Picture: THOMAS MILES
WEST 68 d SOUTH 30
WEST Gambier was off to a flyer and never looked troubled to power to a 38-goal victory in round three of Western Border netball on Saturday.
Amy Cram was a clear standout and the goal defender, in combination with the in-form Maddy Teakle, denied the South Gambier shooters any easy ball.
The Roos defence continued to create turnovers which were converted by Lisa McGregor and Tahlia Earl.
Earl was strong on the hold and finished with good accuracy.
With Emily Hunter working hard on the drive, West found good connection all the way down court.
The second quarter was more of the same as Cram and Teakle, combined with strong pressure from Carly Trevilyan on the defensive wing, continued to smother the South front line.
With Carlee Ransom also finding great space on the drive, there was no hope for the South circle defenders Alyce Pearce-Raisin and Brandi Bouchier to deny the West goal circle easy ball.
The South circle defenders got their hands on any misfeeds, but the supply was, for the most part, too quick and too accurate.
The Demons swung the changes at the main break, with Pearce-Raisin forced from the court due to illness.
Alyssa Boylan then moved from centre to goal defence, with Tara Bryant taking the centre role and Alyssa Duncan joining the game on the attacking wing.
The changes did little to stop West’s dominance, with Cram and Teakle continuing to create turnover ball and Trevilyan, Hunter and Ransom dominating the mid court to give plenty of supply to Earl and McGregor.
In the final quarter, Duncan moved into the shooting circle and Imogen Walker to the attacking wing and, while not significantly changing the complex of the game, did seem to work better.
Duncan was strong and accurate in the circle and Walker provided great drive on the wing, combining well with Bryant, who seemed to flourish in the space of playing centre.
In the end, it was an impressive performance from the Roos and a disappointing day for the Demons, who won their opening round and were competitive on Anzac Day.
For the Roos, no one was better than Cram, who also did a lot of work offensively, while Trevilyan, Hunter and Ransom were unstoppable in the mid court and McGregor and Earl kept the scoreboard ticking over.
For the Demons, Bouchier was again best on court for the third successive round, while Boylan was also consistent over four quarters.
Walker wielded some influence and the final quarter and Duncan in goals provided food for thought going forward.
West will be looking to cement second spot when it takes on North Gambier this weekend, while South faces the daunting task of the reigning premiers.
