SOUTH Gambier will come off the back of two consecutive upset wins when it goes into its Round 10 Western Border football clash with Casterton Sandford at Blue Lake Sports Park tomorrow.
The Demons broke their 2018 drought in Round 8, when a big second half effort saw them defeat North Gambier on its home deck.
A nine-goal haul from Brayden Kain was to thank for the result and in Round 9 the key forward led the way once more, bagging four goals in probably the biggest upset of the season.
The conditions were far from accommodating for high-scoring football, but South managed an impressive 70 points to defeat reigning premiers East Gambier by a convincing margin.
The addition of Carl Slape back into the Demons’ centre-half forward has paid dividends, as he provides a critical link from the midfield to Kain up front.
This allows Kain to remain close to goals and wait for a mark well inside 50, whether it be delivered from Slape or in-form midfielders Brett O’Neil and Nick Tarca.
Slape’s return also takes a little pressure off the younger players in the squad, of which there are still many in the roster.
Henri Capewell joined Kain at the top end of the scoreboard last week, bagging three goals for the day, while Alex Harkness and Brodie Glynn also contributed major scores.
Retired Pioneers basketballer Matt Sutton has also began to make his mark in the side, kicking a goal in both his senior games so far.
However, despite recent form, South will need to pull something big out of the bag on its home deck tomorrow if it is to knock the undefeated Cats off their pedestal.
Last week’s wet weather game saw the Tigers come close to doing so at Island Park, only missing out by eight points, so the Demons will likely hope for another wet day tomorrow to boost their chances.
But with Callum Currie set to return after suspension and the possibility of Dylan Ayton returning from injury as well, this will add two further Cats to keep in the bag.
Last time these two teams met Currie and young-gun Tynan Shannon put on a show to kick five goals each in an entertaining display of football.
Though Kain has hit his straps the last few weeks and now leads the league goal-kicking standings, Currie will be eager to take back his place as the top scorer.
This will put plenty of weight on the shoulders of midfielders, as delivery into the forward 50 will be critical for both teams.
For the Cats, the likes of ruckman Will Macdonald, Matthew Killey and Tom Sullivan will be influential, having all shown solid form in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, in the backline Trent Nesbitt will lead the Casterton Sandford defence and along with the likes of Ben Guthrie, Madison Rogers and Daniel Wombwell, will provide a hard nut to crack for the Demons.
At the other end of the ground, South will look to Taylor Saffin and Dion Stratford in defence, while youngster Kaleb Bowd has also been in good form of late.
The last meeting with the Cats saw Bowd with a tagging role on Casterton Sandford coach Hamish Jarrad, which he executed in fine fashion, keeping the Cats’ leader quiet for much of the game.
It is possible he will have a similar role this week, but regardless of what task he is given, he will be one to watch either way.
This season has only proven you can never be too confident on the result come game day, but in this case the Cats should come through with yet another win.
