SOUTH Gambier remains as the only undefeated team in the South East Women’s Football League after a tough round of games on Sunday.
The Demons faced the previously struggling Mount Gambier All Stars, who took the game up to their more fancied rivals on a windy day at Blue Lake Sports Park.
In the end the Demons did enough to claim a 10-point victory and the premiership points to move clear at the top of the ladder.
Meanwhile West Gambier battled against a tough Millicent side to claim a three-point victory and stay in touch with the top two and a grand final berth.
East Gambier claimed its second win of the season over North Gambier, with just eight points separating the two at the final siren.
For the Demons it has been a perfect start to the new season, with the first two rounds producing solid victories to suggest they are the benchmark of the competition.
However, against the All Stars and in tough conditions, they were brought back to the pack.
The opening term saw the side jump to an early lead, holding the All Stars scoreless for the quarter.
But with just one major score on the board, along with one behind, there was not much in the contest.
The second term saw the All Stars challenge, using the conditions to their advantage.
By the long break just one point separated the two sides and not much changed in the third quarter.
While the All Stars failed to score in that term, the Demons could only muster one behind, holding just a two-point lead heading into the final stanza.
But it was there where the damage was done, with the Demons having much more of the play in their forward half to bang on two goals, while holding the All Stars to just one.
The final scoreline of 3.6-24 to 2.2-14 showed the closeness of the contest, with the Demons remaining as favourites for the inaugural premiership honours and the All Stars yet to register a win.
The opening clash saw the Roos and Saints battle in a dour contest, with neither side able to apply scoreboard pressure for the entire game.
The Saints were off to the better start, but it took until the second term before they hit the scoreboard, with five behinds their only reward for hard work.
After the long break the Roos banged on the winning score, with one goal and two behinds to win by just the three points – 1.2-8 to 0.5-5.
The final game of the day saw the Bulldogs take on the Tigers, with the latter keen to record their first victory.
However, a solid first half saw the Bulldogs set up the victory, with the Tigers chasing down a 14-point deficit after the long break.
East failed to add another score for the game, while North came back in the final stanza.
In the end the extra goal was not enough to close the margin, with the Tigers having to settle for its third loss of the season.
With three rounds now completed and just two remaining, the Demons are two points clear of Millicent at the pointy end of the ladder, but from there the competition is open.
The Saints, the Roos and the Bulldogs all sit on four premiership points, with just percentage the difference.
Millicent has a huge advantage over West, while East simply needs victories if it is any chance of a grand final berth.
However, next round sees the Saints face the Demons, with East up against the All Stars and West facing the Tigers.
Going on season form, East and West could well expect to win, while the Saints will certainly have a big task to defeat the all-conquering Demons.
It certainly provides plenty of interest for the remaining two rounds in the inaugural women’s competition here in the Limestone Coast.
