James Murphy
SOUTH GAMBIER 13.6 (84) d WEST GAMBIER 7.10 (52)
IN windy conditions, South Gambier proved its depth once again with a hard-fought win at home.
Full forward and coach Brayden Kain, along with key defender Todd Reid were both absent for Saturday’s Round 15 match against West Gambier due to SA Country state commitments.
However, the Demons stepped up to cover those losses and with the return of captain Brett O’Neil, held off the Roos for a 32-point win.
South held the wind advantage in the first quarter and put it to good use to hold a five-goal lead by the change.
It was in the second quarter stand-in coach Duncan McGregor said the game was won, as the Demons managed a couple of late goals into the wind to maintain a 17-point lead at half time.
From there the hosts were able to hold off their rival and remained out of reach despite constant pressure from West.
In Kain’s absence, young-gun Colby Munro stood up in front of goals and top-scored with five on the day.
They complemented his best-on-ground performance
“He was very fast and elusive and obviously hit the scoreboard with his five goals,” McGregor said.
“He has been in some pretty good form as a high half-forward and has been hitting up Kainy and (Brodie) Foster with passes.
“He took the initiative on the weekend and kicked some goals.”
Fellow young talent Mitchell Sims also excelled and backed his six-goal effort from last round with another three.
Foster added a couple to his tally as well, while the work from O’Neil through the middle was first class.
“He is a class act and is a highly respected player in the group,” McGregor said.
“They walk taller when he is out there – it was great to have him back.”
Emerson Marks and Patrick Glynn also received a mention for their efforts, while Mason Hein stood tall in the ruck against West’s Daron McElroy.
With finals right around the corner, McGregor said it was good to have a tough game in preparation.
“West was really competitive all day and there wasn’t a lot of easy kicks,” he said.
“It was a good hit our coming towards finals.”
The Roos looked to Lawry Bradley-Brown once again as he put in another big output on the ball, while Tom Nieuwerkerk was also explosive.
McElroy found plenty of the ball again and popped up with three goals, while youngster Mitchell Cornolo also bagged a couple.
While the result had no impact on ladder position, the Roos will be eager to boost confidence levels against North this weekend prior to starting their finals campaign.
