James Murphy
DESPITE being without eight players due to Covid, North Gambier was able to start its 2022 Western Border football season off with a win against East Gambier on Saturday.
The sides met at McDonald Park for the season opener, with the visiting Tigers too strong on the day as they claimed a 76-54 point win.
A swift breeze favoured the northern end and North had the advantage in the first term.
However, a low conversion rate resulted in a 2.5 quarter from the Tigers, while East managed two behinds to see a 15-point margin at the first change.
Both teams found goals more freely in the second and the Bulldogs mustered themselves back into the game with four goals and four behinds, while North added 3.1.
Just one straight kick was the difference at half time but the Tigers came out strong in the premiership quarter to set themselves up for the win.
A four-goal effort with the wind put them in good stead and they carried a 24-point lead into the final term.
East put the pressure on the fourth quarter but North’s defence held firm and helped deny most of the Bulldogs’ opportunities.
As such both sides scored two goals for the term and the margin stood at 22 points when the final siren sounded.
Justin McConnell showed his versatility on the weekend and played several roles across the four quarters.
The sharp-shooting forward scored just the one goal for the match, as coach Ben Hardy had him play a key role in the midfield in the second half.
“He played a solid half of footy in the second half in the midfield just to try and get us a bit more composure,” Hardy said.
“He really set us up in the second half by going into the middle with the likes of Nick McInerney and all that.”
Sam Stafford was also a standout with two goals and some work in the ruck, while McInerney bagged two majors as well to compliment his midfield efforts.
Tim McInerney and Jordan Hollitt were strong in defence and provided a sturdy backbone for the Tigers.
Youngster Joel Griffith joined the experienced defenders on Saturday, but showed his versatility when he moved forward to score a goal and earn himself a mention in the best players.
“We actually gave him a defensive role, so to see him hit the board while doing that role was really good,” Hardy said.
Hardy was pleased with the outcome of the day, particularly due to the impact Covid had on the roster.
“You always take a win against East at East,” he said.
“We had eight players out so to be able to walk away with a win, we were really happy with it.”
For East the hard-working John Forster was given the nod as best on ground, while recruit Carl Slape also showed his worth.
Shaun and Sam Lock put in equally strong performances, while on the scoreboard it was an even spread with coach Matt Scanlon topping the sheets with two majors.
North looked to a range of players in front of goal, with Stafford, McInerney, Nick Moretti and Jake Schutz all kicking two.
Hardy said that versatility is something North will look to more often this year, as the Tigers attempt to be less predictable around the goal square.
“We really want to try and not just be a one-dimensional team and get a lot of goals out of our midfield this year,” he said.
The Tigers will be favoured to win again this weekend when they host West Gambier, while East faces a tough challenge when it travels across town to play South Gambier.
