CASTERTON SANDFORD V NORTH GAMBIER
It was always going to a tough day at the office for Casterton Sandford and North Gambier wasted no time stamping their authority on the contest, coming out of the blocks firing with an 18-4 opening quarter that set the tone for the 56 goal victory.
North shooter Grace Potts was always going to present issues for the Cats and so it proved – the former Demon netting 62 from 68, including a perfect 17 from 17 in the third quarter.
Potts can thank classy mid courter Brianna Walters for consistently supplying easy ball to the tall shooter.
Walters dominated the attacking wing for the first three quarters as she drove strongly and delivered every ball into the shooting circle with precision.
Walters’ influence continued in the last as she moved to the centre role.
Once again, it was an issue of supply for the Cats as the Tigers denied time and space through the mid court and the attacking third as Mel Renko, Lauran Norman, Noni McConnell and Stella Mobbs worked in tandem to limit the Cats to 36 scoring opportunities for the entire clash.
Given the pressure to actually earn a shot in range, the young shooting combination of Ivy Lane and Chloe Foster converted with impressive accuracy, with athletic defender Caeleigh Humphries even having a run in goal attack in the final quarter, netting five from seven in a promising move.
Casterton Sandford moved the magnets in the third and fourth quarters to try and top the runaway Tigers but North is a well drilled combination and even the changes they made in the final quarter did not slow the scoring.
Mobbs moved into goals, Macey Griffith to the attacking wing and Norman to goalkeeper as the Tigers tested alternative combinations ahead of the final round of the 2023 season.
Madalene Cleary was again the Cats best, having a role in centre and goal defence, while Chelsey Galping had an impact in her first outing on the attacking wing, before moving to centre for the final quarter.
Walters and Potts were best for the Tigers.
EAST GAMBIER V SOUTH GAMBIER
In the final wash up South Gambier will be disappointed and see the weekend’s clash with East Gambier as the one that got away.
While barely a handful of goals ever separated the two sides, who are in a battle for fourth place, South was well in the contest until the final quarter, where the 9-3 scoreline in favour of the Bulldogs secured the victory.
South led by two at the first change, scores were even at the main break and by three quarter time it was East by one but the final quarter was riddled with errors from the young Demons and had the Bulldogs finished accurately, the margin may have been greater.
The final quarter, with so much on the line, saw East take control, generating 16 scoring shots to six and that was all she wrote.
The pressure from Morgan Amy and Bo Creek eventually took its toll, with the Bulldogs generating much of its turnover ball even before the ball reached South’s shooting circle.
Injecting the experience of Brooke Hicks into the contest and moving Chloe Perryman to the defensive wing paid dividends for the Bulldogs in that decisive final quarter, while the movement from Renee Henke and Casey Horrigan in the shooting circle tested the South defence all game.
Megan Reid ran hard all day in the centre for South and her delivery into Alyssa Duncan and Gracie Dalton was precise, while Sophie Wight got some important touches at the defensive end.
East was best served by its shooting combination.
WEST GAMBIER V MILLICENT
The second clash of the season between the 2022 grand finalists did not disappoint with reigning premiers West Gambier overcoming a five goal three quarter time deficit to take the victory over Millicent by a solitary goal.
The chief task for any team looking to unseat the Roos is denying supply to Sarah Ritter and never was that truer than the weekend when the star West shooter missed only one attempt for the entire clash – that miss coming in the second quarter – as she netted 56 of West’s 60 goals.
On the back of perfect shooting from the Saints duo of Tabatha Sanderson and Demi verbena in the opening quarter – 19 from 19 – Millicent held a four goal lead at the first change.
West clawed their way back to two by the main change before Millicent again took control before the Roos final quarter onslaught.
The Roos kept their usual line-up for the majority of the four quarters, with the exception of a slight rejig in the mid court for the final quarter and a late call up to Tahlia Earl to the goalkeeper role in the final quarter when Jade Ritter was forced from the court.
The Saints, on the other hand, made changes to their defensive line and their mid court during the course of the match.
In the end, it was a battle of the tall timber goal shooters and which team could limit supply and while Sanderson accounted for 48 of Millicent’s 59 goal tally it came down to that frenetic final quarter where West just generated more scoring opportunities.
The Roos netted 18 from 20, while the Saints converted 12 from 13 and that weight of possession told the story.
Ritter remains a thorn in the side of every opposition, while Amy Cram’s ability to create turnover ball was critical in the final wash up.
Sanderson and verbena were named best for the Saints.
