WHILE the Western Border football match of the round this week is undoubtedly across the border at Island Park, here in the Blue Lake City there are two games well worth a look at.
One providing plenty of interest is the clash at McDonald Park where East Gambier hosts West Gambier.
While few would have given the third-placed Roos much of a chance against the fourth-placed Bulldogs last season, a lot has changed since East’s grand final victory in 2017.
The Bulldogs have struggled to find wins this year, with just three to their name.
While the Roos have recorded just one more, it is certainly an improvement on 2017.
The Roos saw some new personnel this season and incoming coach Brad Wilson has his players up and about.
For East, Matt Willson took over the top job in his own right this season, with new players joining the already-strong group, but has not yet been able to take advantage of the situation.
Injuries have been a concern, but no club in the league has experienced a perfect run this season.
However, East remains four points clear of fifth-placed North Gambier and is still well in finals contention.
Of course there is plenty of time left to make a statement, but going on recent form there is likely some doubt in the Bulldogs camp.
On the other hand, the young brigade at West were buoyed by the return of Brad Wilson and Tom Holmes, but still lack a key-position forward.
Regardless, the Roos have certainly made a statement of their own, pushing the ladder-leading Cats to the limit on two occasions this season – the only team to really bother the boys from across the border.
Not only that, last time they faced the Bulldogs it was the club’s biggest win of the season.
They held East to a lowly 28 points and will want to repeat that trend today.
In that game Josh Schapel and Brad Wilson popped up for three goals each to set the scene, while they held the Bulldogs to just four behinds in the final term, while adding a further 2.5 to their own score.
If it was not for two impressive kicks from Kev Thomson – one along the ground from one pocket, while the other was a long kick from the opposite side – the scoreline could have looked far worse for the reigning premiers.
But Thomson is absent from the side today, after receiving an injury in last week’s clash with the Cats, while key defender Fraser Scanlon will also watch from the sidelines this round.
This will be a heavy loss for East, with both players able to make a big impact at their respective ends of the ground.
It is not unheard of for a premiership-winning side to suffer a “hangover”, but the Bulldogs will be eager to put on a show for their home crowd regardless.
The question is, can West field a side capable of knocking East over.
Last week saw a Reserves player and a junior fill the ranks, but just a couple of weeks ago down at Casterton the Roos were without a bench by the third quarter.
Numbers are certainly thin on the ground, with East suffering last week – also at Casterton – with a full side in doubt for today.
The Bulldogs should start favourites, but going on season form and their previous encounter with the Roos, it is hard to put up a case for them in this clash.
