South Gambier v Millicent With the entire sporting community rallying behind the White Ribbon Round to raise awareness of domestic violence, the final fling of the 2022 Bendigo Bank Western Border Football League season will be a memorable one this Saturday.
Although the race for finals and the minor premiership is already decided, there is still lots of bragging rights up for grabs and none more than at Blue Lake Sports Park.
Ever since the start of the season Millicent and South Gambier have been battling it out at the top and they will aim to land one last punch before finals.
This year the score line favours the Demons 2-1 with the most recent occurrence an emphatic victory to the red and white.
South unleashed its full potential with its attacking style running the Saints ragged to win by 57 points and make the biggest statement of the season so far.
Coach Brayden Kain led from the front kicking six goals and he will be eager to get back into it after he and Todd Reid missed last week due to SA Country duty.
Kain not only has his sights set on finishing a remarkable season on a high, but he would also like to take out the leading goal kicker award.
The South coach currently has 58 majors next to his name which is only two more than North Gambier’s Sam Stafford.
But Kain will be aware of the threat of a stronger Millicent team, especially at Blue Lake Sports Park.
Since the previous clash Clint Gallio and Tom Hutchesson have both returned to the squad and they have a record to maintain.
The Saints enjoy using the wide-open spaces Blue Lake Sports Park presents and have not lost at the venue since 2019.
Although the sides may look to keep something in reserve, they will both be desperate to give their rival something to think about with a fortnight before they face off again in the semi-final.
“We are definitely looking forward to the clash and will play everyone that is fit and available,” Millicent coach Clint Gallio said.
“We will try to make sure we have a good game leading into finals, especially with the week off.”
West Gambier v North Gambier In another semi-final preview, North and West Gambier will face off in a sign of things to come at Malseed Park.
After a pressure-packed season with Casterton Sandford, the Tigers and Roos rose when needed to book a finals berth and will now get to examine each other before a fight to the death next weekend.
There has been little separating the rivals throughout the season with the visitors taking home the premiership points each time and both teams will back themselves in.
Casterton Sandford v East Gambier Casterton Sandford could still mathematically make finals, but it’s a long shot.
The Cats not only need to win, but also need to almost double their percentage from 67.36 to at least 104.70 and hope the Tigers lose heavily to the Roos.
Instead it will be a game of farewells as the Bulldogs look to end a tough year on a high and score a second win of the year.
Meanwhile Casterton Sandford could be playing its last game of Western Border football if it elects to chase the Mid South Eastern avenue in 2023 and a win in front of the home fans could be a fitting send off.
