Picture: JAMES MURPHY
EAST and South Gambier will descend on McDonald Park with winning form for their round five Western Border football clash tomorrow.
The Bulldogs’ consistency will see the home side start as favourite after a third-quarter blitz ensured a convincing interstate win over Casterton Sandford.
But the Demons will feel confident after their most impressive victory of the year.
South easily overcame reigning premier Millicent by 47 points at Blue Lake Sports Park last week, which could inspire a lift after a run of losses.
Young guns Kyle Jones, Todd Reid, Colby Munro, Duncan Reid and Henri Capewell have boosted the developing side with an energised feel through their leg speed and no-fear approach.
The Reid brothers were particularly impressive last round, where Duncan stepped up on debut in the ruck to take the load of the more experienced Scott Fleming, while Todd played a breakout game with three goals and a best-on-ground performance.
Jones and Todd Reid have managed to find the goals regularly, which has been vital for South’s ability to hit the scoreboard and ease the reliance on star forward Brayden Kain.
Kain has been in hot form this year with 14 goals and collected a bag of five last week.
To negate Kain’s goal scoring threat, East will likely turn to the reliable Matt Scanlon, who impressed at Island Park and was missed dearly during the loss to North Gambier.
Riley Janeway and Tom Williams will likely be called upon to negate the run of Jones and Todd Reid, a vital part of South’s ball delivery to Kain.
In the midfield, an interesting contest looms if the Demons can remain in the hunt across the four quarters.
Nick Tarca and Bronson Saffin impressed with quick ball movement through the centre square against the Saints, but they will face a much tougher task against the likes of Jayden Eldridge and playing-coach Matt Willson.
Liam Denton and the South defenders will also have a significant challenge on their hands against a firing Bulldogs forward line.
Kev Thompson played a vital role at full forward in East’s across-the-border win, with five second-half goals in a game-changing period of play.
In the pockets, Robert Brewster and Giancarlo Cooper have been equally impressive.
The pair kicked six goals between them last round and pose unique dangers to the opposition.
Cooper’s unpredictable marking, running and kicking ability is a nightmare for any opponent, while Brewster is a composed figure during set-shots.
However, one area which needs improvement from the Bulldogs is their poor starts.
Last week East was down by 19 points at the main break and the week before managed just one-point in the opening quarter against North.
Willson will need to rectify this worrying trend if his side will be a real premiership contender this season.
Despite the slow starts, the Bulldogs have produced strong recoveries and will be tough to topple on their home deck.
The key to South’s challenge will be creating effective ball delivery towards Kain, but East will be determined to not allow it become a factor.
The Bulldogs should prevail and collect the four points over an inconsistent Demons outfit.
