Picture: THOMAS MILES
IT is hard to mount a case for South Gambier when it hosts West Gambier in round eight of Western Border football tomorrow.
The Demons will not have forgotten their last meeting with the Roos, which saw a 96-point deficit at Malseed Park.
However, tomorrow’s clash will bring South the comfort of Blue Lake Sports Park, which has provided both its wins for the season so far.
It was not until North Gambier visited last round the Demons suffered their first loss on home ground this year, but based on current form West looks every chance to replicate that blow.
The Roos have just one blemish on their record for 2019, which came at the hands of an East Gambier goal after the siren in the season opener.
Since then the red and blue have gone from strength to strength and show no sign of slowing down.
The likes of Lawry Bradley-Brown, Tom Zeitz and Michael Minuzzo all carry form into the clash, but it is difficult to pinpoint a weak link in the Roos roster.
The absence of an injured Steven Wenman had little effect last week as Zeitz stepped up to new heights in the back-line, while his brothers Sam and Jordan will also carry solid form into the game.
The lack of a permanent full forward has had little effect on West’s goal-kicking power this year, with the list of scorers changing each week.
Young talent Jett Attard leads the way in front of the big sticks for the Roos and sits third in the league goal kicking.
He comes off a four-goal haul against Casterton Sandford last round and will be after similar results tomorrow, while Ben Papps, Garret Ha, Josh Schapel and Jordan Williams have all kicked multiples in recent weeks.
South on the other hand has struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard, with Tigers coach Justin McConnell single-handedly outscoring the Demons in the one-sided encounter last round.
The regular contributors of Brayden Kain and youngster Todd Reid both banged through two majors, but with just five goals for the match a fairytale finish was always going to be out of reach.
The young brigade continues to impress, with Mason Hein, Reid and Kaleb Bowd all among the best against North.
Hein has made a solid return to the side and will face the challenge of Todd Lewis in the ruck tomorrow.
Bronson Saffin found top form on the weekend to be named as the Demons’ best and his presence will be needed around the ground again.
Add into the mix the likes of Jake Tentye, Taylor Saffin and Liam Denton and South has no shortage of talent, but the lack of experience will be its downfall.
The Roos boast a wealth of talent and experience and should add another win to their belt tomorrow.
