IT will be all or nothing today when West Gambier and East Gambier go head-to-head in the Western Border football elimination final played at Island Park.
Both teams have been in season-high form of late and with just 3pc separating them on the final standings for the minor season, the closeness of the competition can not be denied.
The last time the rivals met was in the Call to Arms Cup in Round 13, which saw the Bulldogs claim the honours by a single point.
Since then, West has defeated second-placed Millicent with a 66-point thrashing on the Saints’ home deck, while a closer than expected win over North Gambier was followed by a six-point upset over minor premiers Casterton Sandford just last week.
East has also trekked well in recent rounds, with a dominant performance against Millicent handing the Saints consecutive losses off the back of their meeting with the Roos, while last round the Bulldogs led the Tigers at every change to claim the honours.
Last week saw John Forster continue his impressive form, while the likes of Josh Ransom, Jayden Eldridge and Brad Rathjen also had solid games.
Forster was joined by Tom Williams at the top of the scorer’s list, with two majors each and both players will look to back up their performances this week.
For the Roos it was the regulars who stood up, as they led the Cats all the way home and despite just one goal the difference at the final siren, never looked threatened.
Lawry Bradley-Brown has had a big season in West’s break out year, as the young side was bolstered by the likes of playing coach Brad Wilson and skilful midfielder Tom Holmes at the start of the year.
Bradley-Brown continued to impress at Island Park last week and will look to do the same tomorrow.
Steve Wenman also had a standout game and his work in defence will be vital if West is to hold the Bulldogs at bay.
The youngsters in the squad have been a glimpse into the future of the club this season, with Reid Kuller putting in the hard yards around the ground last week.
Kyle Giddings has also proven capable this season, while Tom Zeitz will be out for another bag coming off the back of a good game in front of goals.
The last meeting between the two teams saw Bradley-Brown in devastating form, while ruckman Todd Lewis was also at his best.
Wilson slotted through four goals in that game, joined by a contingent of single goal-kickers.
He had a quiet week against the Cats last week so West’s coach will be hungry to hit the board again and take some daring contested marks.
Sam Zeitz will also hope for another solid game, as he has shown plenty of pace and skill in recent weeks.
On the other side of the ground, East will hope to prevent a nail-biter like the previous encounter and with personnel returning to its ranks every week, it may well be able to silence the Roos’ finals hopes at their first hurdle.
The Bulldogs were without the likes of Jesse Fry and Kevin Thomson in their last hitout and these two alone have proven they can make a big difference.
Fry was named as best-on-ground in the Bulldogs 2017 premiership victory and now has a couple of games under his belt since returning from injury in Round 15.
Eldridge stood up in the Call to Arms Cup and was named as best for the side, while Ransom, Shem Balshaw and Nick Lock also contributed to the narrow win.
They will all hope to put in similar performances tomorrow and under the instruction from playing coach Matt Willson, will provide the Roos with a finals-worthy battle.
West may hold a slight advantage, as it tackled the poor conditions at Island Park last week and succeeded, but it still remains anyone’s game to win.
With everything on the line, only one team can progress through to the preliminary and with what this season has shown so far, the team that shows up on the day will be the one to take the honours.
