Cats well matched for Roos clash

Tom Sullivan Crop  TBW Newsgroup

Tom Sullivan Crop  TBW Newsgroup
QUICK FOOTED: Casterton Sandford’s Tom Sullivan will provide pace through the midfield for the Cats when they host West Gambier at Island Park tomorrow. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

THE most anticipated match of the round two Western Border football draw sees West Gambier make the trip to Island Park to face Casterton Sandford.

Both teams have had fruitful recruiting periods and while the Cats simply covered their off-season losses, on paper they appear well matched.

To add fuel to the fire, the two sides both suffered nail-biting defeats in round one and will be hungry to emerge from tomorrow’s game with a win.

It is always a tough game across the border and the Cats are hard to beat on their home deck.

Coach Hamish Jarrad would be disappointed with the way South Gambier took hold of the game in the final quarter last round and will push his Cats to a four-quarter effort tomorrow.

And if the Roos’ last game is anything to go by, that is what will be needed to put them away.

East Gambier did not seal the deal until after the final siren, with a goal from Shaun King to win the tight contest.

Josh Schapel was joined by recruits Jordan Williams and Garret Ha with two goals each, while four other Roos hit the board with single majors.

West will look for another consistent performance, while eliminating some of the scrappiness which came with the fresh team in round one.

The Cats will also want to improve on their ball use and finishing touch, as five behinds in the first quarter hurt them in the end against the Demons.

Joshua Searle was in accurate form against South and banged through four goals, along with the best-on-ground honours.

He will provide a target up forward again, while youngster Jackson Gibbs will hope to find accuracy in front of the big sticks, with a strong marking game at full forward in the season opener.

Daniel Richardson was another threat in the forward half and scored two goals for his efforts.

He is a player Jarrad expects big things from this year and will be out to impress on his home turf.

Both teams were renowned for their midfields last season and it can be expected to be another battle through the centre tomorrow.

Casterton Sandford’s Tom Sullivan provides pace through the middle of the ground and will look to hurt the Roos with his speed, while the likes of ruckman Will Macdonald and youngster Gabe Parsons fly high in a marking contest.

Parsons had a break-out game with the Cats last round, after a few appearances in the senior side last year and he was rightly named among the best.

For West there is plenty of speed, as the team remains young despite its experienced pickups.

Tom Zeitz was in fine form against the Bulldogs and will look to replicate his best-on-ground performance, while the likes of Lawry Bradley Brown and Tom Holmes are also dangerous.

Recruits Dwayne Phillips and Ben Papps both excelled in their opening games and will look to back up their efforts in round two.

Playing coach Brad Wilson has no shortage of talent at his disposal – himself included – and should it all come together the Roos will be in a good position for the win.

However, the Cats at home is one of the toughest games of the year and the Victorians will not go down without a fight, which provides a challenge for tipsters at this early stage in the season.