EAST Gambier will hit the road to Island Park and meet an in-form Casterton Sandford for round four of the Western Border Football League tomorrow.
An intriguing fixture shapes up, with the victorious side to be awarded with a top-three position on the ladder.
The home side heads into the contest in a confident mood after enjoying a 14-day break and a big away win over Millicent.
In contrast, the Bulldogs will want to regroup after a defeat to North Gambier just one week ago.
East will turn to the Cats’ only previous home game of the 2019 season – a 41-point loss to West Gambier – for belief and hope to reopen those scars.
At the same time Casterton Sandford will be desperate to reverse that result and remind the league a game at Island Park is one of the toughest road trips in the competition.
The Cats appeared in good form against a struggling Saints outfit in a heated contest last round.
The win was a relief for the Casterton Sandford faithful, after slipping behind the pace and scoreboard in the closing stages of its opening two fixtures.
A dominant third quarter was the driving force behind the victory and the Cats will be committed to perform in similar fashion in front of their home fans against a more fancied opposition.
Daniel Richardson’s pace and two goals saw him produce an impressive outing and he will be one to watch out for around the 50-metre line.
Will Macdonald has loomed large for any opponent in 2019, being named in his side’s best in all three games and that streak is at short odds to continue.
Dylan Ayton looked in good touch too, with a pair of goals and strong hands in the marking contests, while Tom Sullivan has been a stand out, producing plenty of speed on the wing.
The inexperienced Justin Carlin stepped up to be named best-on-ground last match and Adam McKinnon kicked a goal on debut.
However, the Cats will be without the versatile Matthew Killey, who was cited for an incident against Millicent’s Frazer Bradley and outed for three weeks as a result.
Playing coach Hamish Jarrad will hope his unit can continue its momentum, but knows East Gambier will be a tougher challenge.
The Bulldogs are hungry to rediscover the winning feeling again and snatch a vital away-from-home triumph.
With only one behind scored in the first and last quarters against the Tigers last week, it is clear where East must improve if it is going to be a premiership contender.
Tully Balshaw was a shining light with a pair of majors to be named best-on-ground, while Luke Thompson led the back-line.
John Forster has been impressive this season and has teamed up with Jayden Eldridge to move the ball more fluently through the midfield.
The pair will hope to create plenty of scoring opportunities for Kev Thompson, who has been a target up forward with six majors so far, while Robert Brewster and Jack Dawe have consistently found the goals.
Ruckmen Kurt Rodis and Mark Kieselbach will hope to rise to the challenge of Macdonald and give their team mates enough football to work with.
East playing coach Matt Willson will lead from the front with his accurate kicking and will try to inspire his side to rise from the recent injury and form concerns, which have troubled the 2018 runners-up.
The team which can win the midfield battle and push the ball forward on the confines of Island Park will hold the advantage in what should be a close contest.
East Gambier holds the upper hand on paper and starts as favourite, but an inspired Casterton Sandford outfit with fresh legs will not give up without a fight.
