THIS weekend of Western Border football will be highlighted by what can be expected to be another heated battle between Casterton Sandford and West Gambier for Round 11 of the season.
Hosted by the Roos at Malseed Park, the undefeated Cats will play their second game away from home after five consecutive matches at Island Park.
Last week saw the ladder leaders overcome the young South Gambier side at Blue Lake Sports Park, while West claimed a close win over North Gambier at Vansittart Park.
If previous games between these two teams are anything to go by, tomorrow’s contest is one Western Border fans will not want to miss.
The last clash was on the Cats’ home deck, but if it was not for a depleted bench due to injury, the Roos may well have come away with the win.
West was in front by 10 points at the long break, but the Cats hit hard in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the final term.
This season has seen the Cats utilise the premiership quarter to pile on goals, with coach Hamish Jarrad always filling his players with plenty of fire at the half time break.
With no players left on the bench, the Roos ran out of legs in the fourth quarter and Casterton Sandford prevailed.
Since this clash West has had a 50-50 run, winning two of the four games that followed.
Currently sitting a win clear of reigning premiers East Gambier in third place on the ladder, an upset win tomorrow will be on the agenda for the Roos as they seek to cement their position in the standings.
And on their home deck this will be well and truly on the cards, as history shows these matches against the Cats often go down to the wire.
In fact, West’s first win for 2017 was against the Cats at Malseed Park and since then the cross-border team has continued to struggle at the venue, with close margins usually the result.
The opening round of this season was the perfect example, which saw another tight battle between the two sides at Malseed Park, with the Cats narrowly coming away with the win.
Until Millicent’s draw with the ladder leaders, West was the only side able to get close to derailing the Cats.
However, the Roos do face one problem which could be their undoing tomorrow.
Ruckman Todd Lewis will be unavailable this round, begging the question of who will step up to take his place.
Filling the role is a big ask on any occasion, but tomorrow will see the selected player up against arguably the best ruckman in the South East.
And Will Macdonald has been in dangerous form of late, with not only his efforts in the ruck and at stoppages, but his impressive work around the ground a trademark for the tall unit.
He was absent from the side in the last meeting between the sides, so this could be a deciding factor in tomorrow’s clash.
He will be aided by the likes of Jarrad, Trent Nesbitt and Tom Sullivan, who provide plenty of run for the Cats, so West will have a big task on its hands.
Matthew Killey has also shown good form over the last few weeks and will be out for another solid game tomorrow, while Callum Currie will look to continue his efforts in front of goal.
The list goes on and you could name the majority of the Casterton Sandford side as being in form, as the one thing it does not have this year is passengers in its ranks.
Last time the two sides locked horns, it was Lewis who was named as West’s best, but this will not be the case tomorrow.
Youngsters Kyle Giddings and Reid Kuller also received mention and the two have continued to show impressive form since the Round 6 clash.
West coach Brad Wilson is pleased with their development and said they take on everything he assigns them without question.
It is often a battle of the mid-fields when these two sides go head-to-head, so Wilson will look for another solid game at the helm.
Joined by the likes of Tom Holmes – who will celebrate his 100th senior game for the Roos – and Lawry Bradley-Brown, the hosts should hold their own through the middle of the ground.
Bradley-Brown has been in impressive form this season and he will be out for another big game, as the Roos chase their sixth win for the year.
There is no doubt it will be a physical match-up tomorrow and it should be a close contest.
However, the depth of the Cats should come through again this week and they will remain undefeated at the top of the table.
