James Murphy
West Gambier 5.12 (42) d East Gambier 3.8 (26)
A STRONG second-half effort from West Gambier pushed it into the top four when it triumphed over East Gambier on Saturday.
After a narrow loss to reigning premier Millicent the week before, the Roos bounced back to defeat the Bulldogs by an eventual 16 points in similarly wet conditions.
East led at half time – but only by one point – with both sides finding just one first-half goal in a battle against the elements.
West added another major in the third term to hold a slim lead at the final change, before making the most of a lapse in rain to double its score in the fourth.
The Bulldogs also found more opportunities in the final stanza and kicked two goals to the Roos’ three.
West’s Michael Minuzzo is having an impressive season and his smarts around the contest earned him the best-on-ground honours.
“He is just a ball getter,” West coach Daron McElroy said.
“He finds the ball and seems to get out of tight situations.”
Minuzzo also pushed forward to score a goal, in a day where majors were shared around.
Lewis Lean carried form into the clash and performed in the backline again in wet conditions, while Jesse Pfitzner and Ethan Giddings were also rock solid in defence.
Minuzzo was joined on the goal-kicker’s list by Lawry Bradley-Brown, Ben Papps, Aden Pfitzner and Nathan Taylor, who all bagged one each.
It is a promising sign for the Roos, as the leading teams have proven equally versatile inside the forward arc.
However, with play congested in the slippery conditions, McElroy said it was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
He was pleased with the outcome and the effort put in by his Roos.
“It was a pretty sluggish old day of football, but a win’s a win,” McElroy said.
“I am pretty happy with the boys’ efforts, especially the backline.”
While the rain subsided somewhat in the fourth term, the damage had already been done and the slippery conditions continued to make the going tough.
However, West was able to find a bit of momentum and shake off the Bulldogs for a hard-fought win.
“Once we kicked a couple, they dropped their heads a little bit and we took off,” McElroy said.
For the Bulldogs, it was once again a matter of what might have been.
Co-coach Jayden Eldridge put in another strong performance through the middle for East and was named best-on-ground for his efforts.
Nick Lock has also had a solid first half of the season and was key again on Saturday, while Luke Johnston and John Forster have been regulars in the best and received mentions again.
Now entering the bye for the June Long Weekend, the Bulldogs will need to search deep in the back end of the season if they are to drag themselves off the bottom of the ladder.
For West a big meeting with ladder leader South Gambier looms in two weeks.
