West Gambier v Casterton Sandford

West Gambier will host Casterton Sandford in the first week back after the SA Country Championships as the Roos look to continue the side’s incredible recent Western Border Football League form.

West Gambier became the first team in the league to beat Millicent this season when the Roos secured a 19-point victory at home during Round 10.

The side is now in a battle for the minor premiership with Millicent and cannot drop any points.

West Gambier sits equal on points with the Saints but holds second place due to the side’s lesser percentage.

As the sides enter the back half of the season every win counts and it is games like these which present a danger to West Gambier’s top two aspirations.

Casterton Sandford is coming off a disappointing defeat at home and will be hungry for a win.

The Cats have been unable to really challenge a top side this season with the team’s closest defeat to the top two coming in Round 6 when it went to West Gambier at the Cattery.

While the side has managed to deal with lower ladder teams easily, if the Cats want to be seen as a team with some bite come finals then the side must get the claws out in Round 11.

Michael Krieger will be a key player for Casterton Sandford should they cause an upset.

Krieger has been an incredible recruit this season for the side and has provided a lot to the side’s finals chances.

If West Gambier is to limit his impact then it will go a long way to getting the better of Casterton Sandford.

South Gambier v North Gambier

South Gambier pulled off an incredible comeback in their Round 10 encounter – and Round 11 will see the Demons hope to pull off an upset.

South Gambier came from 20 points down last in the last quarter to take the four points against East Gambier in a match that could serve as a confidence booster to the young side.

North Gambier has been travelling fairly comfortably this season and will be aware of the potential danger the game poses.

South Gambier will be inspired after its Round 10 win and will go into the match looking to send a statement to the rest of the league.

A win for the Demons puts the side right in contention for a place in the finals, something that was not considered as a likelihood earlier in the season.

Sam Stafford and Toby de Wit have combined to form an incredibly dangerous forward line this season for North Gambier.

Both average over three goals a game and South Gambier’s defence will have to do its best against two players that can cause a great deal of trouble.

South Gambier taking on North Gambier will also present a good contest for the crowd and now with both teams finding some form in recent weeks, as well as a bye to help some fresh legs, the match is shaping up to be an intense contest that will go down to the final minutes.

East Gambier v Millicent

East Gambier will still be hurting after the side’s loss to South Gambier in Round 10, but the side will have to move on and shift its focus to the opposition in front of them.

The opposition in question will be a scary proposition for the Bulldogs.

The Kennel will host Millicent for the second time this season and the side will be hungry to reassert its dominance on the league after suffering its first defeat of the season in Round 10.

West Gambier having proven themselves to be a much better side than East Gambier this season and Millicent will back themselves to deal with the Doggies with ease.

The sides have met twice previously this season in matches that East Gambier would be hoping to forget.

Round one at McDonald Park saw East Gambier go down by 78 points to the reigning premiers.

The trip to Millicent was far worse though in round 6 with East Gambier decimated by 126 points.

The side has shown vast improvement since that match through, having lost the last four matches by a combined total of 21 points, including a two point loss last round to South Gambier.

The fourth quarter seems to be a weakness for the Bulldogs, who are unable to hold on to fast starts and end up getting over run.

Millicent will not be relying on that, the Saints will hope to march in from the first bounce and win the contest early.

The side will hope to find some momentum which can then be used to carry through the rest of the season.

East Gambier will be aware of the task in front of them, however the side will be hoping that it can really challenge Millicent and prove the red sash can still go up against the best teams in the league.