NORTH GAMBIER 13.8 (86) d SOUTH GAMBIER 8.5 (53)
THE Tigers roared to a 33-point victory over a new-look South Gambier on Saturday, in the opening round of the 2020 Limestone Coast Football League competition.
After a full day of junior Western Border football action at Blue Lake Sports Park, the big guns hit the park for the LCFL showdown between the Demons and North Gambier.
There were many with the isolation beard and haircut – or lack of – on show, while the average age of the Demons has certainly received a boost through pre-season recruiting.
Among the most notable inclusions were Millicent’s Sam Willis and Glencoe’s Brodie Foster, who joined fellow Murphy Patrick Mitchell in the red guernsey, while Brad Mitchell was bench coach for the side on Saturday.
North’s list appeared unchanged from its 2019 premiership side, outside of the inclusion of Will Stafford and ruckman Scott Flett and Saturday’s result went to show there is no point fixing something which is not broken.
The game opened with high intensity from both sides and a cracking goal from South’s Mark Smith opened the ledger for the match.
However, the Tigers bared their claws from there and with a strong breeze favouring the southern end, they kicked clear of the Demons with six unanswered goals.
North coach Justin McConnell and Sam Stafford were strong up forward and both popped up in the first term goalkickers, on their way to four and three goal games respectively.
Hard tackling was on show and neither team held back in their efforts, but it was not until the dying moments of the quarter South was rewarded with another major score.
The ever-reliable Brayden Kain took a solid mark and bookended the quarter with a goal after the siren.
That spurred the Demons into action and they utilised the wind advantage in the second term, opening with a goal from the first clearance as Foster put his first of two for the day through the big sticks.
Another three Demon goals came in the first 10 minutes to level the scores, which included a booming effort from playing coach Bronson Saffin from outside 50, as well as Foster’s second.
Intensity levels rose from there and the next 10 minutes were a struggle.
It was not until the 20-minute mark young-gun Todd Reid broke the deadlock with a goal to put South in front before half time.
It appeared the two teams had an arm wrestle on their hands at the main break, but North put its demons to rest with a dominant second half.
The Tigers banged through seven more goals for the match, while South added just one more to its total when Kain found his mark again in the third term.
By the final change the margin had pushed out to four goals, before North held the Demons to a behind in the fourth, while scoring 1.4 of its own against the breeze.
McConnell was pleased with his teams performance and second quarter aside, said it was a respectable first game back.
“To kick seven goals to one after half time was pleasing,” he said.
“We just addressed a few areas and had to eradicate a couple of things from our game and the guys were able to fix those up and really control the game in the second half.”
The Tigers lifted their ball movement, along with their defensive efforts and were able to bring the game back onto their terms, which was reflected on the scoreboard after half time.
McConnell said all players had their moments throughout the match, but it was the consistency of Dylan Munn which earned him the best-on-ground honours.
“He gives us lots of run and carry and he was probably the one for the whole game who was able to use the footy with real quality – his ability to link up between the arcs was good,” McConnell said.
The head Tiger gave credit to the entire midfield and the likes of Nick McInerney, Hamish Telford and Brad Stafford earned a mention, with the trio unsurprisingly all named among the best.
Sam Stafford was also at the pointy end of the list with his efforts in front of goal.
For the Demons it was veteran Brett O’Neil who best served his side, while the recruits were solid, as Foster, Patrick Glynn and Patrick Mitchell also earned deserving mentions on the list, along with full-back Taylor Saffin.
With a challenge at home against East Gambier this week, McConnell said it was good to have the first round under North’s belt as teams and players adjust to the new season.
“It was really a typical first game of the season – there were lots of good passages of play and there was plenty of room for improvement,” he said.
“It was good to get that one out of the way and we look forward to another challenge against East.”
