EAST Gambier has finally clocked up a convincing win and it coincided with it having its preferred starting seven for the first time this season.
The Bulldogs secured a 38-goal victory over Casterton Sandford – a team still waiting on personnel itself.
A dominant first quarter set up the win for the reigning premiers as Sarah Lock and Amryn Bosko combined for 16 goals from 20 attempts to set up a 12-goal margin at quarter time.
The duo continued to combine well and shared the shooting duties evenly, which will challenge opposition defensive teams.
The Cats struggled with supply when it came to scoring but the combination of sisters Charlotte and Mikayla Rice showed some promise.
They teamed up after quarter time, which freed Gaby Tomkins up to her more familiar role of wing attack, rather than the shooting circle.
Another positive for the Cats was the return of Madalene Cleary to the court, who played a half at the defensive end and will only be better for the run as she returns from an ACL injury.
The second term was the Cats’ best as they matched it with the Bulldogs for much of the quarter, only going down by five goals and generating significantly more scoring opportunities.
However, the Bulldogs responded strongly after the main break, led by a perfect shooting quarter from Bosko as she and Lock were able to capitalise on the strong defensive work of Tyne Bosko, Morgan Amy and Bo Creek.
In the final quarter, East continued to dominate.
Casterton Sandford’s Chloe Foster made her debut and entered the clash at goal attack where she netted five from six in a composed display, in a positive for the Cats.
Yet the other end of the court saw more of the ball and the Bulldogs extended their lead to the eventual 64-26 goal result.
A highlight of the game was the mid-court battle between Scarlett Jarrad and East co-coach Emily Hunter.
They ran hard and competed for everything as they fought to give their team the edge.
In the end, the experience of the Bulldogs and their more settled line-up ensured they were never really troubled.
The Cats will now be focussed on hosting South Gambier this weekend, while East prepares for a big meeting with West Gambier.
