IT was a round of Western Border football which basically went to plan for most tipsters.
The top three teams triumphed quite easily and few were prepared to tip against them.
To clear one matter up, The Border Watch sports cadet Thomas Miles was devastated when he read Friday’s paper and saw he had tipped against his beloved Bulldogs.
East Gambier was sure to win the contest against Millicent and it was a surprise Miles had tipped against them.
That sentiment was transferred through to the club rooms, as his fellow Bulldogs certainly made it known.
A check of his email on Monday morning showed he had not tipped Millicent, but the Bulldogs.
A simple error as the page was laid out resulted in much embarrassment for Miles.
To make it quite clear, Miles loves his statistics and takes his tipping seriously, with the aim to win in his first year here at The Border Watch.
As a result he has indeed tipped against the Bulldogs this year – when they were comprehensively defeated by North Gambier in round three.
Back to the games.
East made short work of Millicent up at McLaughlin Park, with five players kicking two goals each to compile a handy score.
Mark Rumbelow returned to pre-injury form in his second game back for the Bulldogs, while Matt Scanlon controlled the ball wherever he was on the ground at the time.
Down at Blue Lake Sports Park, North Gambier was in devastating form against South Gambier.
While the Demons put up somewhat of a fight, there was little they could do to negate the input of Tigers coach Justin McConnell.
He added a further eight goals to his season tally and now leads the league by a healthy 13 goals, from Demon Brayden Kain.
Kain won the goal kicking honours last season, but will have a big job to catch McConnell.
The final game saw West Gambier send Casterton Sandford back across the border licking its wounds.
Once again it was Lawry Bradley-Brown who did much of the damage.
He continues to have one of his best seasons with the Roos, while Michael Minuzzo has certainly gelled well in his first year in the roster.
For this week’s Intersport Player of the Year award it is hard to go past McConnell.
His return to the competition this year has seen him take the Tigers from almost obscurity to the top of the ladder and much of that has been off his own boot.
He has certainly had plenty of help along the way, but when he is in such devastating form it is certainly hard to stop him.
West Gambier v Casterton Sandford
3. Lawry Bradley-Brown (West Gambier): Another gutsy effort from the West star, working tirelessly all over the ground to clear the ball out of a contest or drive it through the midfield.
2. Michael Minuzzo (West Gambier): Put in another tough performance, tackling hard and making his presence known. Also chipped in with a goal to compliment his efforts.
1. Will Macdonald (Casterton Sandford): A clear best player for the Cats on Saturday, using his height and skills to great advantage to control the ball in the forward half, while also banging through two goals.
South Gambier v North Gambier
3. Justin McConnell (North Gambier): Played the perfect role up forward, with eight major scores to give the Tigers every chance of victory.
2. Hamish Telford (North Gambier): Another strong game around the ground, which included three goals for good measure.
1. Brett Kennedy (North Gambier): A solid game in the ruck and around the ground.
Millicent v East Gambier
3. Jayden Eldridge (East Gambier): Played a solid role to move the ball forward for the Bulldogs as they took control of the game.
2. John Forster (East Gambier): Another strong performance in and around the contest.
1. Matt Scanlon (East Gambier): Played a versatile role for the Bulldogs, down back, up forward and through the middle when required.
