James Murphy
South Gambier 10.13 (73) d North Gambier 8.14 (62)
THE Western Border football Anzac Day clash lived up to the occasion at Vansittart Park on Monday.
After a solid opening half from the North Gambier hosts, it was South Gambier which emerged victorious with a blinding third quarter earning it a come-from-behind win.
Expectations were high leading into the traditional match-up and it was the Tigers which were out of the gates first.
They looked the goods early and after a close seven-point lead at quarter-time, extended the margin with a couple of late goals in the second term to be up by 19 at the main break.
North carried all of the momentum into half time, but a resurgent effort from the Demons in the third quarter turned the game on its head.
They booted five goals for the term, with coach Brayden Kain and Brodie Foster squaring up their sights after an inaccurate first half.
That set up a one-goal lead heading into the final stanza, where South held firm for a 11-point win.
Kain was pleased to come away with the points, especially on such a special day for both clubs.
Coming off a couple of comfortable victories, he said it was a good character-building experience for the team.
“It was a position which we hadn’t really found ourselves in this year,” Kain said.
“To be down at half time in a tight game, it almost had a finals atmosphere to it.
“To wrestle back that momentum and will ourselves back into the game, but then also get over the line at the same time, it was pleasing.”
North controlled the flow of the game in the second term, with the likes of Nick McInerney running tirelessly through the middle, while Sam Stafford and Jake Schutz drove the ball forward well.
Hamish Telford also found plenty of ball and joined the trio in the best players on the day.
“A couple of their guys started getting off the chain, so we put a bit of pressure on our midfield guys to do a few run with roles to really try and nullify their top end players who were having an impact on the game,” Kain said.
One move which changed the flow of the game was sending Alex Harkness to perform a shutdown role on North’s Justin McConnell.
Harkness was able to do just that and earned himself a mention in South’s best players for his efforts.
“It was crucial for us to stop (McConnell) having an impact on their ball moving forward, which allowed us to counter attack and we got a bit of momentum back in that third quarter,” Kain said.
The momentum certainly swung after half time and Kain gave credit to a full-team contribution.
However, there was one man who stood out more than most.
In his first game for the year, Brett O’Neil was back to his best and his drive off half-back set up countless plays for the Demons.
His efforts did not go unnoticed by officials and he received the Tony Casadio Medal for best on ground at the conclusion of the match.
“When the game was in the balance, he was able to set himself at half-back and nullify any forward entry that North had,” Kain said.
“He is so calm and cool under pressure and provides so much attack for us moving forward.”
Brody Virgo also impressed and presented well on the half-forward line.
Kain said he gave the Demons an option coming through the centre-half forward zone and he provided some spark around the contest.
James Paprotny also earned a mention in South’s best players, putting in another workhorse performance, while Brock Keding and Oliver Thomson concluded the list.
Kain was also impressed by youngsters Liam Delaney and Mitchell Sims, who planted themselves in the backline in the second half and applied heavy pressure around the ball.
Delaney also scored two majors, while it was Kain and Foster who led the way on the scoreboard with four and three goals respectively.
For North it was Stafford who was named best on ground, with three majors to show for his efforts, while Dale Bachmann was also impressive.
Looking to this weekend, the Tigers will face another challenge when they travel to Millicent for Round 4, while South also hits the road to play Casterton Sandford.
