EAST GAMBIER 10.11 (71) d WEST GAMBIER 5.7 (37)
EAST Gambier bounced back against the Western Border football ladder leaders West Gambier on Saturday, with a stirring 34-point victory.
The Bulldogs hosted the Roos at McDonald Park and looked to go one up for the season.
West claimed the previous clash by 41 points and East won the round-one game with a kick after the siren, which all contributed to an exciting clash on Saturday.
The match of the round panned out as the Bulldogs would have hoped, after a strong start kicking with a stiff breeze, which resulted in an early three-goal lead.
From there they held the Roos to just two major scores in the second quarter and pushed on.
Back with the wind in the third term, East capitalised with three majors, while holding West to a solitary behind.
While that provided a 40-point lead at the final break, there was still time with the strong wind for West to mount its attack.
That came through Garrett Ha, but not before the Bulldogs had already hit the scoreboard to put the game all-but out of reach.
As time wound down there was no doubt East was home, with only the formalities remaining as the crowd began to leave the venue.
Just three players chalked up goals for the victors, with Shem Balshaw at his best to slot home four.
Mark Kieselbach and Matt Scanlon both contributed three.
In contrast West boasted four goal kickers, but only Ha managed multiple majors with two.
For East coach Matt Willson it was a pleasing result over what he described as a good opponent.
He said the victory boosts the side’s fortunes as the season winds down and the Bulldogs look to claim a top-two position on the ladder.
However, he said the head-to-head result for the season made little difference in the scheme of things.
“I do not really look at wins and losses for a particular side,” he said.
“As far the win goes, it puts the heat on us to continue winning games of football if we want to finish top two.
“It certainly boosts our chances there.”
While the Bulldogs kicked into a stiff breeze in the final term, they did not allow the Roos back into the contest.
Willson said that came through a determination to finish the game off, rather than just protect the lead.
“We thought there was no point holding back to try to defend a win,” he said.
“We wanted to continue to push and score, so to start that last quarter like we did with Shem going back to kick a goal was good.”
Balshaw doubled his season goal tally on Saturday and Willson said that in itself was pleasing.
“He has been in terrific form this year,” he said.
“He has been freed up after stepping back from the captaincy and not having such an influential leadership role.
“Now he goes out there and plays footy, which is Shem’s strong suit.
“He managed to hit the scoreboard on the weekend which he has not been doing real consistently this season which was good.”
Likewise Willson was pleased with the return from Kieselbach.
“He is having a different year not playing in the ruck like he has for the past 16 years,” he said.
“For him to find his feet coming out of full forward was really good.
“He crumbed his own contest and snapped over his shoulder which shows there is still a bit left in his legs.”
While it was an impressive team performance by the Bulldogs, other players to stand out were Jack Dawe, Tom Williams, Jayden Eldridge, Kurt Rodis and Matt Scanlon.
Scanlon’s impact on the contest was felt from end to end, with some strong efforts around the ground to cap off some solid running by the Bulldogs.
Rodis was impressive in the ruck contests, with some strong marks around the ground to add to his game.
While the result did not change East’s position on the ladder, it certainly put the top two sides – West and North – on notice they can not expect an easy run into the grand final this year.
While Willson has his sights set on a top-two finish, he said that was not something which would make or break the Bulldogs’ season.
“Getting the double chance is a luxury in football, so we would love to get up there,” he said.
“But we showed last year we can come from third and ride the wave through.
“It is about playing the right footy at the right time of the year.
“We are just worrying about building good form and carrying that on.”
With the likes of Willson, Frazer Scanlon, Jeremy Clayton and Robbie Brewster still to return to the roster, the Bulldogs look every bit able to cement their third spot and push for a top-two.
They trail both West and North by just two premiership points at this stage, with daylight between the Bulldogs and South Gambier in fourth spot.
It sets up an exciting last five rounds of Western Border football.
