Gambier Centrals reverse preseason cup result with victory over Inter

A Jake Blackwell, Ricky Mcrobert Dsc 8731  TBW Newsgroup
ALL OR NOTHING: Gambier Centrals Jake Blackwell - pictured seconds before he sustained a shoulder injury which saw him sidelined - competes for the ball against International defender Ricky McRobert on Sunday. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

A Jake Blackwell, Ricky Mcrobert Dsc 8731 TBW Newsgroup
ALL OR NOTHING: Gambier Centrals Jake Blackwell – pictured seconds before he sustained a shoulder injury which saw him sidelined – competes for the ball against International defender Ricky McRobert on Sunday. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

INTERNATIONAL was left black and blue after its A Grade rematch against Gambier Centrals on Sunday, as the Lions claimed a 4-2 win over the Steeline Cup premiers.

The weekend marked round one of the premiership season and saw Centrals with a chance for redemption from the pre-season decider just a week after the disappointing defeat.

And the Lions did just that, out-playing Inter in most areas of the ground, even with five players missing from their A Grade side.

Star striker Nathan Fleetwood was out due to a lingering knee injury, while Tom Renzi was absent after he was dealt a red card last week.

Lewis March is also yet to return after a hamstring injury which gave him trouble in the cup semi-final, while Craig Wright was another big out on the weekend.

However, you would never have guessed Centrals lost to its opponent just a week ago.

Inter was also slightly short staffed, with starting goal keeper Brayden May pulling up during the warm up, which left James Kipping as the final line of defence against his former team.

Young gun Skayper Johnson was also a late scratching and Austin Rossi was sick, leaving Connor Before play a full senior game.

It was a physical match from the get-go, but it seemed as though all the cards were used up in last week’s game.

Regardless, four yellow cards were dealt for the game, as intensity levels continued to build until the final whistle.

As a result the win did not come without its blows, with a further three Centrals players taken off the field due to injury.

Mitch Thomson stepped up and scored the first goal of the match from a penalty in the first half, but was helped off soon after with a leg injury.

The physical match took no prisoners and Centrals’ Jake Blackwell suffered a shoulder injury towards the end of the second half, while young gun Rhyleigh Hollands also limped off the field after a hard clash with Kipping in the square.

But that did not come until late in the second term and after Hollands had banged through the Lions’ third goal to claim a 3-1 lead, with a goal each scored earlier in the half.

The rising talent proved his worth in the forward line and earned praise from coach David Beaman, as he moved away from his usual backline duties to fill a hole up front.

Soon after, Jayden Breuker scored Centrals’ final goal of the day, extending the lead to an unbeatable three goals.

Despite a late penalty converted by Bueti for his second goal and several other missed chances from Inter, it was too little, too late and at the final whistle Centrals claimed the honours 4-2.

Beaman was most impressed by the efforts of his undermanned team and implied it will be difficult to pick his starting 11 when players return from injury.

“I was really pleased with the boys,” he said.

“We had five A Graders from last week out, so I could not ask for any more than what they did on Sunday.

“They showed a lot of character and a lot of hard work.”

That hard work was the difference in the end as Centrals put in 100pc in all areas of the ground.

Steven Hughes was in fine form as the Lions’ last line of defence and pulled off several saves at crucial moments, including the penalty which could have levelled the scores early in the second half.

“He was magnificent,” Beaman said.

“He has had his critics at times, but he pulled it off for us and is getting better and better.”

The return of Calen Sheedy provided some punch off the bench and he made a difference in the second term, while Beaman gave credit to Adrian Hurst, who managed to keep Inter captain

Christian Cella quiet.

“Mitch Cutting was great, Rhyleigh Hollands was great and Cam (Saint) in the middle was great,” he said.

“And AJ (Hurst) just killed Cella, he barely give him a kick.”

Brayden Coppick and Jasper Whitehead also stood up on Sunday, with the two rising stars playing their roles well.

Beaman was happy to bounce back from last week’s loss and the win puts Centrals in a good place early in the season.

“It was a big day for us after last week,” Beaman said.

“We were disappointed and hurt from last week, so it was excellent to bounce back.

“We just did not drop our heads all day.

“Like we talked about before the game, talent alone will not win you games, you have to work hard.

“Sometimes hard work beats talent if they are not prepared to work and on Sunday we were prepared to work.”

In other round one games, Apollo travelled to Millicent for a dominant 7-0 win.

Stewart Wallace and youngster Harry Wilson led the way on the scoreboard with two goals each, while Adam Richards, Erike Irakoze and Shar Nay Than all slotted one.

By half time the lead was three goals and the guests did not let off the pressure after the break, scoring four more to finish the job.

The final game saw Portland with a close 3-2 win over Blue Lake.

Three goals were scored in the opening half to see the seaside hosts with a 2-1 lead at the break.

With a goal each in the second half Portland held on for the win, sharing the load in front of goals with three different scorers.

For Blue Lake it was Yuki Akita and Aidan Efron who found the back of the net, but it was not quite enough to push the team over the line.

This week Blue Lake will face the challenge of Inter at Casadio Park, while Apollo hosts Portland and Millicent travels to Naracoorte.

Centrals has the bye, which will provide a chance to nurse injuries before a round-three meeting with Apollo at Webb Street.