With finals rapidly approaching International sent a huge statement by smashing Gambier Centrals at the Lions’ den in the penultimate round of the 2022 Steeline Bendigo Bank Limestone Coast Football Association senior men’s season.

The contest shaped up to be a finals preview with the top two sides facing off for the final time in the home and away season.

On a chilly afternoon at MGA Park, International brought the heat looking to close the gap to the Lions at the top of the ladder.

The hosts were not quite at full strength with Cam Saint still on the sidelines following his red card from the week before, while Steven Crowther and Henry Shoemark were also absent.

As some of the Lions adapted to new roles, Inter pounced and dominated the first quarter of an hour of play.

The attacking forward ball movement put Centrals on the back foot straight away and created the perfect opportunity for star striker Matt Bueti to break the game open.

Bueti opened the scoring at the 16-minute mark when he completed a well-worked goal and doubled his tally shortly after.

Although the black and blue were bossing proceedings, the likes of Christian Fleetwood and James Davey were still able to feed the Lions some ball.

A mix up in the International backline opened the perfect avenue for Lewis March to utilise his speed and score.

The strike against the run of play kept Centrals interested as they regained some momentum just before half time.

However, the late goal did not have an impact on the start of the second half as International went on the attack once again.

The visitors placed a lot of pressure on the Lions’ defence at the Bruce Morale end of the pitch and eventually they cracked, conceding a free kick on the wing.

As Caleb Casey went back to take the spot kick, many expected he would setup a header chance.

But instead Casey drilled a worm burner through the entire pack and caught Centrals’ keeper Alex Hill off-guard.

Suddenly International looked impregnable with a 3-1 advantage, but with almost the entire second half still to play the Lions were not completely out of the picture.

The hosts were able to enjoy some more possession for a period of play, with Fleetwood finding supporters in Jensen Childs and Richard Kinyabugma.

They managed to create some small opportunities for Sam Shoemark, but the Inter defensive unit stayed strong with Ricky McRobert and Tyler Michielan arriving at the right times.

International’s enjoyable afternoon was completed by another Bueti goal, which also signified his ninth hat-trick of the season.

International coach Vlada Gajic said the 4-1 win was down to a clean and comprehensive performance from his squad.

“An opportunity to retake top spot was enough enticement for a step-up in intensity for our big game against Centrals,” he said.

“The first 15 minutes was a dominant and controlled display with good ball movement leading to many opportunities.

“Some good passages of play and tight defensive shape kept Centrals at bay in what was a well-disciplined and controlled game.”

Apollo also showed some firepower by easing aside Blue Lake in their battle.

As a rainbow overlooked Webb Street, the blue and white showed their stripes on home turf to bombard the Rangers’ defence.

Despite creating constant charges, Apollo could not reflect its dominance on the scoreboard having been unable to convert with shots being too powerful or passes not quite connecting.

But there was no cause for concern as Robert Nagy hit the back of the net in a free kick to settle the nerves.

With the first goal out of the way Apollo kept pressing and Blue Lake’s defence struggled to hold on.

Shar Nay and Gay Nay had looked threatening all day and eventually found the goals to extend the advantage.

Reuben van Eyk then laid the knockout blow with two clean strikes to complete the crushing 6-0 win.

At times the Blues were able to build some promising cohesion between Shary Say, Lay Bae and Gay Lay, but the defensive might of Adam Walker always proved to be a roadblock.

Naracoorte strengthened its top four position by knocking over Millicent at McLaughlin Park.

Despite Millicent United hanging tough throughout the game in a tight battle for possession, the difference was the side’s finishing skills.

Although Sam Adie and Abbas Ansari combined well, they could not stop Naracoorte from breaking free.

Ciaran Shouksmith opened the scoring and finished with two goals, while Jack Bennett, Murtaza Jafary and Charles Kelly also struck gold to confirm a 5-0 which did not reflect the contest.