James Murphy
South Gambier 21.13 (139) d Casterton Sandford 7.7 (49)
SOUTH Gambier continued to prove why it is on top of the Western Border football ladder with a commanding win over Casterton Sandford on Saturday.
The Demons made the trip to Island Park with a couple of late exclusions, which included forward Brodie Foster and left the fixture as a bit of an unknown.
However, firepower was not an issue on the day and youngster Mitchell Sims stepped up in a big way to bang through a game-high six goals during his team’s 90-point triumph.
The writing was on the wall fairly early in the piece and Sims snagged the first two goals of the game in the opening five minutes.
By the first change South led by 33 points, before a seven-goal-to-three second quarter pushed the guests out to a 56-point half-time advantage.
From there it was business as usual and the Demons were untroubled throughout the second half as they claimed another big win.
Sims topped the best players for his impressive feats, while down the other end Todd Reid led the backline by example.
With the absence of Foster, South coach and full forward Brayden Kain found himself two-on-one against Cats defenders for much of the game, which opened Sims up to some opportunity.
“He probably only touched the ball eight or 10 times, but he had six shots on goal and kicked six straight,” Kain said.
“It was just his day.
“He worked hard to get himself in positions which created opportunities for himself.”
That said, Kain still managed to snag five goals of his own, while Elliott Fisher and Colby Munro both kicked two.
At the defensive end, Reid has taken his strong season to new heights in recent weeks with his efforts off half-back the backbone of the Demons’ defence.
“He has been ever-reliable for the whole season, but at the moment he is just not getting beaten,” Kain said.
“They are a team within a team and he is the captain of that team back there.”
Brock Keding and Mason Hein were also recognised for their efforts, while James Paprotny and Josh Woodall continued their consistent form in a solid team performance.
“The best thing for us was we had 22 contributors,” Kain said.
“There was no selfish flashy stuff.
“We kept using the ball as a team and that was the most pleasing thing above any individual efforts.”
For the Cats Tom Foster was a big in and his performance in the backline earned him the best-on-ground honours in his first game in three rounds.
Matt Killey was also solid, while Jack Thompson, Adam McKinnon and Hamish McCrae rounded out the Cats’ best.
McCrae and McKinnon topped the scorer’s list for the hosts with three and two goals respectively.
As the window for finals slowly closes, this week will be make or break for Casterton Sandford.
It plays fourth-placed North Gambier and with both teams level on wins, the victor will stake a claim on the final position in finals.
