MILLICENT’S premiership defence reached a new low on Saturday after it suffered a crushing 96-point defeat to a rampaging West Gambier at Malseed Park.
The Saints were no match for the Roos under sunny skies as the home side sent a statement to the rest of the competition.
In a complete contrast from the wet and intense clash between the teams in round five, the reigning premier was not given a sniff by the new flag favourites.
West dictated terms from the first bounce after an eye-catching display of fast ball movement, which sparked a dominant opening term and set the tone for the remainder of play.
Millicent had no answers as the likes Michael Minuzzo, Lawry Bradley-Brown, Sam and Jordan Zeitz found plenty of space in the middle and created countless scoring options inside-50.
Led by Dylan Walsh and Ben Papps, the West forwards gleefully accepted the shots for goal and at one stage were kicking a major a minute.
The quarter time siren could not sound soon enough for the Saints as the scoreboard read a staggering 55-0 lead for the home side.
Injured Millicent coach Lyndon Smith lamented the scoreless start on “simple skill errors” and demanded his young side to improve if it was to avoid further embarrassment.
The Saints did manage to be the first team to score in the second quarter and found more possession.
Dylan Bromley led the improved display by example and found strong support from talented youngsters Frazer Bradley and Sam Willis.
This managed to slow the home side down slightly, but the rampant Roos still found multiple ways to extend the lead thanks to the strong work of Jordan Zeitz and Dwayne Phillips in the centre.
After a more promising quarter, Millicent held the lead to a 10-goal margin at the main break, but West was back to its best in the third term.
When Jordan Zeitz put himself on the goal-scorers’ list after he pounced on a loose ball, the Roos total breezed past the triple-figure mark and showed no signs of slowing down.
Bradley-Brown recovered from a rare mistake to hand Papps the ideal delivery inside-50 and the latter delightfully converted another set shot.
Jett Attard and Garrett Ha started to make an impression with four and two goals respectively after the pair made use of their exciting finishing skills.
At the final break, a huge triple-figure defeat was on the cards for Millicent as the Roos led by 96 points.
After making his usual solid display in the backline, Tom Zeitz enjoyed a rare stint up forward and booted three goals.
When Papps kicked truly for the sixth time, the lead exceeded the 100-point barrier and it appeared doomsday for the Saints.
But Millicent stepped up to avoid embarrassment and brought the deficit back to a slightly more respectable 96 points after four late goals.
However, the blow-out result reflected the contrasting fortunes of the two sides this year.
West’s huge win brings its dream run of victories to nine on the bounce and confirms it is clearly the form side of the competition, while the Saints are yet to experience the winning feeling.
West playing-coach Brad Wilson said the win was a relief after the scare Millicent gave his side earlier in the season.
“We came here with one thing in mind and that was to get the win,” he said.
“Millicent almost had us last time and we really had to dig to get that one out.
“We prepared as if this was going to be a really tough game.”
Wilson said the rampaging opening term laid the foundations for victory.
“I liked our effort in the first quarter,” he said.
“We came out with good intent and that set us up for the rest of the day.”
Wilson said he was impressed by his side’s inside-50 entries and pointed out debutante Alex Jarnevic and 100-gamer Jesse Pfitzner.
“We had a lot of contributors and had good spread across the board today,” he said.
“We gave Alex Jarnevic his big debut today and he did some good stuff.
“Jesse has stood some really good players in his time and we are all happy to get the win for his 100th game.”
Wilson said his side is keeping a lid on expectations after its strong start to the season and is taking each game as it comes.
“We are under no illusions of where we are at,” he said.
“It has been a long time since we have had success and we enjoy each win we get.
“Nothing is taken for granted and it was just a relief to get a big win on the board.”
