James Murphy
Casterton Sandford 15.7 (97) d East Gambier 11.10 (76)
A BIG come-from-behind effort earned Casterton Sandford its third win of the season when it hosted East Gambier in Round 8 of Western Border football.
Played in dryer conditions to the South Australian side of the fixture, the Cats found themselves down by 34 points at half time.
However, a renewed endeavour after the break quickly turned the game on its head.
A six-goal third quarter reeled in the deficit to just eight points and the Bulldogs looked to be in trouble heading into the final stanza.
The hosts kept their foot on the gas from there and piled on a further five majors to steal the lead.
East was held to just two second-half goals – both scored in the third quarter – while a meagre three behinds in the fourth was not enough to hold on.
Once again the work from Dylan Ayton off half-back was influential.
He backed up his best-on-ground performance from last round to lead the Cats again on Saturday in an impressive display.
He created plenty of turnovers, while driving the ball forward as the Cats clawed their way back into the contest.
At the other end of the ground, new recruit Alastair McCrae had a standout first game back at Island Park.
After a few years away from the club, he slotted back into the side well with a massive six-goal haul.
His efforts had him named second best, while Matt Killey and youngster Charlie Jarrad were also solid.
Diarmid Cleary had a strong game as well and featured prominently with a bag of three majors, while Gabe Parsons made a noticeable impact down the wing in the second half.
Casterton Sandford coach Kane Forbes said the win was a bit “surreal” and credited his team for its second-half efforts, which he said made the Cats look like a completely different side.
After a narrow loss to Millicent last round under similar circumstances, Forbes was pleased to come away with the points this week.
“It was a nice reward for some of the efforts we have been putting in,” he said.
“Even last week against Millicent we came home late and didn’t quite get there, so it is nice to get the win on the board.”
In the end a raise in pressure around the ball was the difference and it sparked the momentum the Cats needed to swing the game.
“I really put it on the midfield group at half time, they were getting smashed around the ball and in the clearances,” Forbes said.
“To their credit they really responded and were able to get in and start winning the footy.
“Structurally we changed a couple of our match-ups, that helped as well.”
East’s Mark Rumbelow had a day out in front of goal and topped the Bulldogs’ scoresheets with five majors in a best-on-ground performance.
However, his impact was restricted in the second half when Forbes moved Killey to centre-half back.
“Matt Killey went to centre-half back on Mark Rumbelow and I don’t think he got another mark or shot on goal,” Forbes said.
“He did a fantastic job there.”
Shaun Lock also found plenty of the ball for the Bulldogs and finished up with three goals, while Jack Lawrence and Carl Slape both earned a mention for their efforts.
However, in the end it was not enough to deter the Cats’ second-half blitz.
The Bulldogs would be disappointed to let another game fall from their grasp and will need to find something special in the coming rounds if they are to turn their season around.
