Picture: THOMAS MILES
A SPIRITED performance from Millicent was not enough to topple West Gambier in a thrilling round five Western Border football contest at McLaughlin Park on Saturday.
The top-of-the-table Roos were expected to cruise to a comfortable victory, but the win-less Saints produced a fighting performance.
Millicent made its intentions clear from the first bounce, as it matched its more fancied opponent to snatch the lead in the early stages.
But it did not take long for West to flex its muscles before the first break.
After a slow start, a three-goal lead at quarter time appeared ominous for a big Roos win.
The by-products of West’s pressure became more evident after key Saints defender Dylan Tincknell was caught holding the ball in the goal square, which resulted in an easy goal for Jordan Williams.
But Millicent began to utilise the wind, with Mitchell Reilly and Kade Bradley booting a goal each to keep the home team in touch.
The rain started to play a factor as the match became a congested and scrappy contest in the wet.
Small incidents appeared off the ball, which saw Caleb Gibbs and Garrett Ha forced to sit on the sidelines after a tussle.
Around the ground, star Roo Lawry Bradley-Brown asserted his dominance on the football, which became a familiar sight throughout the day as he racked up possession after possession.
Another converted set shot by Reilly ensured the Saints remained in the hunt after a quarter they failed to capitalise on with seven scoring shots to just three against the opportunistic West, which enjoyed a 14-point lead at the major break.
Millicent started fast from the opening clearance in the third term, but the crowd was again left to wonder what could have been after Zac Bradley made a meal of his scoring attempt.
Roos playing-coach Brad Wilson led his his troops from the front and inflicted more pain when he slotted a major on the run.
But an impressive snap for goal from the pocket off the boot of Willis brought the home side to life.
The rare sight of Bradley-Brown being run down and caught holding the ball gave Reilly another major and West started to struggle under the Saints’ pressure.
A 50-metre penalty resulted in another goal to the reigning premiers and suddenly the Roos’ advantage was just nine points at three-quarter time.
The final term began with Reilly’s fifth goal, which brought the lead down to just three points and the tension at an unbearable level.
With the strong desire to avoid an upset defeat at all costs, West defender Tom Zeitz stepped up another level to emerge as significant resistance to any Millicent inside-50 entries.
But he could only watch on helplessly as a free kick led to a Peter Duncan set shot from just inside the 50-metre arc.
Duncan kicked and the Saints hit the lead with a stunning upset victory a real possibility.
However, new Roo recruit Ben Papps remained composed on his left boot to put the favourites back in front.
Some light rain in the closing stages only escalated the tension felt around the ground as the ball hovered around Millicent’s forward 50.
A couple of dangerous cross-goal kicks from the West defence saw the nerves build, but Bradley-Brown ensured he had the final say on his standout game.
He found space in the middle of the ground to rebound the ball from the defensive half to Michael Minuzzo, whose big inside-50 entry saw Josh Schapel collect the crumbs.
His hopeful kick towards goal landed in the hands of Dale Robbins, who kicked the set shot from point blank range to sink the Saints hearts and win by seven points.
The presence of Bradley-Brown in the midfield and Zeitz in the backline saw the pair named as the top performers for the victors, while Jonah Grimes and Joe Walker stood out for the valiant Millicent side.
Wilson said the win took a lot out of his players and he paid credit to Millicent for a tough contest.
“Millicent at home is always a tough game,” he said.
“There were no easy possessions today, so it was certainly an ugly win.”
Wilson said the backline stepped up when the game was on the line.
“They put a lot of pressure on us, but I thought our backline stood tall and rebounded a lot of good footy,” he said.
“It was not always pretty, but it become that type of game near the end.
“It just became sort of a slog, but I am really happy to just get over the line.”
