WBFL: Tigers too strong for Demons

TOO STRONG: North Gambier’s Tom Bruhn takes a solid mark in front of South Gambier’s Jack Capewell in a game that saw the Tigers far too strong for the Demons.

THE final minor round game of Western Border football was a non-event at Blue Lake Sports Park, with North Gambier making short work of South Gambier.

Neither side had much to lose going into the contest, with the Demons having to sit out the post-season, while the Tigers were set for finals action from the top of the table.

Despite the dead rubber, North was ruthless, allowing few opportunities up forward for the hosts.

While rain had created a slippery deck, the wind blew hard across the ground, making life tough for both sides.

However, from the outset the Tigers made their desires known, with a goal in the opening minutes through Sam Stafford.

Despite their best efforts, the Demons were unable to apply any scoreboard pressure, with the Tigers backline holding strong.

By the time Declan Carmody snapped North’s third major, the writing was on the wall, with the struggling Demons out of their depth.

Brock Egan was having an early impact on the contest, combining with the likes of Ciaran Buckley to clear the danger zone.

When Egan combined with Nick McInerney for a running goal, the Tigers had registered six majors, with the Demons yet to bother the scorers.

Nick Blachut finished off the quarter with another major, leaving the hosts with a 47-point deficit to overcome.

South tightened up its defence in the second term, but it did little to prevent the bleeding, with the Tigers still finding the middle of the big sticks.

Nick McInerney was joined by Matt McInerney, who has slotted back into the side well late in the season.

Both were running hard, claiming first possession from Stafford and Cambell Baker, who had taken control of the ruck duties from the injured Brett Kennedy.

By the long break the Demons were yet to register a major score, with just three behinds to their name, but the onslaught had slowed down somewhat, with North only contributing three goals in the second term.

South needed something special early in the third term, but again it was the Tigers who hit the scoreboard, with another major making the Demons look ordinary.

Brad Bryant, Dion Stratford and Tye Opie were working tirelessly for the hosts, but with every forward foray, the likes of Tim McInerney, Jake Schultz and Sam Shepherd were in the way, working the ball back out of the danger zone.

Brad Close was drifting down the ground, using his defensive efforts to good effect, then popping up forward to cause damage on the scoreboard.

The Tigers were confident enough to move the ball backwards to find a way forward, with the game-plan wearing the Demons down.

With the third term drawing to a close, South had an opportunity to score off a juggling mark to Dylan Ridding, but his shot was offline, with the Demons facing the final break without a major.

However, Stratford’s cool head saw an intercept deep in South’s attacking zone, which he converted for full points just prior to the siren.

Despite leading by 89 points at the final break, the Tigers did not step off the pedal, holding the hosts scoreless in the final stanza to run out convincing 111-point victors.

Heading into the finals series, the Tigers would be well pleased with the effort, with 12 goal scorers in the emphatic performance.

For coach Winis Imbi it was the ideal preparation.

“We had things we needed to to get right,” he said.

“We obviously respect South as well, but we just wanted to make sure we went into the finals series knowing how we wanted to play.

“It was good reinforcement of what we were trying to do during the week at training.”

Imbi said the solid work of Stafford and Baker in the ruck was complemented by the likes of Egan in the mid field.

“We were really happy with Brock’s performance,” he said.

“Opposition sides put time into him, so it was really good to see his last two performances have been really pleasing.

“It was also a credit to our whole mid field, because it was not as if (Stafford and Baker) won every ruck contest.”

Imbi said his side was disappointed with its third-quarter performance and stepped up in the final term to run the game out.

But he said the defeat at the hands of Casterton Sandford recently forced his side to refocus on where they were at, which he said was a good thing leading into the finals.

“We have a young group so you have to ride those lows and highs,” Imbi said.

“A four quarter performance these days is very rare.

“We have to be realistic of where we are at.

“We are certainly not perfect, but are trying to be the best version of where we want to be.”