Winter football was on full display in round 9 of the 2022 WBFL season, but the rain could not stop South Gambier from charging into the mid-season bye on a massive high.
The Demons had no issues in the tough conditions cruising past Casterton Sandford by 64 points at Blue Lake Sports Park on Saturday.
With rain and a slippery surface a certainty, there was a feeling around the ground the conditions could bring the Cats into the game.
However, South was in no mood to be challenged and a crushing first put the Victorians in their place swiftly.
The Demons were not afraid to take the game on in the tough conditions and looked for space by running hard and kicking long.
This positive mindset helped South storm to a 26-3 lead before quarter time which set the tone for the day.
Demons coach Brayden Kain could not fault the mindset of his troops as they stamped their authority at the first bounce.
“It might have been a bit of a danger game because their last few weeks have been pretty good, so we knew they would be full of confidence,” he said.
“The weather also could have evened the game a bit because traditionally they are a hard team that could have put our young guys on the back foot.
“But we had a lot of energy and excitement before the game and stuck to our guns to hold them down.
“There was not much rain in the first term, so we took a few more risks and put it in front of our younger guys and put the forward line pressure on.
“Our senior guys stepped up and even our younger players grabbed the bull by the horns.”
Casterton Sandford did find some spirit through the tenacity of Diarmid Cleary and Justin Carlin in the second term which allowed Adam McKinnon and Alister Bright to score a goal each.
However, they turned out to be the Cats’ only moments of joy for the entire afternoon as the Demons resumed their dominance and kept the visitors goalless after the main break.
In just his third A Grade game, Mitchell Harrold stood out, while Emerson Marks was rewarded for his hard work and the height of Todd Reid and Mason Hein also made a difference.
Kain said he knew Casterton Sandford would come out hard with the wind, but he was impressed with how his team weathered the storm and flourished to run out the game convincingly with Colby Munro and Mitchell Sims joining the coach with three majors.
“We had a bit of a breeze, so at quarter time we knew they were going to throw everything at us and they did,” he said.
“They kicked a couple of goals and we allowed them back into the game, but addressed that at half time.
“Our back six did tremendously well and rebounded well out of the 50 and guys like Emerson Marks and Scott Enderl helped us get the ball first which went a long way.”
