THE closest clash in Western Border football on the weekend occurred when West Gambier made the trip across the border to face Casterton Sandford at Island Park.
The battle between first and third on the ladder saw the undefeated Cats claim their sixth win for the season, but it was no easy feat, as the Roos maintained intense pressure for the full four quarters.
A low scoring first half was the result of a slow start for both sides, as the Cats struggled to find the big sticks in the opening term.
Kicking 1.6-12 for the quarter, the Cats held a six-point lead at the first break, with West managing just a single major.
But the Roos found their legs in the second term, scoring three goals and five behinds, while the hosts added just one of each before the long break.
This saw West with a 10-point lead at half time, with coach Brad Wilson kicking the goal to put his team in front, before youngster Reid Kuller added to the margin with a major of his own.
Despite showing promise in what was a high-intensity and physical quarter of football, it was not without its casualties, as Tom Holmes was taken off the ground with what appeared to be a corked thigh.
And this was not the only injury for the match, with Nathan Taylor taken off with an ankle injury in the third term, while key player Steve Wenman did not even take to the field on the day.
This loss of man-power eventually took its toll on the Roos, with no players left on the bench midway through the third term, which as a result saw the Cats take some control.
They scored four majors to West’s one and went into the final change with a five-point lead.
Callum Currie upheld his 2018 form for the Cats, opening the fourth quarter with his third of four goals for the game.
The next goal saw Trent Nesbitt venture out of the backline and extend the margin to 17 points in the third minute.
But the Roos were not out of the fight yet, with Wilson taking a mark out wide, before putting it through for his third and final for the match.
This was soon backed up by the young Kyle Giddings, who took a shot and was graced with a lucky bounce and a goal.
With the game back to within five points, the Cats struggled to find the big sticks.
A set shot from Tynan Shannon saw him score a behind, while another to the Cats saw them with a seven-point buffer in the 18th minute of the final stanza.
West’s Tom Zeitz had an opportunity to score, but it went through for a behind and the margin was back to a straight kick.
Finally the Cats managed to break away, with Dylan Ayton taking a solid mark and converting, while Currie finished off the match with his fourth, after a smother from Angus Cleary saw the ball passed to him in an open goal square.
This saw Currie lead the way on the scoreboard once again, while Todd Clode was the next best for the Cats with two for the match.
Cleary was in fine form on the day and his efforts in the ruck saw him with the best-on-ground honours for the Cats, as Will Macdonald was absent from the side again this round due to a pectoral injury.
Playing coach Hamish Jarrad said Cleary’s performance was “absolutely pivotal” on the day.
Michael Cummings was also in dangerous form, with his efforts in the backline pivotal in the outcome on the day, while Ben Guthrie and Nesbitt also stood tall down back, with Currie and Joshua Searle among the best as well.
For West, Todd Lewis was the best-on-ground, playing his role in the ruck, while youngsters Giddings and Kuller were also among the top players.
Dale Robbins and Kynan Betts rounded out the Roos’ best for the day.
Jarrad was also among the best for the victors and he said it was a great test of his team’s ability to perform under immense pressure.
“In Round 1 when we played them it was a really hard hit out and we were expecting the same thing Saturday,” he said.
“We had to grind it out, we knew they weren’t going to go away and they really made us earn the points – full credit to them.”
With both teams unable to move the ball with any consistency towards the end of the second term, Jarrad said the talk at half time was to focus on using the ball more efficiently.
“We were probably over-using the footy a little bit,” he said.
“Their pressure is probably a bit higher than the other teams we have played, so we didn’t quite have that time with the ball we had in the last few rounds.
“Our structures were pretty simple, just try and get the ball in forward quick and get one-on-ones up forward
“And we found when we gained territory, got it in quick and defended behind it, that’s when we started to play our better footy.”
Despite breaking away in the end, Jarrad agreed the Roos were never out of the fight.
“Even mid-way through the last quarter they come back at us again and we had to really grind it out,” he said.
“It was a great test for us.”
Jarrad said it was the type of game where not many players performed at their best.
“To be honest I don’t think anyone really played that well, it was that type of game,” he said.
“West didn’t let us play how we naturally wanted to play, so we just had to grind it out.”
After Round 6 the Cats remain one win clear of Millicent on the premiership ladder, while West is now level on wins with East Gambier, as less than a percentage separates it from the reigning premiers.
