Picture: FRANK MONGER
THE weekend’s round of Western Border football ran as many had expected.
The big game played out at McDonald Park between East Gambier and West Gambier, with the Roos showing the Bulldogs a clean pair of heels right around the ground.
Apart from an even first quarter which saw the Bulldogs lead with three early goals, it was a day for West supporters to enjoy.
After the opening-round game saw East claim the win after the siren, the Roos were determined to bounce back and did that from the second quarter and never gave East another look in.
Lawry Bradley-Brown was again at his best, continually racking up possessions in all areas.
Jordan Zeitz claimed a multitude of touches around the ground as the Roos pushed forward and methodically built a winning score.
But it was Ben Papps who stood out up forward and finished with four goals to give the Roos the best chance of victory.
He could well have had more goals but for a few errant kicks.
It was a similar scenario down at Island Park where Casterton Sandford atoned for a round-one loss to South Gambier.
In that first game the Demons fought back and ran over the top of the tiring Cats.
Saturday there was some hint of that happening again, but the Cats had built a sizeable lead by the long break and were not about to let the same thing happen again.
Dylan Ayton was solid with three goals, along with Will Macdonald.
At Vansittart Park there was only one quarter where Millicent was in the contest against North Gambier.
Even without the services of playing coach Justin McConnell on the ground, the Tigers were in full flight.
Nick Moretti returned to the lineup for the first time in 2019 and duly banged on five goals.
He was joined by Tom McLennan with four, while Nick McInerney and Hamish Telford added two each.
It showed the Tigers are no one-trick pony and will be hard to beat this season.
So far the only blemish has been against West Gambier, which suggests the two sides could be classed as early favourites to play off for the premiership flag.
There is of course still a long way to go.
The Intersport Player of the Year weekly award this round goes to Papps for his effort up forward.
East Gambier v West Gambier
3. Ben Papps (West Gambier): A strong performance up forward and finished the day with four goals for the Roos.
2. Jordan Zeitz (West Gambier): Played a solid game around the ground with plenty of possessions to help West push forward.
1. Lawry Bradley-Brown (West Gambier): Yet another strong performance with possession right around the ground.
North Gambier v Millicent
3. Hamish Telford (North Gambier): Another hardworking performance, popping up all over the ground to move the ball forward. Kicked two consecutive goals at a crucial point to put the game out of Millicent’s reach.
2. Tom McLennan (North Gambier): One of several players who stepped up to fill the void left by injured coach Justin McConnell in the forward line, booting four goals.
1. Jonah Grimes (Millicent): Battled hard in the ruck against Brett Kennedy and played a part in many of the Saints’ highlights, including a big hanger in the back line.
Casterton Sandford v South Gambier
3. Josh Searle (Casterton Sandford): Played a solid game in the forwardhalf to kick one goal and help set up the Cats for a strong first half.
2. Will Macdonald (Casterton Sandford): A solid effort up forward. Provided a good target to finish with three goals.
1. Bronson Saffin (South Gambier): Continued to drive the Demons out of the back half under plenty of pressure.
