September 8, 2018

Millicent	5.2	5.5	9.8	11.10 (76)
East Gambier	3.3	3.4	7.5	11.6 (72)

Best:   Millicent – T. Hutchesson, J. Grimes, L. Smith, S. Willis, S. Duldig, M. Gordon. East Gambier – A. Pfeiffer, J. Dawe, M. Kieselbach, T. Balshaw, M. Willson, J. Ransom. Goals: Millicent – S. Willis 4, D. Bromley 2, M. Gordon, H. Nitschke, T. Hutchesson, H. Gordon, C. Gysbers. East Gambier – M. Scanlon 3, J. Dawe 2, M. Willson 2, J. Forster, J. Ransom, M. Ferguson, N. Lock

EAST GAMBIER SET TO DEFEND 2017 FLAG AFTER DEFEATING CASTERTON/SANDFORD

by Terry Willoughby – Monday 3 September, 2018

East Gambier, kicking against the breeze, were first to goal after a tense few minutes when Shem Balshaw snapped a brilliant goal from hard up against the boundary line. The game started with some heavy clashes and Casterton/Sandford had quite a few chances but didn’t take any of them before Tom Williams goaled after a dangerous tackle plus a 50m penalty to give East two valuable goals against the breeze. Casterton/Sandford continually looked to be more precise with their kicks infield but were sloppy near goal whereas East went forward with longer kicks which paid off. The Cats finally got a goal through Kane Davis but still trailed at quarter time.

The Cats started aggressively in the second term but goals were near impossible to get as light rain started falling. East players found it hard to break free as Casterton/Sandford applied fierce tackling, sometimes crudely, whenever East threatened and several players were noticeably sore. Play became scrambly with many ball-ups and it was East’s turn to make mistakes. Casterton/Sandford defended ferociously and East went scoreless for the quarter and the Cats went to halftime with an unexpected eight point lead. East’s small men had not been as prominent as in the first Semi but Josh Ransom was relishing his task around the stoppages and Matt Willson won many kicks across the midfield.

Casterton/Sandford started the third quarter in attacking fashion and an early goal pushed the margin out to 15 points but still they wasted chances that could have put East away. Poor tackling again benefitted East when Ranson got his second goal courtesy of a silly 50m penalty. East now started to push hard into the breeze and the Cats defence showed signs of wilting. Ransom continued to win plenty of kicks and used them well before McArlein and Ayton combined to goal for Casterton/Sandford to push the margin out to 7 points again but East were pressing hard and a late goal saw them draw to within 1 point at thre quarter-time. The question now was could the Cats restrict East from scoring with the wind a second time in the game?

Defending a paper thin margin Casterton/Sandford raced the ball forward through Galpin and McArlein for Callum Currie to goal and the margin was 7 points. Excellent ruckwork by MacDonald at the stoppages and doing well in defence came unstuck and East went forward for Willson to goal followed by a behind which levelled the scores, which was odd in such a low scoring game. East now had a window of opportunity with Eldridge and Forster winning kicks across the centre and Frazer Scanlon cutting of many Cat attacks. The Cats were continually forced wide and had no forwards to speak of when East goaled again after Kev Thomson marked followed by another and now the Cats were in deep trouble, trailing by almost three goals with only minutes remaining. Wil MacDonald was trying extremely hard for the Cats, whether at the stoppages or around the ground. Casterton/Sandford’s only opointion was all out attack but try as they did mistakes by tiring players turned the ball over and East steadied in the closing stages to win by 19 points.  East coach Matt Willson was outstanding and other good players were Josh Ransom, Eldridge, Rathjen and Frazer Scanlon. For Casterton/Sandford none tried harder than Wil MacDonald, Tynan Shannon, Currie, Cummings and Wombwell.

EAST GAMBIER 9-5 59 OVERCAME CASTERTON/SANDFORD 5-10 40      

Preliminary Final at Malseed Park on September 1, 2018

Casterton Sandford	1.5	2.8	4.10	5.10 (40)
East Gambier	2.0	2.0	5.3	9.5 (59)

Best: East Gambier – M. Willson, J. Ransom, J. Eldridge, B. Rathjen, J. Forster, F. Scanlon. Casterton Sandford – T. Shannon, K. Carlin, W. Macdonald, C. Currie, M. Cummings, D. Wombwell. Goals: East Gambier – J. Ransom 2, J. Dawe, S. Balshaw, K. Thomson, M. McCallum, J. Forster, M. Willson, T. Williams. Casterton Sandford – T. Shannon, J. Stephenson, D. Ayton, C. Currie, K. Davis

MILLICENT FIRST TEAM INTO GRAND FINAL WITH EASY WIN OVER CASTERTON/SANDFORD by Terry Willoughby, August 26, 2018

Casterton/Sandford and Millicent were opposed in the second Semi-final which was played in wildly contrasting conditions to last week’s first Semi. A mud-bath one week and bright sunshine and a firm, grassy surface the next. Millicent were quickly into stride after the usual niceties were dispensed with and Matt Duldig at full forward proved to be a handful early on. Taking advantage of the good ruckwork of Jonah Grimes at the ball-ups Millicent attacked with long kicking and Duldig responded with two goals and put the Cats’ defence under pressure. Millicent continued to win the ball out of centre and again went forward for youngster Sam Willis to goal opportunistically which he and Hamish Nitschke quickly followed up and suddenly Casterton/Sandford found themselves five goals in arrears. Millicent had been dominant throughout with longer kicking and quick ball movement, they were on top in most positions with Casterton/Sandford forced wide often. The Cats had the scoring end in the second quarter but made hard work of it early on with several misses but Wil MacDonald goaled after a downfield penalty. Casterton/Sandford were now playing better in a game that was quite physical at times and a quick goal to Cleary brought the Cats closer. Millicent benefitted from a kick-in clanger with Sam Willis slotting through his third goal to ease the situation.

The game suddenly hotted up and Ty Shannon goaled for the Cats and for the first time they looked good with Tom McArlein goaling. The margin was now 12 points in Millicent’s favour as they had booted two valuable goals against the flow of play. Casterton/Sandford copped an ear-ringing blast from coach Jarrad at halftime but it was Millicent who charged clear in the third quarter and with Grimes winning the hit-outs they surged forward but missed twice before a lull in scoring. Matt Duldig again marked strongly and goaled after Tom Hutchesson found him on the lead. Two desperate smothers by Millicent forwards showed their intent. Duldig was now a real threat to Casterton/Sandford and he combined with Willis and Nitschke for another goal as the lead blew out to 39 points. Casterton/Sandford had become very undisciplined and gave away many free-kicks with poor tackling and Sam Wiilis goaled again to give Millicent a match-winning 51 point lead at three quarter-time.

The Cats needed a miracle to get back into the game but none was forthcoming as Millicent continued to outplay them. Callum Currie goaled for the Cats but many were caught in possession as Millicent showed no signs of stopping. Heavyweight Mitch Reilly goaled for Millicent and it was all over for Casterton/Sandford despite a late flurry of goals that reduced the margin to 28 points at the finish. The Cats had been comprehensively out-played in most aspects by a stronger team-oriented Millicent. Better players for Millicent were Jonah Grimes in the ruck, Tom Hutchesson in the midfield, Kenny, Tincknell and Steve Duldig in defence and Matt Duldig with 5 goals. A special mention to Sam Willis with four good goals and the antagonistic Hamish Gordon with 3 but more importantly he ruffled the Cats repeatedly. Casterton/Sandford will need to re-group quickly. They were best served by Tynan Shannon, Tom McArlein, Billy Galpin whilst Will MacDonald booted 3 goals but was eclipsed in the ruck contests.

MILLICENT 14-11 95 COMFORTABLY DEFEATED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 10-7 67       

Second Semi Final on August 26, 2018

Casterton	0.2	5.5	5.6	10.7 (67)
Millicent	5.2	7.5	13.9	14.11 (95)

Best: Millicent – J. Grimes, T. Hutchesson, B. Kenny, D. Tincknell, J. Weir, M. Duldig. Casterton – W. Macdonald, T. Shannon, C. Currie, B. Galpin, T. McArlein, M. Cummings. Goals: Millicent – M. Duldig 5, S. Willis 4, H. Gordon 3, H. Nitschke 1, M. Reilly 1. Casterton – W. Macdonald 3, T. McArlein 2, D. Ayton 2, T. Shannon 1, A. Cleary 1, C. Currie 1

EAST GAMBIER THE FORM TEAM AT THE MOMENT WIN FIRST SEMI COMFORTABLY

by Terry Willoughby – August 19, 2018

In deplorable conditions West Gambier made a positive start against East Gambier and quickly goaled against the breeze. Making the most of a relatively dry ball the small men of West made the most of Todd Lewis’s good work at the stoppages. The football was very good in the mud and slush of the outer wing and Reid Kuller and Tom Holmes were heavily involved for West. East Gambier steadied from midway through the term and late goals put them in front and it was also their small players who were prominent. Josh Ransom and Jesse Fry started to have a big influence on the game and Eldridge stopped West an many occasions across half-back. East led by 21 points heading into the second quarter and goaled early to extend their lead but West tightened up in defence through Pfitzner and Walsh and this provided chances further up field for goals and with remarkable accuracy West momentarily hit the front before a late goal saw East snatch back a three point lead on the half-time siren.

East on-ballers continued to hold sway despite Kuller and Holmes’ efforts for West and they consistently played in front and kicked longer when in possession. Jack Dawe and John Forster bobbed all over the ground, seemingly without an opponent much of the time and East booted 2 good goals to extend their lead to 17 points at three quarter-time a big lead in the conditions. An early snapped goal to McCallum as good as sealed West’s fate but they never stopped trying but were unable goal until the 16 minute mark and they still trailed by almost four goals. East had been the better team for almost the whole game, with more willing contributors while West were heavily reliant on a few. Better players for East were Fry, Josh Ransom, Dawe, Forster in any order followed by Eldridge and Kieselbach who had a good battle with Lewis in the ruck. West, gallant in defeat, had good players in Holmes, young on-baller Reid Kuller, Lewis, Walsh and Pfitzner in defence. East, by 17 points, now get a week’s rest before the prelim final.

EAST GAMBIER 11-6 72 IMPRESSIVE, DEFEATED WEST GAMBIER 9-1 55                 

First Semi Final at Casterton – August 18, 2018

West Gambier	2.0	7.0	7.0	9.1 (55)
East Gambier	5.3	7.3	9.5	11.6 (72)

Best: East – J. Ransom, J. Dawe, J. Eldridge, J. Forster, J. Fry, M. Kieselbach. West – R. Kuller, J. Pfitzner, D. Walsh, T. Lewis, T. Holmes, S. Zeitz. Goals: East – M. McCallum 2, J. Ransom 2, K. Thomson, M. Willson, M. Scanlon, T. Balshaw, M. Rumbelow, T. Williams, G. Cooper. West – S. Zeitz 2, J. Coombe, T. Zeitz, L. Morton, R. Kuller, D. Walsh, T. Holmes, B. Wilson

RAIN, HAIL AND STRONG WINDS LASH IN MT GAMBIER

by Terry Willoughby – August 12, 2018

South Gambier stayed within striking distance of Millicent throughout the first half at Blue Lake Sports Park, and it was just that!! Millicent had much more of the play but kicked woefully and South defended grimly with Dion Stratford having the ball on a string early on. Millicent continued to spray the ball everywhere again in the second term and South managed two goals from very limited forward entries to trail by 16 points at ½ time. Millicent coach Clint Gallio was relishing the  sloppy conditions but scoring was difficult. The Saints continued to dominate play but most just slipped and slithered on the ground. With two goals to one in the third term Millicent led by 26 points or as good as 10 goals on a fine day but this wasn’t one. South failed to score in the last quarter whilst Millicent still sprayed kicks far and wide in adding three goals from 10 scoring shots to win by 51 points.

MILLICENT 8-24 72 TOO STRONG FOR SOUTH GAMBIER 3-3 21

North Gambier certainly made East Gambier work hard for their win but broke down at crucial moments. On a ground that was better than most East battled hard to keep out North in the first half. Goals were hard to come by early and key forwards struggled to have any impact as defenders nullified them and pushed to ball wide at every opportunity. A lull in weather conditions enabled both teams to boot four goals in the second term but East maintained a 12 point lead. John Forster was a steadying influence all game for East as he handled the ball as surely as anyone, Josh Ransom was another to effectively use the ball for East but goals were harder to get as rain lashed the ground. East were better in the big moments as North made more basic mistakes. Marshall had a chance for after the three quarter-time siren but barely managed a minor score from 25 metres out and East held a 15 point lead instead of ten. East quickly put the game beyond North’s reach early in the last quarter when they booted three quick goals and the margin blew out to 36 points. North became more defensive and turned the ball over and East made them pay for the mistakes as the clock wound down. Forster was clearly best for East ahead of Ransom, Eldridge, Rathjen and Watson. North’s best were Munn, Sam Stafford, Schutz and Tim McInerney.

EAST GAMBIER 11-10 76 COMFORTABLY OVER NORTH GAMBIER 7-5 47

A dominant second quarter enabled West Gambier to cause an upset over top side Casterton/Sandford on a ground which is under a cloud in more ways than one. The town was on flood watch on Friday! In heavy going West snatched a narrow four point lead at quarter time with capointain Bradley-Brown and defender Steve Wenman doing well. West quickly put a winning margin on the board with a five goal second quarter with the Zietz brothers, Sam and Tom under notice. Will MacDonald was winning the ruck contests but West were stealing the ball at ground level. The loss of key player Cummings the previous game was haunting Casterton/Sandford but West now had the game within their grasp and led by 29 points. Casterton/Sandford edged closer in the third quarter but West still had a firm grip on play with small men Reid Kuller and Tom Holmes winning around the stoppages, of which there were plenty. Casterton/Sandford now had a challenge and steadily closed the gap in tiring conditions but West defended stoutly through Wenman and did enough to hold out the Cats to win by six points. Maybe the top sides in Casterton/Sandford and Millicent aren’t as invincible as they seemed earlier in the season??

WEST GAMBIER 9-4 58 NARROWLY DEFEATED CASTERTON/SANDFORD 7-10 52           

Round 16 – August 11, 2018

West Gambier	2.1	7.3	8.4	9.4 (58)
Casterton Sandford	1.3	2.4	4.7	7.10 (52)

Best: West Gambier – L. Bradley-Brown, S. Wenman, R. Kuller, T. Zeitz, T. Holmes. Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, C. Currie, B. Galpin, T. Shannon, M. Killey, J. Stephenson. Goals: West Gambier – T. Zeitz 3, S. Zeitz 2, K. Giddings 1, T. Holmes 1, D. Walsh 1, R. Kuller 1. Casterton Sandford – B. Galpin 2, T. McArlein 2, T. Clode 1, H. Jarrad 1, W. Macdonald 1

East Gambier	3.1	7.3	8.7	11.10 (76)
North Gambier	1.3	5.3	6.4	7.5 (47)

Best: East – J. Forster, J. Ransom, B. Rathjen, J. Eldridge, M. Watson, M. Kieselbach. North – F. Marshall, S. Stafford, J. Schutz, N. Mark, T. McInerney, D. Munn. Goals: East – J. Forster 2, T. Williams 2, J. Dawe 1, S. Balshaw 1, M. Rumbelow 1, K. Thomson 1, N. Lock 1, M. McCallum 1, M. Willson 1. North – F. Marshall 2, W. Stafford 1, J. Hatt 1, J. Hollitt 1, S. Stafford 1, N. Blachut 1

Millicent	1.6	3.11	5.17	8.24 (72)
South Gambier	1.0	2.1	3.3	3.3 (21)

Best: Millicent – C. Gallio, C. Williams, T. Hutchesson, S. Willis, M. Gordon, C. Hobbs. South – N. Jenkin, B. Howard, T. Saffin, N. Tarca, D. Boyd, B. Miller. Goals: Millicent – S. Willis 3, T. Hutchesson 2, C. Gallio 1, H. Nitschke 1, M. Gordon 1. South – M. Hein 1, B. Kain 1, M. Sutton 1

EAST GAMBIER CLAIM ANOTHER BIG SCALP

by Terry Willoughby, August 5, 2018

In a low scoring game East Gambier defeated Millicent by 16 points. In dull, overcast conditions East took an early lead against a still under-strength Millicent with defenders Lock and Ferguson doing well and busy on-ballers Forster and Dawe winning around the stoppages. Goals were hard to come by and even though Millicent had good players in Jonah Grimes and Clint Gallio they struggled ahead of centre and East held a 14 point lead at half-time. East dominated play in the third quarter but couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard when they only managed two goals from ten attempts. Millicent were restricted in their ball movement and East now held a 27 point lead, the biggest of the game. East had been anything but flashy but it was getting the job done whilst Millicent had many players down on form. Millicent raised some hope with early goals in the final term but East also hit the target often enough to keep their nose in front. It was Millicent’s second loss in a row and needing a little more air in their tyres.

EAST GAMBIER 8-18 66 DEFEATED MILLICENT 7-8 50

Casterton/Sandford thrashed South Gambier by 120 points which was their second big win in the past week. South scored their only 2 goals of the game in the second quarter but Casterton/Sandford had amassed ten by then to lead by 50 points. The Cats continued to dominate play in the second half but wasted chances through inaccuracy against little opposition. The last quarter was a mere formality with Casterton/Sandford slamming through a lazy eight goals to nil to win by 120 points. The Cats had many good players headed by Dylan Ayton, Matt Killey, Nesbitt and Callum Currie. South Gambier scarcely had any.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 20-19 139 THRASHED SOUTH GAMBIER 2-7 19

In another low-scoring game West Gambier had too much system for a disorganised, poorly skilled North Gambier. The first quarter was quite even considering North kicked two goals against the wind and West only managed four with it. North would have felt comfortable at that stage but West restricted to just a solitary goal in the second term and whilst only managing six behinds themselves they still led 13 points at the long break. West continued to outplay North in the third quarter but couldn’t deliver knock-out blow. They always looked more dangerous going forward and only solid defence from Jake Schutz and Ashby stopped them. West began the last quarter with 14 point lead but soon increased it as North broke down badly under the weight of poor disposal and undisciplined play. Despite kicking against the wind West rattled on five goals to one and won easily at the finish. North’s unwillingness to play in front and more directly was again their undoing. West’s best were Giddings, Lindner, Schapel and Kuller. For North, a different story, Sam Stafford, Schutz and Marshall battled hard.

WEST GAMBIER 10-13 73 EASILY OVER NORTH GAMBIER 5-5 38

Round 15 – August 4, 2018

East Gambier	2.5	4.7	6.15	8.18 (66)
Millicent	1.2	2.5	3.6	7.8 (50)

Best: East Gambier – N. Lock , M. Rumbelow, J. Forster, B. Rathjen, J. Dawe, M. Ferguson.  Millicent: C. Gallio, S. Duldig, W. Fleming, J. Grimes, T. Hutchesson, S. Willis. Goals: East Gambier – M. Rumbelow 3, J. McKeon 1, M. Willson 1, J. Fry 1, M. Kieselbach 1, N. Lock  1.  Millicent: H. Nitschke 3, C. Gallio 2, S. Willis 1, D. Bromley 1

Casterton Sandford	6.3	10.7	12.14	20.19 (139)
South Gambier	0.4	2.5	2.6	2.7 (19)

Best: Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton, M. Killey, A. Nesbitt, C. Currie, W. Macdonald, S. Broomby.  South Gambier – D. Stratford, B. Bryant, P. Gale, B. Howard, N. Jenkin. Goals: Casterton Sandford – T. McArlein 3, C. Currie 3, B. Galpin 2, H. Jarrad 2, J. Gibbs 2, W. Macdonald 2, A. Nesbitt 2, M. Rogers 2, A. Cleary 1, T. Clode 1.  South Gambier: B. Kain 1, B. Howard 1

West Gambier	4.1	4.7	5.11	10.13 (73)
North Gambier	2.0	3.0	4.3	5.5 (35)

Best: West – K. Giddings, R. Lindner, J. Schapel, Z. Kuller.  North: S. Stafford, J. Schutz, F. Marshall, G. Soper, N. Brown, M. Ashby. Goals: West – B. Wilson 3, J. Schapel 2, L. Jones 2, R. Lindner 1, E. King 1, N. Taylor 1. North: J. Hollitt 2, T. McLennan 1, J. Hatt 1, M. Whan 1

WEST GAMBIER THRASH SEVERLY UNDERMANNED MILLICENT

by Terry Willoughby, July 29, 2018

West Gambier made certain of their opportunity to thrash a heavily weakened Millicent which toppled the league leader’s short stay as number one. Minus coach Clint Gallio and capointain Tom Hutchesson to state duties plus Matt Duldig, key players Tincknell and Nitschke meant Millicent would face an uphill battle and West made sure of it! In the ruck Todd Lewis gave his on-ballers first use of the ball and they relished the advantage. West took an early at quarter time of 21 points and were never really threatened from then on. Millicent battled hard in the middle quarters. but West always looked more likely to score with coach Brad Wilson and the Zietz brothers Sam and Tom dangerous around goal. West began the second half with a 26 point lead but put the game beyond Millicent’s reach with a six goals to three burst with Lewis, Bradley-Brown and Sam Zietz winning handsomely around the stoppages. Millicent struggled to go forward at all and only managed a paltry three behinds in the last term whilst West raced on another four goals to win easily, but with some reservations, by 66 points. For West, Sam Zietz booted five goals to be best ahead of Lewis, Bradley-Brown, Lindner and Robbins whilst brad Wilson booted five goals. In Millicent’s tale of woe only Jonah Grimes, Steve Duldig and Joe Walker stood out.

WEST GAMBIER 17-9 111 THRASHED MILLICENT 6-9 45

Casterton/Sandford bounced back to the top of the ladder after two recent losses by demolishing North Gambier by 121 points. The Cats never gave North a sniff and piled on goals from the start. The physically stronger and quicker Cats tore through the North defences easily and with Dil Macdonald winning well at the stoppages and around the ground on-ballers Callum Currie, Cleary and Dylan Ayton racked up possessions at an alarming rate. North’s slow ball movement coupled with disposal clangers contributed heavily and Casterton/Sandford punished them almost every time to lead by 53 points at half-time. Casterton/Sandford clearly had the collective feet on North’s throat and they went further ahead in the third term with 5 goals to nil as North’s inepointitude worsened. The last quarter was more of the same as Casterton/Sandford brushed aside any opposition and again North went scoreless whilst the Cats slotted through another five goals to win easily. Currie, Cleary, Nesbitt, MacDonald, Ayton and Shannon all had good games for Casterton/Sandford but it was a welcome return to form for all. It was probably North Gambier’s worst game in twenty years and good players were hard to find.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 20-16 136 DEMOLISHED NORTH GAMBIER 2-3 15

After last week’s narrow win East Gambier would have thought a win against bottom placed South Gambier would be an easier task but the Demons had other ideas! The first quarter was tight with both team’s defences holding up quite well and East held a narrow three point lead. The pattern continued in the second quarter but South were playing boldly and taking the game right up to East at every opportunity. Long-haired Brodie Glynn and on-baller Jake Tentye took risks that came-off and defenders Saffin and Stratford continually out-paced the slow East forwards to drive the play forward. Late goals just before half-time gave South an 8 point lead which was well deserved. East were stung into action and booted three quick goals to start the second half which put them in front but South wouldn’t go away. Eldridge was winning many kicks for East and along with McKeon, Jack Dawe and coach Wilson. East kicked seven goals to have an 11 point lead heading into the last quarter. Despite being outscored five goals to four in the quarter South continued to make East work hard for every kick. Better players for East were Shem Balshaw, Eldridge, McKeon, Dawe and Wilson while Matt Ferguson booted four opportunistic goals. South’s best were Brayden Kain who booted  six goals, Glynn, Tentye, Stratford and Saffin.

EAST GAMBIER 16-14 110 UNCONVINCINGLY DEFEATED SOUTH GAMBIER 14-8 92

Round 14 – July 28, 2018

East Gambier	2.4	4.8	11.11	16.14 (110)
South Gambier	2.1	6.4	10.6	14.8 (92)

Best: East – S. Balshaw, J. Eldridge, J. McKeon, T. Balshaw, J. Dawe, M. Kieselbach. South – B. Kain, B. Glynn, J. Tentye, D. Stratford, T. Saffin, T. Reid. Goals: East – M. Ferguson 4, J. Dawe 3, M. Rumbelow 3, J. McKeon, J. Whaites, S. Balshaw, T. Balshaw, L. Thomson, G. Cooper. South – B. Kain 6, B. Bryant 2, C. Williams, H. Capewell, M. Hein, D. Boyd, N. Patzel, B. Howard

Millicent	1.0	3.4	6.4	6.9 (45)
West Gambier	4.3	7.6	13.9	17.9 (111)

Best: West – S. Zeitz, T. Lewis, L. Bradley-Brown, R. Lindner, D. Robbins. Millicent – J. Grimes, S. Duldig, J. Walker, H. Gordon, S. Willis, M. Reilly. Goals: West – T. Zeitz 5, B. Wilson 5, S. Zeitz 3, S. Wenman, D. Robbins, T. Lewis, N. Taylor. Millicent – M. Reilly 2, J. Walker, S. Willis, H. Gordon, D. Bromley

North Gambier	1.1	2.1	2.3	2.3 (15)
Casterton Sandford	5.2	10.7	15.13	20.16 (136)

Best: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie, A. Cleary, A. Nesbitt, W. Macdonald, T. Shannon, D. Ayton. North Gambier – F. Marshall, S. Stafford, T. McInerney, J. Schutz, M. Ashby. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 5, M. Rogers 3, K. Davis 3, A. Cleary 3, B. Galpin 2, S. Broomby 2, W. Macdonald, J. Gibbs. North – J. Hatt, T. McLennan

MILLICENT NOW PREMIERSHIP FAV AFTER CONVINCING WIN OVER CASTERTON/SANDFORD

by Terry Willoughby – July 22, 2018

On a day where heavy conditions made good football a difficult task Millicent’s greater physical strength was a determining factor in their 36 point win which sent them to the top of the WBFL ladder. The Saints scored the only goal of the opening quarter and this gave little indication of what the final result might be! Scoring was restricted at both ends with veteran defender Steve Duldig and Dylan Tincknell holding up numerous Casterton/Sandford attacks whilst Wombwell and Cleary were just as effective at the other end. Millicent booted 5 goals and missed several others to bolt to a 37 point lead at the main break, a match-winning lead in the heavy going as Casterton/Sandford only goaled once. The strength of big man Jonah Grimes and coach Clint Gallio was instrumental as they won many possessions around the midfield. Former coach Dylan Ayton was trying very hard to lift his team but the Cats just couldn’t find a forward target. Scoring again slowed in the secondhalf but Millicent maintained a big 33 point lead heading into the last term. Heavy going and a mean defence for Millicent had played a big part and even though both teams goaled twice in the last quarter the result was never in doubt. Steve Duldig, Gallio, Grimes and Tincknell played well for Millicent and Ayton, Cleary, Wombwell and Sullivan tried hard for Casterton/Sandford.

MILLICENT 9-13 67 TOO STRONG FOR CASTERTON/SANDFORD 4-7 31

North Gambier, coming off a heavy defeat the previous round, conceded the early lead to x-town rival South Gambier to trail by 10 points at quarter time. Nic Jenkin and Dion Stratford defended well for South and youngsters Reid, Harkness and Jones sent the play forward on many occasions. North started the secondterm positively with spindly ruckman Sam Stafford and Kenny Lam doing well at the stoppages and around the ground. Scoring was difficult at the highway end and North booted three goals with the breeze to lead by nine points at half-time. Neither team could manage a goal early in the third quarter but when South booted one the floodgates seemed to open and they slammed on five in rapid time and looked set to clear right away as North’s defence was under siege. North squandered several chances to draw closer but South forced them into error and only a late goal to Thomas Gould after marking gave them a sniff of a chance. On-ballers Soper and Marshall had reduced the influence of the South on-ballers and North bounced back quickly with two goals in as many minutes at the start of the last quarter to level the scores. Suddenly unsighted players bobbed up and North seemed to have players free all over the ground and they slammed on another five goals to finish well on top and win by 29 points after appearing in some trouble earlier. Sam Stafford, Marshall, Soper, Tim McInerney and Kenny Lam played well for North. Jenkin, Reid, Stratford, Harkness and Brodie Glynn battled strongly for South who faded badly in the last quarter.

NORTH GAMBIER 11-13 79 OVER RAN SOUTH GAMBIER 7-8 50

East Gambier, confidence high after defeating the league leader the previous Saturday, started well against West Gambier and quickly raced on four goals to lead by 19 points at quarter time. West had struggled to have any impact and seemed headed for a heavy defeat before gaining some traction in the secondquarter which was not easy on the heavy, shifting surface. Lawrence Bradley-Brown and Lachlan Jones benefited from Todd Lewis’s work on the ball and West hit back strongly to trail by just seven points with coach Brad Wilson looming as a major threat. East steadied after losing McCallum to concussion and all players struggled through the heavy ground in the third quarter but East edged further ahead to lead by 14 points. West now had last use of the wind and threw everything at East in a bid for victory and despite outscoring East four goals to two they just fell agonizingly short. The scoreboard showing East Gambier winners by a solitary behind. Eldridge and Josh Ransom relished the conditions to be East’s best ahead of Balshaw and Lock. Bradley-Brown, Lewis, defender Levi Morton and Jones played well for West.

EAST GAMBIER 11-6 72 HELD ON, WEST GAMBIER 11-5 71

Round 13 – July 21, 2018

South Gambier	2.2	2.4	7.7	7.8 (50)
North Gambier	0.4	3.7	4.13	11.13 (79)

Best: North – S. Stafford, W. Stafford, F. Marshall, G. Soper, M. Ashby, T. McInerney. South – N. Jenkin, T. Reid, D. Stratford, B. Glynn, A. Harkness, K. Jones. Goals: North – F. Marshall 3, W. Stafford 2, G. Soper 2, T. Gould 1, S. Stafford 1, N. Brown 1,

1. Blachut 1. South – B. Kain 3, C. Williams 1, H. Capewell 1, T. Saffin 1, A. Bryant 1

West Gambier	1.0	5.2	7.2	11.5 (71)
East Gambier	4.1	6.3	9.4	11.6 (72)

Best: East – J. Eldridge, J. Ransom, S. Balshaw, N. Lock , T. Balshaw, M. Kieselbach. West – L. Bradley-Brown, T. Lewis, L. Morton, L. Jones, S. Zeitz. Goals: East – M. Ferguson 2, M. Rumbelow 2, J. Whaites 1, J. McKeon 1, J. Forster 1, J. Ransom 1, M. McCallum 1, T. Balshaw 1, M. Kieselbach 1, West – B. Wilson 4, R. Lindner 1, S. Zeitz 1, K. Giddings 1, T. Holmes 1, L. Jones 1, L. Bradley-Brown 1, S. Wenman 1

Millicent	1.3	6.8	7.10	9.13 (67)
Casterton Sandford	0.1	1.1	2.7	4.7 (31)

Best: Millicent – S. Duldig, J. Grimes, C. Gallio, D. Tincknell, B. Gibbs, H. Nitschke. Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton, D. Wombwell, A. Cleary, T. Sullivan, A. Nesbitt, W. Macdonald. Goals: Millicent – S. Willis 2, Z. Bradley 1, H. Gordon 1, L. Smith 1, M. Duldig 1, D. Bromley 1,  J. Grimes 1, C. Gallio 1. Casterton Sandford – T. Shannon 2, B. Galpin 1, J. Gibbs 1

EAST GAMBIER TOPPLE CASTERTON/SANDFORD IN MONSTROUS UPSET

Terry  Willoughby – June 16, 2018

East Gambier showed their bets form since winning last year’s Grand Final to defeat Casterton/Sandford by 23 points. East, stung by inner turmoil have scarcely looked threatening and certainly not even resembling a premiership threat, stunned Casterton/Sandford who winning run came to an abrupt end. East led almost all game and a mini-burst in the second quarter gave them a big 29 point lead at the main break. Led by the over-rated, under performing Mark Rumbelow and coach Matt Willson East looked a vastly different outfit that had stumbled and fumbled throughout the season so far. Casterton/Sandford on the other hand seemed unable to respond to the East form reversal and were always chasing. East maintained a tight grip on the game in the third quarter as the Cats tried to work their way back into the contest but to no avail as east still led by 24 points entering the last quarter. The Cats couldn’t find a winning target ahead of centre and East’s midfield and on-ball brigade of Willson, Kieselbach and Josh Ransom always looked more effective. Casterton/Sandford mounted another late charge but East were equal to the task and maintained their strong grip on the game to cause a huge boilover. Rumbelow with 6 goals finally gave East supporters something to talk about, Willson, Ransom, Kieselbach and John Forster all played well for East who need to repeat the form if they are to be taken seriously. For Casterton/Sandford, a shock maybe! Their better players were Wombwell in defence, Sullivan, Galpin, Dylan Ayton and Cummings.

EAST GAMBIER 12-7 79 UPSET CASTERTON/SANDFORD 8-8 56

A late first quarter flurry of goals virtually sealed the result of the game for West Gambier over South Gambier and also settled the top four as far as finals are concerned. South, with an abundance of youngsters in the team, were first to goal and remained competitive for most of the opening quarter but a late burst of goals gave West a big lead at the first siren. On-ballers Tom Holmes and Bradley-Brown were big possession winners for West and they shook of the smaller bodied South youngsters to give West the commanding lead but it was a long-range goal from Wenman that really altered the momentum. Trailing by 38 points but now kicking with the wind South fought back strongly with Brad Bryant and Jake Tentye having influence around the stoppages. South got the ball into the wide open spaces through Reid and Harkness with Henri Capewell up forward looming as a big threat and booted five goals before West steadied with a goal to coach Brad Wilson which gave them a 20 point lead at half-time. The third quarter was a battle of defences as South continually frustrated many West attacks until Sean Ross booted his first goal in senior football which was a steadier. West started the last quarter with a 33 point lead and despite being constantly challenged by the South youngsters who played boldly but riskily they went on to win by 41 points.

WEST GAMBIER 12-14 86 COMFORTABLY IN THE END, SOUTH GAMBIER 7-3 45

North Gambier after a battling win in the last round probably harboured thoughts of another but Millicent soon put that to rest with a seven goal opening burst. The Millicent on-ballers led by coach Clint Gallio sent the ball forward at a rapid rate and forwards Bromley, Tom Hutchesson and Sam Willis swept aside the North defenders with ease. Scoring slowed down in the second term but North could do no better, they continually played indirectly which gave their fragile forward line little chance of scoring and Millicent held a commanding 46 point lead. North had few good players and overused what possessions they had and Millicent punished the mistakes repeatedly. North rarely entered their forward zone in the last quarter as Millicent’s stronger, meaner defence led by Tincknell and Gibbs turned them back with ease. Inaccuracy around goal prevented Millicent from winning by more but 76 points was rather emphatic. Hutchesson, Gallio, Bromley and Tincknell headed Millicent’s best. North had few good players with only Tim McInerney, Jake Schutz and Dylan Munn showing much resistance.

MILLICENT 15-14 104 THRASHED NORTH GAMBIER 4-4 28

Round 12 – June 14, 2018

South Gambier	1.0	6.1	6.1	7.3 (45)
West Gambier	6.8	8.9	10.12	12.14 (86)

Best: West – J. Pfitzner, T. Holmes, L. Bradley-Brown, S. Wenman, Z. Kuller. South – B. Bryant, T. Reid, H. Capewell, B. Glynn, J. Tentye. Goals: West  – B. Wilson 4, T. Holmes 2, J. Blackwell, S. Ross, S. Zeitz, D. Robbins, S. Wenman, K. Betts. South – H. Capewell 2, J. Tentye, C. Slape, B. Kain, A. Harkness, M. Hein

Casterton Sandford	2.2	3.3	5.5	8.8 (56)
East Gambier	3.1	7.2	9.5	12.7 (79)

Best: East Gambier – M. Rumbelow, M. Willson, M. Kieselbach, J. Ransom, J. Forster, M. McCallum. Casterton Sandford – D. Wombwell, T. Sullivan, B. Galpin, D. Ayton, M. Cummings, D. Richardson. Goals: East Gambier – M. Rumbelow 6, A. Pfeiffer 2, M. McCallum, J. Eldridge, J. Ransom, G. Janeway. Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 2, T. Shannon, M. Cummings, J. Stephenson, T. Sullivan, A. Cleary, D. Richardson

North	1.0	3.2	4.3	4.4 (28)
Millicent	7.4	10.7	12.8	15.14 (104)

Best: Millicent – T. Hutchesson, D. Bromley, C. Gallio, D. Tincknell, S. Willis, B. Gibbs. North – D. Munn, J. Schutz, T. McInerney, W. Stafford. Goals: Millicent – D. Bromley 5, H. Nitschke 3, H. Gordon 2, M. Reilly 2, R. Duncan, S. Willis, M. Duldig. North – T. McLennan, J. Hollitt, F. Marshall, S. Stafford

CASTERTON/SANDFORD TOY WITH WEST GAMBIER

By Terry Willoughby – July 1, 2018

Casterton/Sandford were never seriously threatened by an injury depleted West Gambier and kicked well clear after a six goal burst in the second quarter. The West defence led by Steve Wenman held up early but with Wil MacDonald dominating at the stoppages and marking everything that came his way the Cats took control before half-time. West had their moments in the third term and matched Casterton/Sandford’s five goals with four of their own but the Cats were purring along nicely to lead by 52 points. MacDonald had capable helpers in Ty Shannon and Callum Currie who booted five goals. The Cat’s dominated the marking contests and their small players were too quick and clever for West.  Casterton/Sandford booted a further four goals in the last quarter to West’s solitary behind which had been collectively kicked all game to win by 78 points.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 20-9 129 OUTCLASSED WEST GAMBIER 7-9 51

North Gambier looked headed for another defeat when they trailed East Gambier by four points at quarter time. East Gambier whose premiership year has been anything but glorious now had a battle against a North Gambier team that had only won once this season. North rattled on five goals to two in the second term and found themselves in unfamiliar territory with a 14 point lead at half-time. Hamish Telford and Dylan Munn were winning handsomely across the centre and Kenny Lam was doing well in the ruck. East lifted early in the third quarter and momentarily reached the lead by two points but an obvious downfield free followed by a 50metre penalty for umpire abuse was the turning point of the game for North when they goaled from point blank range to regain the lead. Two further goals saw North still in front by 14points heading into the last quarter. North’s accuracy near goal was crucial as East battled to get on terms before the final siren but to no avail and North held on by the same margin. Telford, Munn, Glen Soper, Ashby and Lam were good for North and Matt McInerney  booted three goals. The regular best for East were again Jayden Eldridge, Josh Ransom, Kieselbach and Cooper.

NORTH GAMBIER 12-7 79 DEFEATED EAST GAMBIER 9-11 65

The improved South Gambier were quickly put in their place by the more powerful Millicent. Banging through five goals in a sharp burst left South floundering by quarter time and Millicent led by 28 points. Millicent continued to call the tune in the second quarter and South only managed to score a goal late but the margin was out to 36 points. South struggled to go forward again in the third quarter with Steve Duldig and Blake Kenny repelling most forward moves which enabled Millicent’s strong goal-kicking unit to add four more goals and stretch the lead to 54 points. It was game over for South but at least they fought it out to the end and added four goals to equal Millicent for the term but the damage was done earlier. James Weir, Tom Hutchesson, Steve Duldig and Bromley headed Millicent’s best with Matt Duldig booting four goals. South’s plight was highlighted by having only two goal-scorers, Henry Capewell with four and Kain with two.

MILLICENT 15-11 101 EASILY SOUTH GAMBIER 6-9 45            

Round 11 – June 30, 2018

West Gambier	2.2	3.4	7.8	7.9 (51)
Casterton Sandford	5.1	11.5	16.6	20.9 (129)

Best: Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, T. Shannon, C. Currie, A. Cleary, C. Jarrad, T. Nesbitt. West – K. Betts, D. Walsh, L. Bradley-Brown, S. Wenman, T. Holmes. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 5, J. Stephenson 4, T. Shannon 2, H. Jarrad 2, A. Cleary 2, M. Killey 2, D. Richardson, B. Galpin, T. Nesbitt. West –  L. Bradley-Brown 3, L. Jones, J. Schapel, S. Zeitz, S. Wenman

East Gambier	2.1	4.4	6.9	9.11 (65)
North Gambier	1.3	6.6	9.6	12.7 (79)

Best: North –  H. Telford, D. Munn, G. Soper, M. Ashby, K. Lam, T. Bruhn. East – M. Rumbelow, M. Kieselbach, J. Eldridge, J. Ransom, G. Cooper, M. Ferguson. Goals: North – M. McInerney 3, A. Kitschke 2, H. Telford 2, M. Ashby, N. Blachut, J. Schutz, W. Lewis, T. Gould. East – M. Rumbelow 3, K. Thomson 3, J. Ransom, T. Balshaw, G. Cooper

Millicent	5.2	7.5	11.8	15.11 (101)
South Gambier	0.4	1.5	2.8	6.9 (45)

Best: Millicent – J. Weir, T. Hutchesson, S. Duldig, D. Bromley, J. Grimes, B. Kenny. South – H. Capewell, D. Boyd, A. Harkness, T. Reid, T. Saffin, M. Hein. Goals: Millicent – M. Duldig 4, D. Bromley 3, T. Hutchesson 3, C. Gallio 2, H. Gordon 2, H. Nitschke. South – H. Capewell 4, B. Kain 2

POWERHOUSE TEAMS SOUTH AND NORTH GAMBIER SET TO MISS FINALS

Terry Willoughby reports – June 24, 2018

The improved South Gambier looked set to challenge top side Casterton/Sandford when they trailed by just two points at quarter time. Defences of both teams had worked hard to restrict their opposing forwards and scoring was difficult. Casterton/Sandford got on top in the second term and added five goals to nil and held a 33 point lead at halftime. The Cats won the ball at the stoppages and used the wide open spaces to launch their attacks, something that had been a South Gambier trademark. Taylor Saffin had been a strong defender for South but the Cats found other ways to goal through Callum Currie and Ayton. South lifted in the third quarter and with Kain a good forward target reduced the margin to 19 points at the last change but Casterton/Sandford were still ascendant. Scoring again became difficult in the dull conditions but Casterton/Sandford had more contributors and won by 30 points. The Cats win was very much a team effort. South had good players in Saffin, youngsters Reid and Harkness whilst Carl Slape played his best game in ages.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 11-8 74 COMFORTABLY, SOUTH GAMBIER 7-2 44

Millicent quickly set up a match-winning lead in deteriorating conditions against East Gambier with five first quarter goals to lead by 27 points. Slippery conditions made scoring difficult and the East defence battled hard against the big Millicent forwards. East held Millicent to a 15 point margin at half-time but couldn’t find a reliable forward to kick goals. Hamish Gordon, coach Clint Gallio and Tom Hutchesson won plenty of possessions but the East defence led by Nick Lock held them up on many occasions. Millicent’s lead was 21 points heading into the last quarter, not insurmountable, but East would get no closer in the gloom with Millicent winning by 24 points. Gordon, Gallio, Hamish Nitschke and Caleb Williams were best for Millicent who are safely placed in second spot on the ladder. Better players for East were Lock, Eldridge, Josh Ransom and Fry.

MILLICENT 11-9 75 DEFEATED EAST GAMBIER 7-9 51

North Gambier’s last chance at playing finals all but vanished when they were defeated by West Gambier to the tune of 17 points but it wasn’t much of a tune as West don’t appear likely challengers to the top two teams. Scores were close all game with only a few points separating them all day. The third quarter saw North challenge strongly but West absorbed everything that North threw at them and led by just a solitary point at three quarter-time. North were trying hard to get on terms but the West defence led by Steve Wenman repelled most forward moves. West goaled twice to get the biggest lead of the game but North, courtesy of a 50 metre penalty again got back in the game but constantly playing on the scoreboard wing allowed West to have loose players in the corridor and they made good use of them to win a hard fought battle by 17 points.

WEST GAMBIER 10-9 69 HELD OUT NORTH GAMBIER 8-4 52

Round 10 – June 23, 2018

South Gambier	2.0	2.0	6.1	7.2 (44)
Casterton Sandford	2.2	7.3	9.3	11.8 (74)

Best: Casterton Sandford – not av. South – T. Saffin, T. Reid, C. Slape, C. O’Reilley, A. Harkness. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 3, T. Sullivan 2, D. Ayton 2, T. Shannon 1, H. Jarrad 1, B. Galpin 1, S. Tomkins 1. South: B. Kain 4, C. Slape 1, M. Hein 1, H. Capewell 1

Millicent	5.3	6.3	9.6	11.9 (75)
East Gambier	1.0	3.6	5.9	7.9 (51)

Best: Millicent – H. Gordon, C. Gallio, H. Nitschke, C. Williams, B. Kenny, T. Hutchesson.  East: N. Lock , J. Ransom, J. Eldridge, J. Fry, M. Kieselbach. Goals: Millicent – S. Willis 2, H. Nitschke 2, C. Williams 1, T. Hutchesson 1, C. Gibbs 1, D. Bromley 1, M. Duldig 1, H. Gordon 1, N. Lang 1. East”: S. Balshaw 2, J. Whaites 1, K. Thomson 1, J. Baker 1, M. Rumbelow 1, M. Scanlon 1

North Gambier	2.1	4.2	7.3	8.4 (52)
West Gambier	1.1	4.3	8.5	10.9 (69)

Best: West – L. Bradley-Brown, T. Holmes, S. Wenman, K. Betts, S. Robson. North – G. Soper, J. Hollitt, S. Stafford, J. Schutz, W. Lewis. Goals: West – K. Giddings 2, B. Wilson 2, J. Blackwell 2, J. Schapel, T. Holmes, R. Kuller, L. Bradley-Brown. North – W. Lewis 3, M. Telford, G. Soper, B. Egan, M. McInerney, N. Blachut

BRUTAL PLAYING CONDITIONS AFFECT ALL SOUTH EAST FOOTBALL

EAST GAMBIER ONLY RAINING PREMIERS NOW AFTER SOUTH GAMBIER DRUBBING

by Terry Willoughby – June 17, 2018

Weather conditions played a huge part in games in Mt Gambier with heavy rain falling from early morning to beyond finishing times. South and East battled evenly throughout the first term with East ahead by just two points. Using the yellow ball better and with the lights on, adapting to the worsening rain South skipped away before halftime to lead by 20 points with Bret O’Neil, Nick Tarca and Kaleb Bowd relishing their opponents’ discomfort. The slog continued in the third quarter with South not goaling until ten minutes in but East managed to respond in a fashion and the scores remained in touch. That was the last gasp for East as South completely dominated play for the rest of the quarter by adding another three goals and the margin blew out to 35 points as the term ended. The last quarter was almost a non-event with South scoring the only goal for the term and East managed a lonely behind as the Demons went on to win by 44 points which was probably equal to 15 goals on a fine day. South’s best were O’neil, Tarca, Bowd, Glynn whilst Kain with four and Henri Capewell three goals led the scoring. East named five best players but in reality they only had battlers with Eldridge and Josh Ransom the best of them. South Gambier are now emerging as a threat despite being two games out of the top four.

SOUTH GAMBIER 10-10 70 GAVE A DRUBBING TO EAST GAMBIER 3-8 24

It is a very rare occurrence to see a game where the winning goal is kicked at about the 5 minute mark of the second quarter but that is exactly what happened at Malseed Park. The ground conditions were much heavier where a moat surrounded the oval but both West Gambier and Millicent managed two goals each in the first quarter while the ball was relatively dry. The lights should have been on and a yellow ball in use which would have improved the spectacle for all, viewers and players. The bigger bodied Millicent players were better in the testing conditions and quickly extended their lead with goals to Matt Duldig and Dylan Bromley. A 13 point lead was huge margin as heavy rain and strong winds buffeted the players. Two minor scores gave Millicent a 15 point lead at halftime and players were barely recognisable, even to team-mates. Scoring was near impossible in the second half with West somehow managing the only goal for the half. The last quarter was nothing more than mud wrestling as the entire playing group converged between respective half-back lines and slipped and slid back and forth. A solitary behind was scored in the quarter, by West, but it was Millicent who got the win by 10 points. Near impossible to name best players in the conditions when the most visible people on the ground were the umpires in fluoro green shirts. Blake Kenny, Bromley three goals and Tom Hutchesson were best for Millicent. Reid Kuller, Bradley-Brown and Coombe slogged hard for West.

MILLICENT 4-6 30 OUTSLOGGED WEST GAMBIER 3-2 20

Scoring was no less difficult for Casterton/Sandford and North Gambier as both teams went goal-less in the first quarter at Island Park, an appropriate venue in the deplorable weather. Casterton/Sandford stole a break with three goals to North’s one in the second term but no player of either team was able to score more than one as the Cats led by 13 points. Casterton/Sandford again got a break in the third quarter and North were battling to stay in touch even though the Cats led by just 20 points at the last change, it could have been 60. North mounted a challenge in the last quarter and booted two goals but players were exhausted by this time and Casterton/Sandford held on to win by eight points. Naming better players was akin to giving bravery awards but Nesbitt, Ben Guthrie and Matt Killey headed the Cats best and lightly framed Sam Stafford, Fraser Marshall and Brad Stafford, North’s.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 5-8 38 DEFEATED NORTH GAMBIER 4-6 30

Suffice to say, two winning scores of 30 and 38 points and one of 70 points is not often seen in any grade of football.

 Round 9 – June 16, 2018

South	1.1	5.6	9.6	10.10 (70)
East	1.3	2.4	3.7	3.8 (26)

Best: South – B. O”Neil, N. Tarca, K. Bowd, B. Glynn, J. Tentye. East – J. Eldridge, J. Ransom, C. Johnson, J. Forster, M. Rumbelow. Goals: South – B. Kain 4, H. Capewell 3, A. Harkness, B. Glynn, M. Sutton. East – C. Johnson 2, M. Rumbelow

Casterton Sandford	0.2	3.3	5.6	5.8 (38)
North	–	1.2	2.4	4.6 (30)

Best: Casterton Sandford – T. Nesbitt, B. Guthrie, M. Killey, M. Rogers, D. Wombwell, H. Jarrad. North – S. Stafford, F. Marshall, B. Stafford, T. McInerney, M. Telford, W. Lewis. Goals: Casterton Sandford – M. Killey, B. Galpin, T. Nesbitt, W. Macdonald, J. Stephenson. North – M. Telford, W. Lewis, M. McInerney, N. Blachut

West	2.1	2.1	3.1	3.2 (20)
Millicent	2.3	4.4	4.6	4.6 (30)

Best: Millicent – B. Kenny, D. Bromley, T. Hutchesson, J. Walker, R. Duncan, C. Gallio. West – R. Kuller, L. Bradley-Brown, J. Coombe, J. Schapel, K. Giddings. Goals: Millicent – D. Bromley 3, M. Duldig. West – J. Schapel 2, T. Lewis

NO ARGUMENTS SETTLED AS TOP TEAMS PLAY A DRAW 

June 3, 2018 – by Terry Willoughby

First it was one way, then the other as Casterton/Sandford and Millicent traded blows before the final siren indicated a draw. Both teams had their moments in the opening quarter but it was the Cats who held a narrow two point lead. Ruckman Wil MacDonald was on top around the stoppages and this brought on-ballers Guthrie and Stephenson into the play along with Michael Cummings. Millicent threatened to take control in the second quarter when they added five goals with big man Matt Dudig causing problems at full forward and Weir in defence holding Casterton/Sandford up on many occasions. The Saints took an 18 point lead to halftime, a big margin in a tight low scoring game. The Cats slowly cut into Millicent’s lead with four goals to nil in the third quarter with solid defence from Nesbitt and Guthrie. Duldig was cut out of play as Casterton/Sandford snatched back a two point lead at three quarter-time. The last quarter was a battle as both teams strove for a win and although Millicent outscored Casterton/Sandford it wasn’t enough and the scores were locked together on 75 points each.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 11-9 75 DREW WITH MILLICENT 11-9 75

East Gambier, the reigning premier has looked anything but for most of the season and they still don’t but they were much improved against West Gambier and won by 30 points. West Gambier have improved steadily this year but East defenders Lock and Ferguson played solidly from the start and cut out many scoring options and this gave East a narrow lead at quarter time of seven points. Scoring goals was difficult in the second term and East squandered their chances with inaccuracy with only one goal from eight scoring shots. West, not quite as wasteful now closed to within four points at halftime. The third quarter was all East Gambier as they slammed on seven goals with small men Dawe and Cooper coming into the game and Matt Scanlon using strong bodywork up forward. West dropped away markedly with Ryan their only threat ahead of centre. East’s lead was 33 points entering the last quarter and they were never seriously in danger of defeat although they didn’t finish with much conviction. West, who had battled hard early were sunk by East’s purple patch of goals in the third quarter. Best for East were Lock, Ferguson, Whaites, Luke Thomson and John Forster. Todd Lewis in the ruck battled strongly all game for West and Walsh, Ryan with four goals and Jesse Pfitzner had their moments.

EAST GAMBIER 13-16 94 TOO STRONG FOR WEST GAMBIER 8-16 64

Former league powerhouses North and South Gambier still occupy the bottom positions on the ladder but it didn’t show with the game just as intense as ever. North lost key playmaker Nic McInerney early to injury and South raced to an early lead with Brayden Kain in sparkling form at full forward. Slowly the unsettled North regained composure and replied with three late goals to hit the front by quarter time. South continued to defy North early in the second as the Tigers lacked effective forwards, the Lewis brothers playing more like comedian Jerry than rugby great King Wally. North gradually got on top although made horrendous errors with poor disposal and turnovers, youngster Jordy Hatt added some spice to the attack and Tom McLennan broke free for a couple as North extended their lead to 16 points at the long break and appeared to be going much better. South hit back strongly in the third quarter with multiple Medal winner Bret O’Neil on top in the mid-field and relishing the dominance of Boyd in the ruck, Saffin and Tentye also contributed strongly but it was Kain who was giving North serious problems. South added four goals to just one from North and led by just two at the last change. The game was very much in the balance and it was South who grabbed it. In a brilliant burst from Kain, who marked strongly and kicked with deadly accuracy South raced clear. They dominated at the stoppages and sent the ball forward long and direct, something North haven’t done all season, and when Henry Capewell chipped with two goals it was game over. North Gambier’s short kicking game had been dismantled again and South won impressively by 29 points. Kain with nine excellent goals was easily best for South but O’neil, Boyd, Saffin and Tentye gave valuable assistance. For North it was a different story with very few good players, particularly after half-time, Sam  Stafford and Dylan Munn tried hard, Kenny Lam and Hatt had good moments but not enough of them and Tom McLennan got 3 goals despite wretched delivery. South appear to regenerating much quicker than North whose game plan seems redundant.

SOUTH GAMBIER 17-4 106 EASILY AT THE FINISH NORTH GAMBIER 11-9 75

Round 8 – June 2, 2018

Casteron Sandford	3.4	5.4	9.5	11.9 (75)
Millicent	3.2	8.4	8.9	11.9 (75)

Best: Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, T. Nesbitt, M. Cummings, M. Rogers, J. Stephenson, B. Guthrie. Millicent – J. Weir, J. Grimes, C. Gallio, T. Hutchesson, W. Fleming, R. Duncan. Goals: Casterton Sandford – J. Stephenson 3, H. Jarrad 2, T. Clode 2, T. Sullivan, D. Richardson, M. Cummings, B. Galpin. Millicent – M. Duldig 4, D. Bromley 2, S. Willis 2, H. Nitschke, H. Gordon, T. Hutchesson

East Gambier	3.4	4.11	11.13	13.16 (94)
West Gambier	2.3	4.7	6.10	8.16 (64)

Best: East – N. Lock , M. Ferguson, J. Whaites, L. Thomson, J. Forster, A. Waples. West – T. Lewis, D. Walsh, J. Ryan, J. Pfitzner. Goals: East – M. Scanlon 3, J. McKeon 3, J. Dawe 2, G. Cooper 2, M. Kieselbach, M. Willson, M. McCallum. West – J. Ryan 4, L. Jones, K. Betts, T. Zeitz, B. Wilson

North Gambier	3.2	9.5	10.7	11.9 (75)
South Gambier	3.1	7.1	11.3	17.4 (106)

Best: South – B. Kain, B. O”Neil, D. Boyd, T. Reid, J. Tentye, H. Capewell. North – D. Munn, M. Telford, B. Stafford. Goals: South – B. Kain 9, H. Capewell 3, B. O”Neil 2, C. O’Reilley, M. Sutton, N. Patzel. North – T. McLennan 3, N. Blachut 2, H. Telford, F. Marshall, M. Ashby, J. Hatt, N. Moretti, W. Stafford

MILLICENT AND CASTERTON/SANDFORD A CUT ABOVE THE REST

May 27, 2018 – by Terry Willoughby

The inability of reigning premier East Gambier to make a positive start again haunted them as Casterton/Sandford took an early lead of 12 points and were clearly the better team with Wil McDonald and Cummings in good touch on the forward line and around the stoppages. The Cats controlled most of the play before halftime but couldn’t quite put East down and the margin was 16 points. Ferguson and Lock were battling hard in defence for East but they had no winners ahead of centre. Casterton/Sandford started to dominate play in the third term and restricted East to a solitary goal whilst adding four of their own to have a strong grip on proceedings at the start of the last quarter. East had very few winners as the Cats over ran them with a seven goal burst which sank the hopes of any Bulldog revival. Cummings, Stephenson, Billy Galpin and Guthrie all played well for Casterton/Sandford and McDonald booted four goals. A sorry story for East Gambier with only Ferguson, Lock and Eldridge displaying much resistance.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 16-12 108 EASILY DEFEATED EAST GAMBIER 6-7 43

North Gambier again found out that straight kicking means plenty in the context of winning as Millicent eventually did, by 29 points. The Saints made every shot for goal count early as North had as much of the play but trailed by nine points at quarter time. Matt Duldig’s big frame was a stumbling block for North as the Saints went further ahead in the second term by maintaining an almost flawless record around goals whilst North continued to miss chances through poor kicking. The third quarter was much the same with youngster Sam Willis proving a good foil for Duldig as Millicent kicked away to a 29 point and seemingly match-winning lead at three quarter-time. Glen Soper, back with North after several seasons away and Nic McInerney were trying very hard to lift the Tigers but Weir, Fleming, Hamish Gordon and Tom Hutchesson were equally good for Millicent with others more willing to help. North had the most productive quarter in the last when they booted 5 goals but the sting had gone out of the contest and Millicent also added five and North despite having one more scoring shot finished 29 points in arrears. Weir, Fleming, Hamish Gordon, Tom Hutchesson and Blake Kenny played well for Millicent and Matt Duldig booted five goals. For North it was the usuals in Nic McInerney, Soper, Marshall and Mikey Telford with encouraging signs from McLennan who booted four goals.

MILLICENT 17-6 108 COMFORTABLY DEFEATED NORTH GAMBIER 11-13 79  

West Gambier, with a premiership reunion and guest speaker in John Platten in attendance settled in for a dour struggle against South Gambier who may be winless but are no easybeats. South were first into attack but it was almost half way to quarter time before any goals were scored with Hein and Kain goaling for South. Former electric heeled premiership player Jacka Ryan looked threatening around goals for West but he missed two sitters along with another from Bett’s  before Schapel got West’s first. Play became stuck between defence lines but West had more opointions in attack and led by 8 points. The loss of Opie to injury put a big hole in South’s defence and they couldn’t plug it as West surged forward with goals and extend their lead to 29 points by half-time. Dion Stratford and Williams had combined well for South but were forced wide and West were on top around the stoppages through Lewis and the Zietz brothers. West again looked better early in the third quarter but Ryan incurred the wrath of the umpires and was yellow carded and his team suffered two 50 metre penalties because he left the ground ever so slowly. South goaled and slowly worked their way back into the game through an unlikely goal from unfashionable Chris Williams. Ryan returned late in the quarter but again missed after marking, it was a dirty day for him, but a Wenman goaled put West 17 points ahead at three-quarter time. South still showed some fight as veteran Bret O’neil combined with Saffin for a goal to Kain and South continued to chip away but West responded with goals to Wenman, Giddings and a sealer from Lachy Jones.

WEST GAMBIER 11-14 80 TOO STRONG, SOUTH GAMBIER 8-3 51

Round 7 – May 26, 2018

Casterton Sandford	3.2	5.7	9.10	16.12 (108)
East Gambier	1.2	3.3	4.4	6.7 (43)

Best: Casterton Sandford – M. Cummings, J. Stephenson, B. Guthrie, B. Galpin, T. Nesbitt, A. Cleary. East Gambier – M. Ferguson, N. Lock , J. Eldridge, J. Baker, B. Rathjen. Goals: Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald 4, M. Cummings 3, J. Stephenson 2, T. Shannon, J. Gibbs, T. Sullivan, B. Galpin, H. Jarrad, K. Davis, C. Currie. East Gambier – M. McCallum 2, B. Rathjen 2, N. Lock , C. Johnson

West Gambier	3.4	7.7	8.8	11.14 (80)
South Gambier	2.2	3.2	6.3	8.3 (51)

Best: West – L. Bradley-Brown, L. Morton, T. Holmes, K. Giddings, L. Jones. South – T. Reid, K. Bowd, T. Rundle, N. Jenkin, B. O”Neil, D. Stratford. Goals: West – B. Wilson 2, S. Wenman 2, L. Jones, T. Holmes, K. Giddings, J. Schapel, R. Wilson, S. Zeitz, L. Bradley-Brown. South – B. Kain 4, C. Williams, M. Hein, J. Tentye, T. Saffin

Millicent	5.1	8.2	12.5	17.6 (108)
North Gambier	3.4	5.8	6.12	11.13 (79)

Best: Millicent – J. Weir, W. Fleming, H. Gordon, T. Hutchesson, B. Kenny, M. Duldig. North – G. Soper, N. McInerney, M. Telford, F. Marshall, J. Hollitt, K. Lam. Goals: Millicent – M. Duldig 5, H. Gordon 3, S. Willis 3, H. Nitschke 2, C. Gallio 2, D. Bromley, W. Fleming. North – T. McLennan 4, W. Lewis 2, M. Telford, N. McInerney, G. Soper, N. Blachut, N. Mark

CASTERTON/SANDFORD TIGHTEN GRIP ON TOP SPOT

Terry Willoughby – May 20, 2018

The improved West Gambier made Casterton/Sandford battle all the game before the Cats eased ahead in the final quarter to win by 18 points. Goals were hard to get early on with both teams defending grimly. Casterton/Sandford wasted chances with inaccurate kicking as West forced them into error. West gathered some ascendancy with three goals in the second term with Lewis again a force around the stoppages and Giddings defending strongly. Small men Reid Kuller and Betts, sans the Eddie skills, were also under notice as West took a 10 point lead at the long break. The third quarter saw a shift in play as Casterton/Sandford fought their way through the West defence to score four goals and restrict the opposition to just one. Callum Currie was again among the goals with Cummimgs and Cleary winning around the ground. Casterton/Sandford led by just five points entering the final quarter and had shutdown West’s scoring opointsions which had reduced the game to a dour struggle. Currie was again prominent around goals and Casterton/Sandford finished much the better to win by 18 points.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 10-9 69 TOO STRONG, WEST GAMBIER 7-9 51

East Gambier had their best first quarter for the season and caught North Gambier off guard when they held a 20 point lead at quarter time. Jack Dawe was clearly the best small man on the ground and won many kicks around the stoppages whilst Pfieffer and McCallum also did well. North fought back before halftime with Nic McInerney providing drive and defenders Schutz and Ashby holding East up across half-back. Play tightened considerably in the third term as North drew within range but a burst of four goals to East turned the game in their favour. Just when a big East win looked likely Tom McLennan booted two quick goals in reply and the game was again in the balance with East ahead by 19 points at three quarter-time. McLennan goaled again early in the last quarter as North threatened but East steadied. North again challenged when Hollitt took a screamer but committed the cardinal error of kicking in to the man on the mark amid the Bronx cheers from East fans and then saw the ball whisked away for Rumbelow to mark and goal for East and heap more frustration on North. East maintained a three goal buffer but North squandered many chances with appalling disposal which made East’s job much easier. McLennan goaled again for North but East got one on the final siren to run out winners by 24 points . Jack Dawe was the star for East ahead of Flynn Balshaw, Pfieffer, Rumbelow and McCallum. For North it was Nic McInerney, Schutz, Ashby and McLennan who finished with six goals, his best for the year.

EAST GAMBIER 14-8 92 DEFEATED NORTH GAMBIER 10-8 68

South Gambier, given little chance against Millicent, made a bold bid for their first win this season when the played brave attacking football at every opportunity. The first quarter highlight was a 30 player melee which resembled one those 24 hour danceathons where participants hugged each other to remain upright. Tempers had become frayed after South full-back Nick Jenkins had ruffled big Matt Duldig. Millicent always looked dangerous but South continued to play boldly and the lead changed hands often. South goaled twice in the third quarter with Kain on top at full forward and suddenly the Demons had a mini-break. Millicent were stung into action and Hamish Gordon, Tincknell and former South player Lyndon Smith provided the spark as the Saints hit back strongly with a brace of goals aided by a couple of 50 metre penalties. The resurgent Millicent now had momentum and the stuffing had been knocked out of South. The Saints kicked right away in the final term and had booted 8 of the last ten goals of the game to win by 48 points. Gordon, Smith, Tincknell, Matt Duldig with six goals and Tom Hutchesson were best for Millicent. Youngsters Ty Opie and Harkness stood tall for South along with Kain, six goals and Boyd.

MILLICENT 18-10 118 AFTER AN EARLY SCARE, SOUTH GAMBIER 10-10 70

Round 6 – May 19, 2018

South Gambier				10.10 (70)
Millicent				18.10 (118)

Best: Millicent – H. Gordon, L. Smith, D. Tincknell, M. Duldig, T. Hutchesson, J. Weir. South – T. Opie, A. Harkness, B. Kain, D. Boyd, B. O”Neil. Goals: Millicent – M. Duldig 6, T. Hutchesson 2, D. Bromley 2, C. Gibbs 2, H. Nitschke, H. Gordon, H. Smith, B. Gibbs, J. Walker. South – B. Kain 6, C. Williams, J. Capewell, H. Capewell, B. O”Neil

Casterton Sandford	1.6	2.7	6.7	10.9 (69)
West Gambier	1.0	4.5	5.8	7.9 (51)

Best: Casterton Sandford – A. Cleary, M. Cummings, C. Currie, B. Guthrie, J. Searle, H. Jarrad. West – T. Lewis, K. Giddings, R. Kuller, D. Robbins, K. Betts. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 4, T. Clode 2, D. Ayton, T. Nesbitt, C. Jarrad, J. Gibbs. West – B. Wilson 3, S. Zeitz, K. Giddings, R. Kuller, K. Betts

North Gambier	1.1	4.6	8.7	10.8 (68)
East Gambier	4.3	6.5	11.8	14.10 (94)

Best: East – J. Dawe, F. Balshaw, A. Pfeiffer, M. Rumbelow, M. McCallum. North – N. McInerney, J. Schutz, M. Ashby, S. Stafford, F. Marshall, N. Blachut. Goals: East  – M. McCallum 3, J. Eldridge 2, M. Willson 2, J. McKeon 2, M. Rumbelow 2, J. Dawe 1, K. Thomson 1, M. Bryson 1. North – T. McLennan 6, M. Telford 1, N. Moretti 1, W. Stafford 1, G. Soper 1

REIGNING PREMIERS EAST GAMBIER THUMPED AGAIN

Terry Willoughby, Sunday May 13, 2018

East Gambier again started poorly and not for the first time this season managed only one goal in the first half. The standard of play never rose much above average in the first half but East were very poor indeed, luckily the 1988 Premiership reunion players had memories to share! Goals were hard to come by but Millicent managed three by half-time to lead by 11 points, a huge margin in the circumstances. No player stood out for either side but the physical strength of Millicent was definitely a factor with Grimes, Bromley and Matt Duldig around the stoppages and Tincknell in defence. East’s forward entries were haphazard at best, chaotic at worst. East had many chances early in the third quarter but Millicent soaked up the challenge and booted four goals to open up a lead of 26 points at three quarter-time. Millicent were in complete control and booted another 5 goals to East’s miserable two and win comfortably by 42 points. Tincknell, Jonah Grimes, Bromley, Gibbs and Tom Hutcheson played well for Millicent and Matt Duldig chimed in with 4 goals. Little can be said for East’s efforts, they have been poor most of the year, maybe a premiership hangover persists?          

MILLICENT 12-11 83 OUTGUNNED EAST GAMBIER 5-11 41

North Gambier started like a house on fire against West Gambier and booted six goals straight to lead by 28 points at quarter time. Players previously unsighted suddenly looked like match-winners but West soon put a stop to that. Bradley-Brown and Tom Zietz shook off their opponents and Lewis won the ruck duels as West recovered steadily and trailed by just a goal at the long interval. North’s deadly kicking had been invaluable. North had chances early in the third quarter but West defended well through Wenman and Sam Zietz who completely blanketed the North forwards. North turned the ball over repeatedly and surprisingly given that their yellow guersneys were conspicuous in the gloom. West piled on five goals for the third quarter with Tom Zietz starring. North couldn’t find a way forward at all against the dominance of the West defence, a token goal late to North brought the West lead back to 25 points but North didn’t look likely. West continued to outplay their opponents in the last quarter as North turned the ball over and got smacked for it! West dominated play entirely in the second half and clearly should have won by a greater margin than 27 points. Best for West were Bradley-Brown, Tom 6 goals and Sam Zietz, Wenman was terrific in defence and Lewis good in the ruck. North’s better players early vanished after half-time but Ashby, one of the turnover culprits, Sam and Brad Stafford, and Marshall tried hard.

WEST GAMBIER 14-17 101 TOO GOOD FOR NORTH GAMBIER 12-2 74     

Round 5 (rest of  split round) – May 12, 2018

West Gambier	1.2	6.6	11.13	14.17 (101)
North Gambier	6.0	8.0	9.0	12.2 (74)

Best: West – L. Bradley-Brown, T. Zeitz, S. Wenman, T. Lewis, S. Zeitz, T. Holmes. North – M. Ashby, S. Stafford, F. Marshall, B. Stafford, N. Blachut, M. Lewis. Goals: West – T. Zeitz 6, B. Wilson 2, D. Robbins 2, A. Kamara, B. Parsons, S. Wenman, L. Bradley-Brown. North – N. Moretti 2, J. Schutz 2, T. McLennan 2, B. Stafford 2, M. Lewis, J. Hollitt, N. McInerney, T. Gould

East Gambier	0.3	1.8	3.8	5.11 (41)
Millicent	1.4	3.7	7.10	12.11 (83)

Best: Millicent – D. Tincknell, J. Grimes, D. Bromley, B. Gibbs, T. Hutchesson, L. Smith. East –  A. Pfeiffer, J. Dawe, J. Eldridge, F. Balshaw, A. Waples, M. McCallum. Goals: Millicent – M. Duldig 4, D. Bromley 2, S. Willis 2, R. Duncan, J. Walker, L. Smith, H. Gordon. East – J. Dawe 2, G. Cooper, M. Scanlon, K. Rodis

CASTERTON/SANDFORD MAINTAIN TOP SPOT WITH EASY WIN

Terry Willoughby, May 5 2018

Casterton/Sandford consolidated its position on top of the ladder with an easy 68 point win over the winless and injury ravaged South Gambier. The Cats have now defeated every other team and have assumed the right to be flag favourite. After a relatively slow opening quarter they upped the tempo and booted six goals to two in the second term and broke away to a 30 point lead. The consistent Callum Currie was again amongst the goals and Tynan Shannon was also a handful for the South defenders, both finished with five goals. South struggled to find a way forward with Nesbitt leading a tight defence for Casterton/Sandford. A further six goals in the third quarter to the Cats sealed South’s fate with the three quarter time margin out to 58 points. The under-manned South continued to battle hard but Casterton/Sandford had too much talent. Tom Sullivan headed the best for Casterton/Sandford along Shannon, Currie and Nesbitt. South’s best were youngster Kaleb Bowd, Saffin and veteran Bret O’Neil.

Round 5 (split round) – May 5, 2018

Casterton Sandford	3.1	9.3	15.3	17.8 (110)
South Gawler	2.0	4.3	5.5	6.6 (42)

Best: Casterton Sandford –  T. Sullivan, T. Shannon, C. Currie, T. Nesbitt, A. Cleary, B. Galpin. South Gawler – K. Bowd, T. Saffin, B. O”Neil, T. Opie, N. Patzel, T. Rundle. Goals: Casterton Sandford – T. Shannon 5, C. Currie 5, T. Sullivan 2, R. Killey, J. Stephenson, K. Carlin, B. Galpin, C. Jarrad. South Gawler – T. Reid 2, J. Capewell, B. Bryant, B. Howard, N. Patzel

REIGNING PREMIERS EAST GAMBIER GIVEN A THRASHING BY WEST GAMBIER

Terry Willoughby, Sunday April 29, 2018

West Gambier were always in control against reigning premier East Gambier and won a low scoring game by 44 points. Goals were hard to come by for East who managed only one in the first half. The West defenders cut off many East attacks by playing in front and tackling effectively. West made good use of the light breeze to boot five goals with coach Brad Wilson prominent. Sam Zietz and Tom Holmes bobbed all around the ground and Todd Lewis dominated at the stoppages as well as marking strongly across half-back. Scoring dried up almost completely in the second term with West scoring the only goal but East were constantly undone by poor kicking and turned the ball over on many occasions. East had their best return in the third quarter but West matched them on the scoreboard but continually outplayed them at the same time and still led by 31 points. West’s teamwork had been excellent, a direct contrast to East Gambier. West used the ball more efficiently, supported each other and created opportunities at all times. Steve Wenman in defence had shut out the East forwards and Lewis continued to mark everything that came his way. East were close enough if good enough but West again outplayed them and kepoint East goal-less for the second time in four quarters to win impressively by 44 points.

WEST GAMBIER 10-12 72 OUTPLAYED EAST GAMBIER 3-10 28

Undefeated teams Millicent and Casterton/Sandford went toe to toe before the Cats kicked clear in the second half. There was not much between the teams but Wil Macdonald in the ruck and around ground gave Casterton/Sandford the advantage. The Cats led by 13 points at quarter time. Millicent battled hard to get on terms in the second quarter but last week’s hero Sam Willis was being well  held and Millicent’s scoring power was diminished. The defences of both teams were working hard to keep their opponents under control but Casterton/Sandford still led by 10 points entering the third quarter. Macdonald’s influence now stood out as the Cat’s booted six unanswered goals and raced to a 45 point lead with only a quarter to play. Millicent struggled to break the Casterton/ Sandford stranglehold in the last quarter and the Cats went on to win comfortably by 38 points and remain the only undefeated team in Western Border. Macdonald, Sullivan, Clode and Cummings stood out for Casterton/Sandford and Callum Currie was the leading scorer with three goals. Jonah Grimes, Dylan Tincknell and veteran Steve Duldig battled strongly for Millicent.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 13-8 86 TOO STRONG FOR MILLICENT 6-12 48

The ANZAC day clash between rivals South and North Gambier in a manner which suggested they were still power teams when in fact both were winless in 2018. It was goal for goal in the early stages but North gained a handy lead late with a brace of goals which gave them a 24 point lead. Showing their best form so far they extended their lead with goals to Sam Stafford and Hollitt who benefitted from the ball-winning efforts of Brock Egan, Marshall and the run of Blachut. Late goals brought South back into the game and it was resolute defence from Ty Opie, Bowd and Jenkins that held North up. North still looked more likely to score during the third quarter and again outscored South. Egan and the mobility of Stafford was a headache South couldn’t quell and north led by 33 points. Hein and Boyd had been useful for South but North were on top across the midfield. South mounted another charge and quickly reduced the margin to 27 points but North responded to make the game safe in the closing stages. North had used the ball better and appreciated the wide open spaces to win by 31 points. South incurred a couple of injuries that didn’t help their cause one bit.

NORTH GAMBIER 16-5 100 COMFORTABLY, SOUTH GAMBIER 10-10 70

Round 4 – April 28, 2018

West	3.2	6.4	8.7	10.12 (72)
East	0.2	1.4	3.6	3.10 (28)

Best: West – S. Zeitz, T. Holmes, J. Schapel, S. Wenman, J. Blackwell.  East Gambier: J. Eldridge, J. Ransom, S. Balshaw, J. Dawe, F. Scanlon. Goals: West – J. Schapel 3, B. Wilson 3, L. Bradley-Brown 1, J. Blackwell 1, Z. Kuller 1, T. Holmes 1. East:  K. Thomson 2, J. Dawe 1

Millicent	1.1	3.4	3.10	6.12 (48)
Casterton Sandford	3.2	5.2	11.7	13.8 (86)

Best: Casterton Sandford – W. Macdonald, T. Sullivan, T. Clode, M. Cummings, T. Nesbitt, K. Carlin.  Millicent: J. Grimes, D. Tincknell, S. Duldig, D. Bromley, R. Duncan, B. Gibbs. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 3, H. Jarrad 2, D. Ayton 1, N. O’Brien 1, W. Macdonald 1, M. Cummings 1, K. Carlin 1, J. Searle 1, J. Stephenson 1, R. Killey 1.  Millicent: H. Nitschke 2, D. Bromley 2, S. Willis 1, T. Hutchesson 1

Round 4 – April 25, 2018

South	2.1	5.2	6.6	10.10 (70)
North	6.1	9.3	12.3	16.5 (101)

Best: North – B. Egan, F. Marshall, N. Blachut, J. Hollitt, S. Stafford, T. Gould. South – K. Bowd, M. Hein, D. Boyd, T. Opie, N. Jenkin. Goals: North – J. Hollitt 4, S. Stafford 3, T. McLennan 2, N. McInerney 2, N. Blachut 2, W. Stafford, T. Gould, H. Telford. South – B. Kain 4, B. Bryant 2, H. Capewell 2, J. Capewell, B. O”Neil

THE POOR FORM OF POWER TEAMS CONTINUES AS NORTH AND SOUTH ARE THRASHED

By Terry Willoughby –  April 22, 2018

Under lights on Friday night East Gambier gained an early lead and strengthened it from there-on. Thomson was a constant threat near goal but it was Pfieffer who provided the surprise and South were unable to counter him. East lead at the first change by 15 points and extended it to 30 by the long break. South struggled for winners ahead of centre with only the Capewell brothers seeming likely to kick goals. East continued to control play through Fry around the stoppages and Ferguson in defence. The lead had blown out to 41 points at three quarter-time with only the South younger brigade in Hein, Harkness and Bowd providing much resistance. East ran right away in the last quarter with a burst of six goals to just one from South and won easily by 64 points. Pfieffer booted five goals for East and was amongst their best along with Ferguson, Fry and McCallum. Hein, Henry Capewell with three goals, Bowd, Harkness tried hard for South and Jack Capewell booted four goals.

EAST GAMBIER 18-19 127 TOO STRONG, SOUTH GAMBIER 8-5 53

Millicent quickly took control of the game over West Gambier with a five goal to one first quarter. The Saints dominated around the stoppages and mid-field and the West defence proved very brittle. The trend continued in the second term with West again unable to land a blow as Millicent piled on another seven goals with youngster Sam Willis running riot on the forward line and Dylan finishing off what he missed and the Saints held a match-winning 61 point lead. West, stung by their poor earlier efforts had their most productive period in the third quarter when they booted 6 goals but Millicent still managed three in reply and held a 43 point lead. West’s resistance crumbled again in the last quarter as Millicent finished powerfully with six goals with West managing a token three to finish 63 points in arrears. Hobbs was named best for Millicent but Sam Willis starred with seven goals, Bromley with five goals and Duncan were also very good. West’s best were harder to find after an abysmal first half but former coach Steve Wenman and Sam Zietz battled hard all game along with Jones and Jesse Pfitzner.

MILLICENT 21-11 137 OUTCLASSED WEST GAMBIER 11-8 74

North Gambier, grand finalists for the past seven years, remain winless and anchored to the bottom after three rounds following a 64 point hiding from Casterton/Sandford. For the second game in a row North’s indirect and mistake riddled game turned the ball over which enabled Casterton/Sandford to pile on six goals to the lesser advantaged end and lead by 28 points at quarter time. Dylan Ayton seemed opponent-less and picked kicks all over the ground whilst Wil McDonald dominated the rucks and gave his on-ball brigade an armchair ride. The Cats piled on another 6 goals in the second quarter against only token resistance to lead by 64 points at half-time. North had not only been indirect but played unaccountable football with Currie, Ayton and company doing as they pleased. Nesbitt and Gibbs had shut out the North forwards with strong defence and kicked longer to give the team-mates chances. North battled back momentarily in the third quarter but made little headway on the scoreboard. The game petered out in the final term with Casterton/Sandford winning easily by 64 points. Currie booted six goals and Nesbitt, Macdonald, Gibbs, Rogers and Ayton played well. A completely different story for North with Dblachut, nic mcinerney on the last line of defence mind you, and Sam Egan showing much fight in a team that still fielded ten premiership players. The moment of truth will come on Anzac Day when they play another winless team in South Gambier, the first time the Anzac Day game has had two teams without a win, opposed.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 16-5 101 BELTED NORTH GAMBIER 5-7

Round 3 – April 20 & 21, 2018

Millicent	5.2	12.4	15.7	21.11 (137)
West	1.2	2.3	8.6	11.8 (74)

Best: Millicent – C. Hobbs, S. Willis, D. Bromley, R. Duncan, H. Gordon, T. Hutchesson. West – S. Zeitz, S. Wenman, J. Pfitzner, L. Jones, R. Wilson. Goals: Millicent – S. Willis 7, D. Bromley 5, H. Gordon 3, H. Nitschke 2, T. Hutchesson 2, M. Reilly 1,

1. Walker 1. West – S. Wenman 3, T. Zeitz 2, T. Lewis 1, A. Pfitzner 1, D. Robbins 1, J. Schapel 1, B. Wilson 1, R. Wilson 1

Casterton Sandford	6.0	12.1	14.3	16.5 (101)
North	1.2	1.3	4.6	5.7 (37)

Best: Casterton Sandford – T. Nesbitt, W. Macdonald, J. Gibbs, M. Rogers, D. Ayton, T. Sullivan. North – N. Blachut, N. McInerney, S. Egan, M. Lewis, W. Lewis, T. Gould. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 6, H. Jarrad 2, D. Ayton 2, M. Jarrad 1, B. Galpin 1, T. Sullivan 1, J. Stephenson 1, N. O’Brien 1, M. Killey 1. North – N. Blachut 2, M. Lewis 1, J. Hollitt 1, W. Lewis 1

East	5.4	8.9	12.15	18.19 (127)
South	3.1	4.3	7.4	8.5 (53)

Best: East – M. Ferguson, J. Fry, M. McCallum, A. Pfeiffer, C. Johnson, L. Thomson. South – M. Hein, H. Capewell, K. Bowd, A. Harkness, T. Opie, N. Tarca. Goals: East – A. Pfeiffer 5, K. Thomson 3, S. Balshaw 2, M. Rumbelow 2, G. Cooper 2, J. Dawe, M. Willson, J. Ransom, C. Johnson. South – J. Capewell 4, H. Capewell 3, B. Kain

RESULTS GIVE THE LADDER A VERY DIFFERENT LOOK

By Terry Willoughby, April 16, 2018

North Gambier wasted chances early on in the game against Millicent by persisting with play on the outer wing and kicking short in conditions that screamed out for practical football and they just couldn’t adapoint. Millicent on the other hand, and foot, quickly realised this and slammed on six goals to have north in real trouble by quarter-time. Hamish Gordon, Joe Walker and Hamish Nitschke profited from the strength of Matt Duldig around the packs as Millicent led by 27 points. North outscored the Saints in the third quarter but were unable to make it pay when they still trailed by 20 points at the last change. Millicent seized the chance and continued to play percentage football, kick longer and keep your forward line open, they kicked five goals to two and win convincingly by 45 points. Their best win over North in many years. Best for Millicent were Gordon, Walker, Nitschke and Lyndon Smith with special mention to Matt Duldig. Mason Ashby, Marshall, Blachut and Brock Egan tried hard but North paid the price for not adapting to the conditions.

MILLICENT 13-10 88 CONVINCING WINNERS OVER NORTH GAMBIER 6-6 42

On a day where scoring was always going to be difficult Casterton/Sandford made the task even harder for East Gambier. The gale force wind blew towards the scoreboard and slightly favoured the northern end but the Cats kept East goal-less and booted three themselves to hold an almost match-winning lead of 22 points. Ayton and Callum Currie were in everything for the Cats who led by 27 points at half-time and East had only one goal on the board which will not win many games. Coach Matt Willson was trying hard to lift East but it was Casterton/Sandford again who handled to conditions better and managed five goals whilst restricting East to just two and hold a commanding 45point lead at  three quarter-time. The Cats clogged up East’s forward line and frustrated most moves but East managed three goals midway through the last quarter but all too late and Casterton/Sandford won well by 25 points despite not kicking a goal in the final term.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 10-9 69 PURRING TOO GOOD FOR EAST GAMBIER 6-8 44

West Gambier handled the wind-swept conditions much better than home team South Gambier and won easily by 40 points. They kept South goal-less in the first quarter and led by 14 points. Showers swept across the ground almost every quarter but West managed to score intermittently or at least often enough to retain the lead. Bradley-Brown was prolific around the mid-field while Pfitzner and Tom Zietz cut off most of South’s haphazard attacks. South barely looked threatening unless Brad Bryant had the ball but his team-mates let him down badly. West goaled quickly in the third term and was hard to see where South’s goals were going to come from. They struggled for just one in the quarter and West booted 3 to hold a big lead of 27 points, insurmountable in the conditions. West controlled play in the last quarter to win easily by 40 points. The win has the WBFL ladder looking vastly different look to recent years whether the league had 12, 10 or 6 teams, with Millicent and Casterton/Sandford on top and South and North Gambier at the bottom.

WEST GAMBIER 10-9 69 EASILY OVER SOUTH GAMBIER 4-5 29

Round 2 – April 14, 2018

West	2.3	4.5	7.7	10.9 (69)
South	0.1	2.2	3.4	4.5 (29)

Best: West  – L. Bradley-Brown, T. Lewis, J. Pfitzner, T. Zeitz, D. Robbins. South – B. Bryant, T. Saffin, T. Opie, D. Stratford. Goals: West – D. Robbins 3, T. Holmes 2, J. Schapel, T. Zeitz, J. Blackwell, A. Pfitzner, L. Bradley-Brown. South – B. Bryant 2, B. Howard, H. Capewell

Millicent	1.1	7.5	8.7	13.10 (88)
North	2.5	2.8	4.11	6.11 (47)

Best: Millicent – H. Gordon, J. Walker, H. Nitschke, L. Smith, W. Fleming, D. Bromley. North – M. Ashby, F. Marshall, N. Blachut, B. Egan, J. Hollitt, K. Lam. Goals: Millicent – H. Nitschke 3, D. Bromley 2, H. Gordon 2, D. Tincknell, M. Duldig, L. Smith, T. Hutchesson, J. Walker, S. Willis. North – F. Marshall 2, N. Blachut, B. Egan, J. Williamson, H. Telford

Casterton Sandford	3.6	5.8	10.8	10.9 (69)
East	0.2	1.5	3.5	6.8 (44)

Best: Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton, C. Currie, J. Stephenson, T. Sullivan, T. Nesbitt, H. Jarrad. East  – M. Willson, J. Eldridge, J. Ransom, J. Dawe, M. Rumbelow, C. Johnson. Goals: Casterton Sandford – D. Ayton 3, C. Currie 3, T. Shannon, T. Sullivan, A. Cleary, J. Stephenson. East – G. Cooper 2, C. Johnson, K. Thomson, M. Rumbelow, J. Fry

THREE CLOSE GAMES IN OPENING ROUND

By Terry Willoughby, Sunday April 8, 2018

East Gambier faced up to grand final opponent North Gambier and looked anything but reigning premiers as North slammed on the first 4 goals. The Tigers moved the ball quickly and efficiently to lead by 25 points. East found their mojo a bit in the second quarter but North were still playing cleverly. Both teams booted 3 goals for the quarter and North went to the break with 22 point lead. Tim McInerney had defended well with Marshall and Nic McInerney good around the stoppages.  East played more aggressively after halftime and forced North into error on many occasions which turned the ball over and East capatilised with 3 goals. North had chances but failed to take them as East closed the margin to just 6 points at three quarter-time. Forster and Cooper had come into the game strongly for East as North players wilted under the fiercer approach and cramps set in in the warm conditions. Cooper and Kev Thomson quickly put East ahead for the first time with a burst of goals as North became rattled. North regained the lead briefly but east finished strongly with 3 goals late in the final quarter to win by20 points. Cooper was outstanding in the last quarter for East, probably his best game in seniors. North struggled at the end, unable to find a way out of defence.

EAST GAMBIER 13-8 86 WITH A LATE BURST DEFEATED NORTH GAMBIER 10-6 66

West Gambier started with the breeze but it was Casterton/Sandford that made all the running early and they raced to  a 19 point lead at quarter time. Callum Currie won plenty of touches and Ayton also as West failed to man up. Casterton/Sandford now had the breeze but a quick burst of goals mid- way through the second quarter put West on level terms. Both teams had plenty of chances but over did the short passing. West again edged their way back into the game in the third quarter but the Cats held on in a game that was becoming testy. Neither team had a winning forward and West wasted chances with poor kicking. Casterton/Sandford led narrowly entering the last quarter and made better use of the ball whilst West again failed at the goal-front. The Cats won handsomely in the ruck through Wil Macdonald but West allowed too many players room to run free in a game that could have gone either way but the Cats got the cream by 8 points.

CASTERTON/SANDFORD 11-9 75 SCRAPED IN, WEST GAMBIER 9-13 67     

Millicent and South Gambier went goal for goal throughout the game with the lead changing hands quite often. South led by just three points at quarter time with Brayden Kain effective around goal. Millicent quickly erased the deficit with long-kicking Tom Hutchesson and Matt Duldig winning valuable possessions and they led by 7 points at half time. Saffin and Brad Bryant continued to good for South but strong work by Steve Duldig held them up. Neither team was able to gain a break as the play switched ends often. South trailed by two goals entering the last quarter but levelled the scores midway through the quarter before Millicent snatched back the lead late and held on to win by 7 points.

MILLICENT 14-9 93 NARROWLY OVER SOUTH GAMBIER 13-8 86     

Round 1 – April 7, 2018

Casterton Sandford	4.2	6.4	8.8	11.9 (75)
West	1.3	4.5	7.9	9.13 (67)

Best: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie, W. Macdonald, B. Guthrie, J. Stephenson, D. Ayton, J. Searle. West – S. Wenman, T. Lewis, L. Bradley-Brown, T. Holmes, J. Schapel. Goals: Casterton Sandford – C. Currie 3, M. Jarrad 2, J. Stephenson 2, T. McArlein 1, D. Richardson 1, T. Clode 1, N. O’Brien 1. West – J. Schapel 2, T. Holmes 2, J. Ryan 2, D. Robbins 1, R. Kuller 1, S. Wenman 1

Millicent	4.0	9.4	12.7	14.9 (93)
South	4.3	8.5	10.7	13.8 (86)

Best: Millicent – T. Hutchesson, R. Duncan, S. Duldig, H. Nitschke, D. Bromley, W. Fleming. South – T. Saffin, B. Bryant, B. Kain, D. Boyd, N. Jenkin, T. Opie. Goals: Millicent – T. Hutchesson 3, M. Duldig 3, D. Bromley 2, S. Willis 2, W. Fleming 1, M. Reilly 1, H. Gordon 1, D. Thwaites 1. South – B. Kain 5, J. Tentye 2, B. Bryant 2, J. Capewell 2, D. Boyd 1, K. Bowd 1

East	1.1	4.5	7.5	13.8 (86)
North	5.2	8.3	8.5	10.6 (66)

Best: East – J. Forster, G. Cooper, M. Rumbelow, K. Rodis, J. Ransom, J. Eldridge. North – T. McInerney, F. Marshall, M. Telford, N. McInerney, J. Hollitt, B. Egan. Goals: East – G. Cooper 4, K. Thomson 3, M. Rumbelow 3, J. Dawe, M. Willson, J. Fry. North – S. Stafford 2, M. Lewis 2, N. McInerney 2, J. Schutz, T. McLennan, J. Hollitt, N. Moretti

 

EAST GAMBIER END A 29 YEAR DROUGHT TO CONVINCINGLY WIN GRAND FINAL

By Terry Willoughby, September 25, 2017

East Gambier may have considered themselves the underdogs but that wasn’t how they played. Winning the toss was the first positive and they had the better part of play in the early stages as the North defence withstood the challenge.

North counter attacked late in the first quarter and also had plenty of time inside their 50 metre zone but couldn’t score a goal against the determined East defence led by Frazer Scanlon and Jayden Eldridge who continually frustrated the North forwards and what they didn’t clear they bottled up. Two late goals to East’s Kevvy Thomson gave them a 13 point lead under heavy, threatening skies. East were quick to take some control of play in the second quarter with Jesse Fry playing an outstanding game around the midfield and stoppages. McCallum goaled early in the term for East as North struggled to go forward with heavy rain falling. Moretti put Norths’ first goal on the board but they were being forced into constant error by the willingness of East to chase and tackle. 

East goaled again and had now opened up a three goal lead in the difficult conditions. North had wasted chances with poor finishing and decision making and East again punished them with a goal in the dying stages of the quarter to lead by 25 points at the long break. Jesse Fry continued to be the star for East along with Kieselbach in the ruck, Tully Balshaw and Frazer Scanlon. North’s running brigade led by Brock Egan, Nic McInerney and Brad Stafford were finding it hard to get into the open and turned the ball over under pressure.

The second half started in bright sunshine, a marked contrast to earlier and again it was East Gambier who made the better start with McCallum getting his second goal to put the margin beyond 5 goals. North attacked relentlessly but still couldn’t find the goals until Sam Stafford, a quiet player, goaled after a free to bring the margin back to 28 points. East continued to tackle strongly and harassed North at every turn before goaling again and the game was fast slipping away from North who were unable to link up play at any stage. Tom McLennan goaled late in the third quarter for North who were now only four goals in arrears but they had managed only three for the game and also looked tired.

East on the other hand were combining well and started the last quarter with another change in conditions, strong winds, were making play difficult as North, with many players up the ground tried to mount a challenge. The East defence easily cut off most forward moves with Eldridge and Scanlon outstanding. North could only manage a series of behinds which summed up their day. East on-baller Jack Dawe missed a sitter in the goal-square but made amends moments later and East were jubilant. Matt McInerney got a token goal for North as the clock wound down but it was East Gambier’s day and they won their first flag in 29 years. Jesse Fry was adjudged best on ground for East who had many good players led by Frazer Scanlon at full-back, Mark Keiselbach in the ruck, Eldridge, Tully Balshaw, Matt Dempsey and Dawe. It was a despondent and tired North Gambier at the finish. Their better players were Nic McInerney, Brad Stafford, Tim McInerney in defence, Jake Schutz and Egan.

Grand Final on September 24, 2017

East	2.5	5.7	7.9	10.13 (73)
North	0.4	1.6	3.9	4.12 (36)

Best: East – Not available. North – N. McInerney, J. Schutz, T. McInerney, F. Marshall.  Goals

Goals: East – Kevin Thomson 3, Jack Dawe 2, Matthew McCallum 2, Matt Dempsey 1, Patrick Hatch 1, Jesse Fry 1. North – Sam Stafford 1, Matthew McInerney 1, Tom McLennan 1, Nick Moretti 1