James Murphy
West Gambier v East Gambier
FRESH off a bye for the SA Country Championships, West Gambier hosts East Gambier for Round 14 of Western Border football tomorrow.
The Roos will hope for a more successful outing than their last, where their game with Millicent was cancelled due to an incident which left forward Nathan Taylor with a broken leg.
Despite the terrible circumstances and the loss of an in-form star, the resulting draw which had both teams share the points for the round bumped West up to third on the ladder.
Those two points could prove invaluable as teams battle for finals contention over the final three minor rounds.
However, a win over East this week will remain critical, as both North Gambier and Casterton Sandford remain hot on the Roos’ heels.
Based on previous encounters, the two sides have a win each, with the Bulldogs’ only win of the year against West back in Round 4.
Both teams have shown improved form since then and a close game could unfold.
East’s last outing was a thriller at home against Casterton.
While the result did not go the way of the hosts, there were plenty of positives to come from the game.
Shaun Lock was a standout again as the youngster continued his impressive season, while co-coach Jayden Eldridge put in his usual workhorse performance through the middle.
Ruckman Carl Slape is in dangerous form and his match up with West coach Daron McElroy will be pivotal.
However, down the field the Bulldogs will need to work on their accuracy, as kicking percentage cost them the win against the Cats.
A dominant third quarter returned a meagre 3.10 in that match in a period which could have sealed the result.
Co-coach Matt Scanlon and Mark Rumbelow shared the full-forward duties and if both can turn it on again this week, the West backline could have a job on its hands.
Add into the mix Garret Ha – who has been quiet by his standards in recent rounds – and the Bulldogs’ attack line has plenty of talent.
West full-back Jesse Pfitzner will be up to the challenge, while the likes of Lewis Lean and Todd McPartlan have also been in good form.
Off the back of a strong performance at the Country Championships, Lawry Bradley-Brown will be one to watch again through the midfield.
He carries red-hot form into the clash, as do Jordan Williams and Kyle Giddings, who have been consistent performers this season.
The loss of Taylor will hurt the Roos’ forward line.
However, they boast a diverse attack line and have plenty of midfielders capable of kicking bags.
West will be the safer bet based on track record, but sooner or later East’s improvement will translate into another win.
