IT was a changing of the guard on Saturday at Island Park in Casterton, as East Gambier put on a clinical display to dispatch North Gambier and claim the Western Border Football League premiership cup.
East entered the clash as the clear underdog, with the Tigers the benchmark of the league for several seasons.
But previous form meant nothing to the Bulldogs, with their determined play across the four quarters enough to make North look second string.
With strong winds and rain throughout the day, it was always going to be a tough slog, with East making the most of the wind and surface conditions to get the job done.
How it unfolded
IT all began in bright sunshine in the opening term, with the Bulldogs kicking with the aid of a stiff breeze.
The first two minutes of the game saw the ball in East’s attacking zone, with Shem Balshaw clearing from the centre square and Jesse Fry eventually awarded a free kick in front of goals.
His kick showed grand final nerves, drifting across the face for a minor score.
North cleared but Jayden Eldridge drove back into the 50-metre zone, where Tim McInerney mopped up for the Tigers.
Jack Dawe and Kev Thomson were working hard along the wing, with a Fry kick finding Mark Rumbelow on the boundary.
His tentative kick was less convincing, but co-coach Matt Willson found a free kick inside, although that shot also drifted wide.
A couple of early behinds were the only rewards for the Bulldogs forward forays, with North then pushing down the ground, with Fraser Marshall lining up wide, for a Tiger behind.
Nick Blachut was soon in on the action, with his silky skills finding Declan Carmody within range.
His wide shot drifted wide, with neither side able to settle in the high-pressure opening minutes.
Dawe made another attempt for the Bulldogs, but after 12 minutes of play a total of five behinds were all that appeared on the electronic scoreboard, with East leading by the smallest of margins.
After another minor score for the Bulldogs and a few more minutes into the quarter, Willson chipped across to Matt McCallum who found Thomson on boundary just inside the 50-metre arc.
Thomson used the wind to his advantage and threaded the middle of the big sticks for the opening major of the game.
Once again the Bulldogs pushed forward from the centre bounce, but Nick McInerney found a useful possession and drove back down the ground.
Blachut kicked long into the teeth of the goal square, but a rushed behind was the result off the desperate hands of Matt Ferguson.
With just a handful of senior games under his belt this season, Brad Rathjen was finding plenty of the ball, teaming up with Matt Watson through the centre of the ground, but the Tigers pressure was enough to force another turnover.
However, with more than 22 minutes gone in the match, Thomson was again a solid target in the forward 50, going back and slotting home another major to provide the Bulldogs with a 17-point advantage heading to the first break.
The combination of a slippery Sherrin and grand final nerves made clean possession and disposal difficult for both sides, with the Tigers about to have the advantage of the wind, which East did not really use to best effect.
Second chance
WITH the second term underway, some distant lightning added to the drama of the day, with the Bulldogs just as threatening as they pushed forward into the wind.
Fry banged a long kick towards goals but the wind held it up and it fell short.
Solid zone defence held the ball in East’s attacking zone, but eventually Nick McInerney linked up with Tom Edwards to clear the danger.
However, Ferguson intercepted and banged the ball back inside, where McCallum pounced on the loose pill and snapped a goal to put the Bulldogs further ahead.
North eventually found a meaningful push forward, where Brad Close handballed to Brock Egan, who in turn chipped to Moretti for a major score five minutes into the term.
Mark Kieselbach continued to control the ruck contest, working hard around the ground to link up with Fry, Willson and McCallum to set Matt Dempsey up for a shot from the boundary.
That drifted wide and the Tigers made good use of the inbound play,heading back down the ground, but Frazer Scanlon held firm yet again, with a pass out to Kieselbach.
Brett Kennedy had the better of that contest, marking for the Tigers and bottling up play inside the attacking zone again.
With the Bulldogs countering, tempers began to flare and Tiger Josh Jenner was subsequently sent from the ground on a yellow card for a 15-minute spell in the sin bin, leaving North one player down.
Watson, Balshaw and Ransom pushed the ball across the centre-half-forward zone, then deep in the attacking 50, with Thomson again in on the act, but his snap was touched off the boot.
With heavy rain falling, Fry lined up for a shot on the boundary and banged it home to stretch the Bulldogs’ advantage to 20 points.
When the half-time siren sounded, the lead had increased to 25 points and the Tigers were in real trouble.
Premiership quarter
WITH a solid lead and the wind in the third term, the Bulldogs were in the box seat, but needed to consolidate and put the game out of reach.
However, the Tigers threatened early in the term, with Close spotting Carmody in the attacking zone, but the resulting minor score was another blow to North’s chances.
Jenner soon returned to the game to level the numbers, but Fry found Thomson with a pin-point pass, who then chipped to McCallum for another Bulldogs’ major just five minutes into the quarter.
The Tigers were becoming desperate, seeing the premiership slipping away and a tough battle ensued.
The weather had cleared and the sun was shining as Sam Stafford banged home a major for the Tigers, with the hope it might spark a come-back.
Late in the term Blachut and Ciaran Buckley combined to find Tom McLennan up forward for a much-needed goal, providing just two for each side in the term.
As the final stanza approached it was the Bulldogs by 26 points, but with a stiff breeze increasing, the Tigers were not out of the game.
However, it was not long before Thomson was back in on the act, running onto a high kick from Rumbelow and into an open goal to seal North’s fate.
Final run
FROM there it was a formality, with the Tigers running hard, but having no answer for the rampaging Bulldogs, who were not about to let the premiership slip by after such a dominant day of football.
In the end East added three final-quarter goals, while North could manage just one.
The Bulldogs were emphatic 37-point victors and the crowd erupted.
Thomson finished with three majors, while Dawe and McCallum chipped in with two each.
For the Tigers there were only single contributors.
Fry was voted best-on-ground for his efforts, while Thomson, McCallum and Jack Dawe were also impressive in front of goals.
Frazer Scanlon, Nathan Forrest and Jayden Eldridge were solid in defence, with Eldridge running the ball through the centre to the likes of Willson and Nick Lock, while Matt Scanlon played a solid role around the ground.
Overall it was an all-round performance by the Bulldogs,
The Tigers had few answers throughout the game, with Nick McInerney working hard, along with Fraser Marshall, Nick Blachut and Nick Moretti.
