WEST Gambier has thrown its hat into the ring as a real contender in the 2018 Western Border football season, with an impressive performance against reigning premiers East Gambier on Saturday.
Hosting the Bulldogs at Masleed Park for the Round 4 clash, the Roos wasted no time in asserting their dominance on the game.
With an eventual 44-point victory, East was never in the game, with West Roos using the expanses of its home ground with aplomb.
From the first bounce to the final siren the Bulldogs simply looked second string, coming away with just three major scores for the day.
In contrast, the Roos banged on 10 majors to drive their authority home.
Coach Brad Wilson and Tom Holmes were exemplary in their handling skills, finding plenty of fellow Roos running forward.
In Wilson’s case he managed to finish off that work as well, ending the day with three goals, while Holmes chipped in with one himself.
Josh Schapel stood up to the challenge, snagging three majors himself to be among the top scorers and earn a place in the best players.
And it was not as if the Roos were not under pressure, with East pushing forward on many occasions, with plenty of the ball in hand.
It was more a complete game by West that saw enough pressure on the ball to force errors, then clear the Bulldogs defensive line and push forward.
From the first bounce the Bulldogs appeared to be on their game, clearing the centre through the usual suspects in Jess Fry and Shem Balshaw.
However, the Roos soon turned that around, when Reid Kuller cleared from the centre, found Holmes, who in turn chipped to Wilson and a goal resulted.
It may have seemed insignificant at the time, but it set the scene for the day.
On the next play Holmes streamed out of the centre, found Zane Kuller in space, who goaled on the run to add to the pressure.
Abdulla Kamara was having an impact in his 100th game for the Roos, finding Jake Blackwell for another running goal and after just 15 minutes of play West was out to a handy lead.
By the time the first siren sounded the Roos led by 18 points, with East left wanting all over the ground.
Whether the Roos could keep up the intensity was another question, but that was all dispelled early in the second when they banged home two more majors inside the first two minutes of play.
The likes of Nick Lock and Matt Ferguson were under plenty of pressure down back for the Bulldogs.
East coach Matt Willson began to find some possession through the centre, with Jake McKeon and Jack Dawe attacking.
But it all broke down before a score could be registered.
The likes of Sam and Tom Zeitz, plus Sam Robson were having an impact down back for the Roos, allowing no space for the East forwards to work in, while Steve Wenman kept Rumbelow quiet
However, the Bulldogs cut across the field, with Kevin Thomson finding McKeon, who in turn found Jack Dawe and a major score.
But far from opening the flood gates, it simply pushed the Roos harder, who responded immediately.
East did not look like finding another goal, with the half-time break coming and just one major score on the board for the reigning premiers.
In contrast the Roos had emulated their first-term effort and looked set to steal the upset of the round.
After the break the Bulldogs appeared to be back on track early, with some meaningful possession up forward, but again were unable to convert.
It would take something special to buck the trend, which happened when Thomson was hemmed in on the boundary with few options inboard.
Instead he dribbled the ball along the ground AFL style and a fortuitous bounce recorded the Bulldogs’ second major for the day.
It provided some light at the end of a dark tunnel, but there was little else to feel enlightened about for East.
Plenty of options up forward went begging, with West running hard from one end of the ground to the other.
Blackwell proved a real headache, pushing down the wing and heading inboard to a leading Holmes, who banged another nail in the East coffin.
Thomson popped up again, this time with a long set shot on the boundary, using the wind well to drift it back in for a major and the Bulldogs had found their third for the day.
But that was all she wrote, with no more majors coming.
Wenman lifted further in the final term, having a major effect on the ball and the Bulldogs’ ability to move forward.
When Wilson banged home his third for the day it was all over mid-way through the final stanza, with the Roos celebrating loud at the final siren.
For Wilson it was a welcome result after last week’s dismal effort against Millicent.
“It was as good feeling,” he said of the win.
“We were pretty happy with it.
“Everyone was probably a bit sour on what we served up the week before.
“We really let Millicent have their way with us, so I put it on the boys during the week, we got a good start and were able to keep it going for the whole day.
“It was good for the young group to get a big scalp like that.”
Facing the tough mid-field of the Bulldogs, Wilson said he expected a challenge, but extensive work throughout the summer was beginning to pay dividends.
“We are pretty happy with who we having going through the mid-field,” he said.
“With the quality mid-field they have, we knew it was not going to be easy, so it was good to get on top.”
Likewise, Wilson said it was always going to be tough to keep on top of the East forward pack.
“We know they have a potent forward line and can do some damage,” he said.
“We tried to set things up so we could limit the damage they did early and take the game from there.
“For a premiership team to kick just three goals for the game, that was pleasing to me.”
