Picture: THOMAS MILES
WEST Gambier flew into premiership contention on Saturday after a dominant 96-point victory over South Gambier at Malseed Park in round three of Western Border football.
In tricky conditions, star player Lawry Bradley-Brown produced another outstanding performance for the victors, while young gun Jett Attard was the most prolific goal scorer with four majors.
The heavy defeat continued the steep downward curve of South’s fortunes since its solitary win and coach Brett Exelby will have plenty to ponder after his team has folded two weeks in a row.
Despite the blow-out final margin, the opening quarter was actually a tight affair, with only one kick separating the teams at the first break.
Demon Bronson Saffin looked in ominous touch with a goal early on, but there was little to smile about for the visitors for the remainder of the match, as West flexed its muscles to restrict South to just one more major in the final three quarters.
The Roos were all over the football, which found a home in their forward half throughout the second term.
Despite dominating possession, West failed to covert it onto the scoreboard, which allowed the Demons to hold a small glimmer of hope.
But due to the constant pressure from the home side, it was just a matter of time until the goals started to flow.
When a holding infringement by South defender Kaleb Bowd before a kick-out saw Garret Ha kick an easy goal from point blank range, the Roos were away.
Attard scored his first six-pointer after he made the most of a crumb from a marking contest to soccer the ball past the goal umpire, while at the other end of the ground, key Demon forward
Brayden Kain failed to convert a rare set shot for goal.
South’s chances plummeted further after Taylor Saffin’s day was cut short from high bump on the boundary line, which caused the dazzled defender to require the trainer’s assistance to depart the ground.
His team mate failed to utilise the resultant free kick, which saw Dale Robbins capitalised on a dropped mark turnover to inflict further pain on the away team.
Ha’s overwhelming presence on the half-forward line continued to grow as he set up Reid Kuller’s solitary goal with ease and confidence.
Michael Minuzzo also proved to be a force in West’s second quarter blitz.
A comfortable chip pass to an un-maned Todd Lewis in the goal square put the finishing touches on a destructive passage of play.
The Roos had asserted their dominance on the fixture with six unanswered goals in the second term to enjoy a 46-point advantage at the main break.
South began the second half in the hope of a miracle, which was dashed spectacularly when Bradley-Brown burst from the pack to score a goal from the pocket.
Capewell did manage to answer back with a goal, but it was the last time the Demons would score for the remainder of the match, as the home side strode away.
It became clear South struggled to cope under the West pressure when poor mistakes began to creep into the Demons’ game play.
Tom Holmes’ leg speed proved too much for the opposition, as his ability to break out of packs was behind two more majors scores.
The third quarter was finished off in style thanks to Attard, whose mid-air goal was the by-product of the impressive midfield run of Sam Zeitz.
West playing coach Brad Wilson demanded his troops “run the game out”, which is exactly what the Roos did.
Sharp snaps from Attard and Minuzzo saw the home side past the 100-point barrier, an impressive feat in the drizzly conditions.
Ha signed off his top game with another accurate pass, which was accepted by Robbins, who brought the home side within reach of a triple-figure win with its eighth and final unanswered goal.
Nick Kourmouzis and Nicholas Jenkin were named as the best performers for the Demons, who finished the match with a scoreless final term – a sign of their tough day.
Bradley-Brown’s feats saw him awarded best-on-ground for the victors, while Minuzzo, Holmes, Zeitz and Ha were also mentioned.
After the big win, Wilson said he was relived to get the four points after an improved performance at home.
“We were pretty happy to win this one at home and iron out a few things from the first two weeks,” he said.
“In the first two rounds we probably had some lapses for five to 10 minutes where we went away from our stuff.
“But (Saturday) I felt our concentration picked up and we were able to play our style.”
Wilson put the credit down to the hard work created through the back-line and midfield throughout the match in tough conditions.
“Our back-line definitely played well, but I think our mids were disciplined in their structures to stop their (South) ball supply,” he said.
“It was scrappy and hot early, but we ground our way through that and as the game went on we found a way through.
“We were a bit wasteful early, when it was a bit close, but as the game spread we straightened up.”
