By Lachlan Onions
NORTH GAMBIER v CASTERTON SANDFORD
NORTH Gambier hosts Casterton Sandford in Round 15 of Western Border football and will head into the clash as the firm favourite as it looks to find some form before finals.
The Tigers have already locked in third spot, while the Cats enter the final two rounds level on points with the fourth-placed Demons but importantly trail on percentage.
It is because of this gap in percentage that, this game is critical for Casterton Sandford.
Over at the Blue Lake Sports Park, South Gambier will be hosting the sixth-placed East Gambier and while it is no certainty, the Demons will be confident they can claim the points over there.
Casterton Sandford will face South Gambier next weekend, but with the Demons’ percentage gap, a win next week may not be enough for the Cats.
Because of this, the Cats will need no extra motivation for this game and are playing for their lives in these final two weeks of Western Border football.
Looking at the last two clashes between these two sides, the form guide suggest North should win reasonably comfortably.
When these sides met in Round 5, the Tigers won by 43 points and the backed it up with a 33-point win across the border in Round 10.
In those two clashes, North’s Tyson Christophersen was best on ground on both occasions and will look to be in a similar display on Saturday.
For Casterton, Michael Krieger has been in fine form in his first season for the Cats and has been named amongst his side’s best players in 13 of the 14 games he has played this year.
Krieger has found himself playing in a higher role than he previously played and as a result, has not had the same goal-scoring output, but has instead had a greater impact on-ball.
The battle of the forwards in this week’s clash will be between Sam Stafford from the Tigers, and Hamish McCrae from the Cats.
Stafford has booted 33 goals in 13 games this season, while McCrae has kicked 32 goals in 14 games and both players will be pivotal for their sides.
While a win for the Cats is not out of the question, North Gambier will ultimately prove too strong and should claim the points.
