WEST Gambier has cemented its spot in the Western Border football league’s top four with a solid victory in a wind-effected contest at Blue Lake Sports Park on Saturday.
It is now safe to say the Roos will play finals football this year, a far cry from their bottom place last season.
The success has been well constructed by coach Brad Wilson, with the return of Tom Holmes as well, along with the inclusion of players such as Kynan Betts, which was all on display Saturday.
But it has also come about by those who have come up through the ranks or been loyal to the club over recent seasons, such as Jesse Pfitzner, Lawry Bradley-Brown and Steve Wenman, to name just a few.
All played a hand in Saturday’s Round 12 victory over South Gambier in a game that could have changed hands quarter by quarter with the prevailing wind.
But the Roos resisted the tide and push on in each term, recording a comfortable 41-point win, leaving the Demons to fight it out for the bottom rung on the ladder.
Up against it from the outset, South lost the toss and kicked into a five-to-six-goal breeze on Saturday, clearly struggling to contain the Roos runners.
The likes of Wilson, Holmes and Bradley-Brown were in on the action early, kicking the ball long on the breeze and were rewarded accordingly.
While South scored the first major of the day, the rest of the quarter belonged to West.
When Wenman stepped up and banged a long goal home from the centre square, the Roos were up and about and the writing was on the wall.
There was always a danger of the Demons returning serve in the second term, but with a 38-point lead after one quarter of football, the Roos had plenty of room to move.
That challenge did come, with the Demons also working the breeze to their advantage.
They closed to within 20 points, but that was about all they could muster.
Brad Bryant worked hard for the Demons through the middle, while Mayson Hein, Brent Howard and Brodie Glynn found plenty of action.
In the end the second term would be telling, with the third quarter a real arm wrestle.
South needed to minimise the damage as the Roos again pushed down the ground with the wind and did manage to do that, keeping the visitors to just two major scores.
Dion Stratford worked overtime in the back 50 as the Roos’ assault came, but at the other end of the ground the Demons were unable to add even a single behind, leaving plenty to do in the final stanza as fatigue began to set in.
With 35 points to make up, South was not out of the contest considering the wind factor, but in the end that would not come into play.
While the Demons did push forward early, they could only manage one goal for the term, with West adding a couple to put the game beyond doubt.
Wilson and Holmes typified the game with a classy combination mid-way through the quarter that resulted in a major score.
In the end Wilson finished with four goals and Holmes with two, but six other Roos put their hands up in front of the big sticks on a tough day to score.
For the Demons Henri Capewell was the only multiple goal kicker.
Wilson said to win the toss was a big bonus for his side, with the plan to open a big lead early.
“We have been a bit slow on our starts and with the wet-weather footy the last month or so, if you miss your start it is a long day,” he said.
“The dry weather was good for us and it was handy to win the toss and put some scores on in the first quarter, but we probably still missed a few goals we would have liked to kick.”
Wilson said at the first break he spoke about the challenge that would come from the Demons as they used the wind to their advantage.
He cautioned his players not to panic as the goals came, which in the end paid dividends.
At the end of the day he said the result was about the desire to win, with the younger players in the roster standing up yet again.
He said Zane Kuller played a big role in the ruck in the absence of Todd Lewis, while Jesse Pfitzner worked hard to limit the damage of Demon forward Brayden Kain, who finished the day with just one major.
Overall he said he was pleased with the result at this time of the season.
“We really wanted this one,” Wilson said.
“Last time we played South they stuck it up us a bit, then they went on to win a couple.
“We knew going in it was not going to be easy and they would have thought they were a genuine shot at us.
“Now near the end of the year chances are becoming less, so we were pretty happy to win, especially away from home.”
A the end of the day Holmes was awarded the MAC Be a Game Changer medal for his efforts.
