James Murphy
MILLICENT 10.5 (65) d EAST GAMBIER 5.7 (37)
EAST Gambier had a disappointing loss to reigning premier Millicent on Saturday, when it hosted the Saints for Round 5.
The clash was about more than football and was played as an Indigenous Round between the two sides.
A smoke ceremony opened proceedings, while both teams donned custom Indigenous guernseys.
The Bulldogs were out of the gates early and in a fitting turn of events, Garret Ha banged through the first goal of the Indigenous clash.
High intensity and polish in front of goal pushed East out to a 24-point lead by quarter time.
However, Millicent returned the favour in the second term and piled on five unanswered goals to carry the momentum and the lead into half time.
Saints coach Clint Gallio – who remained sidelined due to an injury sustained last round – was pleased with the rise in intensity from his team.
“We had a bit of a slow start again which obviously wasn’t ideal,” he said.
“We had a bit of a chat at quarter time – we didn’t change too much, we just had to address what we were doing not so well.
“We got it back on our terms a bit and were able to get the ball forward and get some good looks and score.”
The work from young-guns Josh Werchon and Kade Varcoe was pivotal during that time, with the pair named as the Saints’ best players for the day.
In fact, the Saints relied heavily on its youth and Gallio said 17 of Millicent’s 22 were aged 21 or under.
It is an impressive feat and an exciting prospect for the future of the club.
The Saints held an eight-point lead at the long break, before a tighter third term unfolded.
East had the advantage of a slight breeze for the quarter and came out firing.
“That third quarter was a bit of an arm wrestle,” Gallio said.
“They came out after half time and threw a bit at us.
“We withstood that which was pleasing.”
Millicent was able to put the game to bed in the fourth with four goals, while East managed its only goal since quarter time during that period.
Gallio was most impressed by Werchon, whose work rate impressed again on Saturday.
“If his name doesn’t pop up at the league medal night with three votes, there is probably something wrong I reckon,” he said.
Varcoe also earned credit for his hard work through the midfield, while Frazer Bradley put in another impressive performance.
Sam Willis, Colby O’Connor and Jacob Carger rounded out the best players in a good day out for the Saints, while Dylan Bromley scored a game-high three goals.
For East it was the efforts of co-coach Jayden Eldridge which stood out.
He led by example, while Nick Lock continued his strong start to the year.
Riley Flamank and Nick Walters were also solid, while Mark Rumbelow topped the scoresheets for the Bulldogs with two majors.
Overall, it was a good spectacle of football for the Indigenous clash, which is something both teams were proud to have been a part of.
