South Gambier v Casterton Sandford
Casterton Sandford took the points last time these two teams met in Western Border Football League action but South Gambier has shown improvement in previous weeks and will be confident it can cause an upset.
The two teams have been playing well recently, Casterton Sandford just claimed its third win of the season with an excellent performance against East Gambier in the previous round.
South Gambier’s round seven game saw the Demons fall just short of Millicent, while it was a disappointing result they pushed the Saints well and made them work hard for their victory.
Diarmid Cleary has been exceptional so far this season for the Cats and will hope to continue his good form at Blue Lake Sports Park.
If South Gambier can limit Cleary’s impact then it will go a long way to getting the better of Casterton Sandford and claiming its second win of the season.
South Gambier needs a big performance if it’s to challenge Casterton Sandford, the Demons will be aware a loss will mean the gap between the sides at fourth and fifth will increase to 12 points, which may mean South Gambier will miss finals in 2023.
For Casterton Sandford a big win away will be a great confidence booster ahead of its round nine match against top of the ladder Millicent.
Millicent v North Gambier
The Millicent Saints will go marching into their round eight match against North Gambier undefeated and full of confidence.
North Gambier put up a good challenge against West Gambier, but the Tigers will be aware that playing Millicent in Millicent is a much bigger challenge that will require four of the best quarters of football.
The North Gambier side has been inconsistent this season, with opposition teams capitalising on the Tigers not playing four quarters of their best footy.
The Tigers will focus on shutting down Millicent’s destructive forward line with Jacob Carger the leading goal kicker for the league with 27 goals.
The Saints will know they have a concern in defence as well with Sam Stafford who has played crucial roles in North Gambier’s wins in 2023.
Clint Gallio has also been impressive for Millicent and shutting him down will be important for North Gambier if the side is to find success.
Gallio has a massive impact on his side’s performance and North Gambier will be hoping they can stand in the way of eight consecutive wins to start the season.
It’s fast approaching a whole year since Millicent has been defeated and the Saints will want to make it to that anniversary and continue as the side seeks to remain atop the ladder.
West Gambier v East Gambier
West Gambier will host bottom of the table East Gambier for round eight of the Western Border Football League.
The Bulldogs have been struggling this year as they have not been able to claim any points from their seven games.
West Gambier on the other hand has fared quite well this year and has only lost to the strongest team in the competition in Millicent.
With an upset incredibly unlikely, the Bulldogs will hope West Gambier will underestimate the side and it can surprise them.
West Gambier has been flying, the Roos’ forward line has proved destructive with eight players having kicked three or more goals this season, showing the side’s numerous scoring outlets.
East Gambier will have an extremely tough task of shutting down the Roos’ scoring and West Gambier will be hoping they can score freely.
West Gambier will have the confidence to not worry a lot about what East Gambier does and look to play their own game.
East Gambier however has been performing well recently, only just going down to South Gambier and Casterton Sandford in previous weeks after good performances.
But the young side faces an even greater challenge and it will be a great test of character for the Doggies to not get blown out of the water.
