Picture: JAMES MURPHY
THE Western Border football match-of-the-round did not disappoint, as West Gambier claimed a hard-earned win over North Gambier at Malseed Park for round four of the season.
At the final siren the margin was 18 points, but it remained within a goal until the final minutes of the game.
A “back-and-forth” opening half saw the Tigers up by six points at the first change, before the Roos fought back to lead by 16 at the long break.
The hosts carried the momentum into the third term and in its early stages they looked the goods.
However, the Tigers bared their claws and an impressive effort saw them back to within a goal by the final change.
The message from both coaches was clear heading into the final stanza.
For North, Justin McConnell described the final term as a chance to show some character.
In the home team’s huddle, West coach Brad Wilson asked his teammates “who has gas left in the tank?”.
A chorus of “yes” echoed around the group and Wilson’s directions were clear – ensure those tanks were empty by the final siren and leave it all on the field.
The Roos did just that and the term resumed as a tough battle for supremacy.
Four minutes in a running goal from Michael Telford levelled the scores and suddenly the game hung in the balance.
The following moments were crucial and when West’s Garrett Ha banged through his third goal – an impressive snap from around 50-metres out – the Roos reclaimed the lead.
An opportunity to level the score again presented itself when McConnell received a free kick within range, but his shot hit the post.
It was not until the 17th minute the next goal was scored, when West’s Ben Papps found the middle of the big sticks.
He put it through to see the margin out to 12 points and when he marked again two minutes later from a similar angle, he scored his third major and sealed the game.
It was a thrilling finish to a quality match and now puts the Roos on top of the premiership ladder.
As was expected, it was a tight contest through the midfield all day, but it was the defence which really stepped up for both teams.
Jesse Pfitzner had the daunting task of shutting down McConnell and managed to do so, with the star forward limited to just two goals for the game.
Tom Zeitz often appeared as the second man in those contests and had his fair share of intercepts to keep the Tigers at bay.
Aside from that match-up, the work from Tom Holmes around centre-half back was a standout for the Roos.
His first and second effort when the game was in the balance was impressive and he was a driving force out of the West defence and through the midfield.
Lawry Bradley-Brown also found good use through the centre, while Todd Lewis stood tall in the ruck and earned the best-on-ground honours.
For the Tigers, Jake Schutz provided a solid last line of defence.
However, it was the efforts of Tom Bruhn which saw him rewarded as best-on-ground.
Hamish Telford continued his form, while Sam Stafford and Declan Kenny rounded out the best players.
Wilson was most impressed with his team’s effort and the grit it showed to fight out the four quarters.
“It was a really good battle,” he said.
“North played a pretty good brand of footy and did not really allow us to kick away at all.
“It was always tight and they had a surge there in the third.
“I was really proud of the way the boys dug deep and ran out that last quarter.”
Wilson was impressed with the backline on the day, giving credit to Pfitzner’s efforts on McConnell.
However, he said the determination from the whole team was something he was pleased to see.
“The win takes us to three and one, so I am happy with that,” he said.
“We are still building and still gelling on a few things, but we have good signs every week.”
This weekend will see a road trip to Millicent to face the reigning premiers, which Wilson said is always a tough match, but based on current form the Roos will be hot favourites.
