THE weekend’s round of Western Border football was somewhat disappointing on an overall competition level, with three games producing three big wins.
However, some solid individual performances provided highlights for their respective clubs.
For Casterton Sandford a huge win over North Gambier saw the side claim top position on the ladder, with much of that effort coming from the likes of Trent Nesbitt and Callum Currie.
Both were influential in the contested ball, with Currie adding six goals to a big day in just his third game back at the club.
The Cats have certainly claimed a stake on the competition at this early stage of the season, remaining undefeated after three rounds.
East Gambier saw recruit Alex Pfeiffer stand up in the forward line as the Bulldogs made short work of South Gambier.
However, Ashley Earl gave the three votes to Jesse Fry, who has played a major role for the Bulldogs this season, fighting hard for possession and disposing with accuracy, although Pfeiffer did finish with five goals.
In the final game, Millicent – the only other side apart from the Cats to remain undefeated – set up a big win with a first-half blitz against West Gambier.
The Roos have been on the improve this year, but were no match for the Saints right around the ground.
Steve Wenman stood tall up forward with a few goals and the Roos did manage to kick 11 majors, but still went down by 10 goals.
The Saints showed plenty of run through the middle of the ground, delivering the ball up forward to Dylan Bromley and young star Sam Willis.
Willis capped off a perfect day, with several set shots and snaps to bag seven goals.
For that effort he wins the Sportspower player-of-the-year weekly honours for Round 3.
North Gambier v Casterton Sandford (James Murphy)
3 – Trent Nesbitt (Casterton Sandford): Great work around the ground to win the hard ball. Strong in the marking contest.
2 – Callum Currie (Casterton Sandford): Was untouchable in a contested mark and took a number of impressive grabs, which helped him on the way to a six-goal haul.
1 – Nick McInerney (North Gambier): Played an influential role, especially in the second half. Set up plays for his team around the ground, including the opening two goals after half time.
East Gambier v South Gambier (Ashley Earl)
3 – Jesse Fry (East Gambier): Strong four-quarter performance. Fry worked hard across the ground to have an impact on the game and won a lot of contested football.
2 – Alex Pfeiffer (East Gambier): Made the move forward against South and was damaging from the outset. Pfeiffer finished with five goals, showing he can cause havoc at both ends of the football field.
1 – Ty Opie (South Gambier): Opie took on the shut-down role of centre half forward Mark Rumbelow and made his opponent work overtime for possession for the full game. He managed to get a fist to the high ball despite a significant height disadvantage and forced the ball to ground, holding Rumbelow to just two goals.
Millicent v West Gambier (Trevor Jackson)
3 – Sam Willis (Millicent): Bagged seven goals in a solid performance up forward, a huge effort for a young player.
2 – Dylan Bromley (Millicent): Some solid work around the ground, along with a bag of five goals.
1 – Steve Wenman (West Gambier): Headed down forward to provide some scoring capability for the Roos, finishing with three in a tough day of football.
