James Murphy
North Gambier 10.4 (64) d West Gambier 5.13 (43)
NORTH Gambier has put together three consecutive victories with its latest triumph over West Gambier on Saturday.
The Round 7 clash loomed as a close one, after their last meeting was decided by three points.
However, the Tigers took control from the start and held the lead at every change on their way to a 21-point win.
“I felt like our ball use was probably the best it has been all year,” North coach Ben Hardy said.
“It is good to see things are moving in the right direction.”
Justin McConnell has taken on a new role this season which has seen him venture out of the forward line to play through the midfield, even pushing back into defence when needed.
It is somewhat odd to see the powerhouse forward at the other end of the ground but there is no denying his versatility.
He was in fine form again on Saturday and earned the best-on-ground honours for his efforts which helped keep scoring options limited for the Roos.
He was joined by a list of North defenders in the best players on the day, in a game where the back six really stood tall.
That was reflected in West’s kicking percentage, with just five goals from 18 attempts.
North coach Ben Hardy said it was pleasing to see his defenders make things difficult for their opponent.
“The back six were under the pump but at the same time West scored a lot of points and it was purely because of those back six,” he said.
“They put them into hard spots to kick goals from and their pressure and set up behind the ball was outstanding from the first bounce to the last.”
Brett Shepherdson impressed after a week off, while Jake Schutz and Tim McInerney brought their usual consistency into the backline.
Dale Bachmann and Joel Griffith have also been dependable this season and rounded out the best on the day.
The Tigers started well with a 3.2 opening quarter, while the Roos scored four behinds to trail by 16 at the break.
From there North held the lead for the rest of the match but it was not without some resistance.
“Last time we played them in the second quarter they kicked six goals to our zero,” Hardy said.
“They kicked the first two in the second quarter and I started to feel a bit of deja vu.
“But to our boys’ credit we kicked the next two.
“It was really pleasing that every time they got one or two, I felt like we composed ourselves and got one back which steadied us.”
At half time the margin was 15 before a four-goal third term pushed the Tigers out to a 31-point advantage.
From there the match had been won and although West outscored its guests in the final stanza it was not enough to change the result.
Despite the loss, West will be happy with the output from its young brigade, as Tom Nieuwerkerk put in his third best-on-ground performance for the year.
Mitchell Cornolo also impressed, as did Reece Cowling, while Michael Minuzzo and Aden Pfitzner rounded out the best.
North will now turn its focus towards two big games against South and Millicent, while West hosts the latter in another testing fixture this weekend.
