James Murphy
MILLICENT v WEST GAMBIER
THE Saints host the Roos for a heavyweight battle in Round 5 of Western Border football.
Millicent and West Gambier stand as the only teams still undefeated for 2023, but after Saturday a clear ladder leader should be decided.
Albiet the last time these teams met at McLaughlin Park the match was cancelled, due to a freak leg break accident in the opening term.
All going to plan there will be a result at the end of the day this time around.
Which way it goes is yet to be decided and based on form it could be a close one.
Both teams have breached the 100-point barrier in every outing so far and are yet to be challenged for four quarters.
The Saints return to their home deck off a couple of strong outings on the road, where they were untroubled by both North Gambier and Casterton Sandford.
The likes of youngster Josh Werchon and coach Clint Gallio have been in impressive form, while Jacob Carger continues to be the focal point in front of goals.
He booted six majors in each of the three opening rounds, while last week Millicent had a more even contribution to the scoreboard.
Werchon and Sam Willis joined Carger with three majors each, with Jaxon Cushion another strong option inside 50.
The Saints are a young side, but the majority of their youth have a couple of A Grade premierships on their resumes and are no strangers to big games.
This week will be their biggest challenge of the season so far as West carries red-hot form into the clash.
The Roos dealt 2022 runners-up South Gambier an 85-point drubbing on the weekend and will enter Round 5 full of confidence.
Coach Daron McElroy has been having an impressive start to the season and will lead his side by example.
He is sure to provide a challenge for Millicent’s Finn Grimes at stoppages, while Tallan Dunn also put his ruckwork to the test last week against the Cats.
Braiden Ousey also takes on some of the ruck responsibility for West, while he has proven equally prolific in front of goals.
Fellow Kalangadoo recruit Andrew Stone comes off a best-on-ground performance, while the likes of Kyle Giddings, Michael Minuzzo and Brandon Newton have all been consistently good so far.
It all equates to a blockbuster of a match and both teams are more than capable of securing the points.
