James Murphy
WEST GAMBIER 11.8 (74) d CASTERTON SANDFORD 6.11 (47)
IT stood as an important match for West Gambier, who entered Round 9 of Limestone Coast football off three consecutive losses.
The Roos travelled across the border to meet an in-form Casterton Sandford, but a relentless first half from the visitors kept the Cats quiet in the end.
The hosts were left goalless in the opening half and despite a renewed effort after the main break, were unable to bridge the gap.
West struggled with its own inaccuracies, kicking 1.4 in the first term before finding the big sticks more frequently with a four-goal-two return in the second quarter.
That set up a 30-point lead at half time, with the Cats having scored just six behinds at that point.
Casterton Sandford stepped things up somewhat after half time, but so did West.
The hosts tripled their score with two goals and a behind, while the Roos added four-goals-one to push it out to a 42-point advantage at the final change.
The Cats did manage to outscore their rival in the fourth term with four goals and four behinds, but it was not enough to undo the early damage.
At the final siren it was a 27-point game and a valuable victory, keeping it within a win of second and third place.
James Aldridge had a day out for the Roos, bagging five goals in a strong forward performance.
However, again it was Lawry Bradley-Brown who attracted the most attention for his impressive on-ball efforts.
He was named West’s best on ground for the second consecutive week and looks to be in dangerous form heading into the business end of the season.
Andrew Stone was another player who kept up the consistency, while Aldridge and Braiden Ousey also ranked highly.
Michael Minuzzo was another to find ample opportunity in front of the big sticks.
He finished with three majors and a mention in the best, while Ethan Giddings rounded out the list of top performers.
For Casterton Sandford it was no surprise to see Callum Currie at the fore.
The consistent Cat put his talents to use through the midfield, while Diarmid Cleary also helped moving the ball up the ground.
However, in the end the Roos proved too strong on the day.
Another standout for the home team was Adam McKinnon, who featured highly in his 100th game.
Alastair McCrae, Ed Pritchard and Nick Schembri also played well, while Harold Pritchard top scored for the Cats with three goals.
