James Murphy
NORTH GAMBIER v WEST GAMBIER
THE Tigers felt the sting of defeat last week when visiting cross-town rival South Gambier.
This weekend North Gambier enjoys the comforts of home when it hosts West Gambier in an intriguing contest.
Sam Stafford was a big out last round and the Tigers will hope the league leading scorer is back on deck on Saturday.
Sam Zeitz and Bradley Adams were other absences in Round 11, with a few bench players called on to fill in the gaps against the Demons.
On a positive note, former premiership coach and versatile talent Justin McConnell has a couple of games under his belt now and will be one to watch again on Saturday.
Josh Jenner comes off a best-on-ground performance, while Cameron Ortlepp and youngster Mackye Baron also impressed last week.
They will be leaned on again and will need to be aided by a full-team effort if the Tigers are to quell the Roos.
West enters the round off a scrappy contest against Casterton Sandford, where it held the Cats to a single goal for an eventual 44-point win.
However, coach Daron McElroy will hope for his Roos to rediscover their polish ahead of their meeting with North in order to replicate their previous encounters.
The Round 2 clash rewarded the Roos with a 60-point win, while a fourth-quarter surge pushed the Tigers within 15 points in Round 7.
Both teams have hit their paces since then and with an injury cloud still over some key Roos, a tight contest could unfold.
The midfield battle will be pivotal, with no shortage of on-ball talent at both clubs.
West’s Kyle Giddings comes off a solid outing, while tall man Braiden Ousey had a good day in the ruck and around the contest.
North boasts the likes of Nick McInerney, Hamish Telford and ruckman Mitchell Kelton – to name but a few – who will provide an ample counter for their opponents.
The West defence stood tall last round and Lewis Lean, Jessie Pfitzner and Brandon Newton present a roadblock for opposition forwards.
As such the Tigers will need to rely on pinpoint deliveries into attack to prevent rebounds.
North is yet to defeat a top-two team this season and while it will be well in the running, the Roos should emerge from the weekend with their 11th win.
