When South Gambier and North Gambier faced off on Anzac Day, the Tigers got off to a flier and by the time the Demons settled, the scoreboard damage had been well and truly done.
South will need to ensure they are switched on from the first whistle or face a similar fate.
It was the speed of ball that killed the Demons as Lauran Norman drove hard through the mid court to connect with Brianna Walters and Kaitlin Egan, who routinely hit the circle’s edge to find Macey Griffith and Kelly Lockwood in space.
Lockwood was outstanding in the clash and her combination with Griffith has only improved the more time they spend working together and both are accurate finishers.
Norman and Stella Mobbs were also outstanding in that game as they continually created turnover ball and forced the Demons frontline into error after error on delivery.
The bad news for South is that victory was also concocted without Mel Renko and her work at wing defence will only make it even tougher for the Demons attackers to find a safe way through.
It will require patience from the likes of Megan Reid, Teresa Humphris and Tully McShane as they look to move the ball around the tough Tigers defence to find Ash Widdison and Gracie Dalton in good shooting position and the Demons shooting duo will need to be accurate on the finish as Norman and Mobbs will dominate the rebounding duels.
Ellie Bouchier has been in outstanding form for South and her battle with Griffith will be one of the match defining contests and both Bouchier and Mykaela Thiele will hope the ball is not coming in with as much speed as it did in round 2.
Sophie Wight looms as a critical player for South as well, given her pace and aerial abilities, whether she takes a role in the mid court or defensive circle.
South will be looking to be more consistent and provide more of a challenge for North but the Tigers are a complete outfit and they will be looking to rebound strongly from a disappointing outing against West in round 5.
WEST GAMBIER V MILLICENT
It was a tight clash when Millicent hosted West Gambier in round 2 and this weekend’s rematch at Malseed Park looms as the match of the day.
The Roos made light work of North Gambier at the weekend in the top of the table clash and there appears to be no chink in their armour at this stage of the season.
Amy Cram continues to lead the West defensive line from the front and her combination with Mikaela Horrigan continues to improve, while the tenacious, relentless defensive pressure from Tara Bryant and Chelsea Tremelling, ensures the ball is delivered under pressure.
At the other end of the court, Sarah Ritter’s return from an ankle injury has seen her back to her best and she had some dominant quarters at the weekend and continues to be accurate on the finish.
The connection between Ritter, Lisa McGregor and Jess Holmes is seamless and they find that right balance of feeding from distance to showing patience and they are the most prolific scoring team in the A Grade competition.
That means the Saints mid court of Lisa Duldig, Lillie Paul, Daisy Tunkin and Georgia Clarke will need to slow the ball movement and try and ensure every ball is delivered under pressure and that will help the Saints defensive duo of Lauren Van Eeden and Portia McRae to deny time and space to McGregor and Ritter.
Nikeisha Facey is growing into the shooting role for the Saints and her partnership with Edie Easterby is still a work in progress – it was the round 2 clash with West where Easterby, in fact, announced herself as a shooting option for the Saints.
The bottom line is, West is a settled, polished line-up and the Saints are very much still tinkering with their line-up so the Roos look set to remain undefeated.
CASTERTON SANDFORD V EAST GAMBIER
The Island Park clash between Casterton Sandford and East Gambier looms as an intriguing clash.
Only six goals separated the two in their previous 2024 match with the Bulldogs coming out on top but the Cats are coming off a round five victory over South and a more competitive performance against Millicent last weekend will have the Cats brimming with confidence.
Caeleigh Humphries anchors a tenacious defensive line for the Cats alongside Chloe Finnigan and Ebany Jarrad and her battle with the sharp shooting Malinda Foster will be key.
Foster was again outstanding at the weekend, positioning strongly and finishing from distance with monotonous regularity.
And with the equally accurate Renee Henke by her side, East is a scoring threat, with Tegan Nunan and Casey Horrigan both safe with ball in hand and coming off a weekend where they were patient and accurate with their delivery.
At the other end of the court Morgan Amy and Bo Creek dominate the defensive transverse line and often turn the ball over before it reaches the shooting circle so the Cats will do well to play a short, sharp game and keep the ball out of the air.
Madalene Cleary will be a key in leading the mid court and Indi Longhurst’s speed will be critical as they look to connect with Chelsea Hulm and Holly Smith.
Sharna McKinnon will have the job on Smith and she will need to be light on her feet with Smith not just strong on the hold but also often setting tough screens to free up Hulm.
East’s shooting accuracy could well prove the difference in this clash with another narrow win tipped for the Bulldogs.
