James Murphy
MILLICENT 18.16 (124) d CASTERTON SANDFORD 7.8 (50)
ANOTHER road trip for Millicent produced another good result and the Saints made the cross-border trek back home from Island Park with four points in hand.
They visited the Cats who were fresh off a win of their own, but the weight of supply into Millicent’s attack proved too much on the day.
The first quarter was an arm wrestle and there were plenty of opportunities at either end.
However, Millicent made better use of these chances and scored the first two goals of the game before Casterton Sandford’s Hamish McCrae chipped one back for the Cats.
Millicent coach Clint Gallio then wrapped things up with a snap in front to give his team its third goal for the term.
The Cats continued to provide resistance in the second term and kicked three goals to the Saints’ four, with the margin extending slightly to 23 points.
Entering half time the deficit was still conquerable, but the reigning premiers put the foot down in the third.
Millicent went into traffic control mode and most of the forward opportunities were at the Saints’ attacking end.
They piled on four-goals-five in a hot patch, while Casterton Sandford managed to add just one behind for the quarter.
At the final change the Cats were faced with a 51-point obstacle.
That stood as a large enough obstacle, but the Saints were not done.
They added another seven goals in the final stanza and while the Cats found some chances and scored three majors, it did little to stem the flow.
At the final siren Millicent emerged victorious by 74 points, with plenty of positives to come out of its strong second half.
It was again the Josh Werchon show through the middle and his silky skills and pace were rewarded with the best-on-ground honours.
A trio of goals added further sweetness to his performance and he was joined by Jacob Carger and Sam Willis who also bagged three each.
Gallio found himself at the point end of the best player’s list again this week, while Ty Lang, Kade Bradley, Micah Rupcic and Willis also featured.
The Cats looked to new recruit Michael Krieger and his grit through the centre earned him the top accolade for the home team.
Matt Killey put in another strong defensive performance and he kept Carger to under six goals for the first time in 2023.
Nick Schembri was also solid off the half-back line, while Hamish McCrae finished up with three majors to complement his ruck work.
Looking to Round 5 and Millicent hosts West Gambier in a contest which will decide the top position of the ladder.
Meanwhile Casterton Sandford strays away from the comforts of home for the first time in three weeks, when the Cats visit North Gambier at Vansittart Park.
