WEST GAMBIER V SOUTH GAMBIER
West Gambier put in an ominous performance at McLaughlin Park at the weekend and while South Gambier will welcome back rising shooting star Graice Dalton, this looms as a tough ask for the young Demons.
The Roos were ruthless in their victory over Millicent at the weekend, getting off to a flier as they dominated both the defensive and offensive aspects of the game.
Mikaela Horrigan and Amy Cram applied relentless pressure in defence and created plenty of turnover balls.
The mid court of Chelsea Tremelling, Tara Bryant and Jess Holmes used their pace to great effect and were accurate with ball in hand.
The Roos shooting combination of Lisa McGregor and Sarah Ritter is as dominant as any in the competition.
The connection between the two premiership team mates is often flawless and their accuracy means once they have the ball in a good shooting position it usually ends up on the scoreboard.
For South, getting off to a better start than they did in their Anzac Day clash will be critical.
The Demons were lacklustre in the opening quarter of that clash and paid heavily on the scoreboard.
They will need to bring some high-level defensive pressure from the opening whistle if they are to stay in the contest.
It will mean the mid court of Tully McShane, Sophie Wight and Teresa Humphris will need to play a role in slowing the Roos ball movement.
When South are in possession, those three will need to work hard to move the ball carefully through the tough Roos defence.
Without pressure on delivery, McGregor and Ritter will dominate and it will be a tough ask for Ellie Bouchier, who was outstanding on Anzac Day.
Mykaela Thiele will have no hope in denying the prolific duo scoring opportunities.
Dalton will add some height and accuracy to the South shooting circle.
Whether she teams with Ash Widdison or Megan Reid, who had a serviceable Anzac Day performance, it should help the Demons’ scoring.
Based on both sides’ efforts in round two, West start hot favourite and should easily secure the premiership points and remain undefeated.
MILLICENT V EAST GAMBIER
Millicent is coming off a tough outing against West Gambier but they still showed enough to suggest they will bounce back with a victory over East Gambier.
A sluggish opening quarter set up the convincing defeat to the Roos but the Saints did have glimpses of brilliance.
If they put together a more consistent four quarter performance, they should be able to account for the Bulldogs.
Nikeisha Facey is working into her role as goal shooter with strong work on the hold and some accurate finishing.
Meanwhile, Abby Denton can always be relied upon for creative feeding and long range shots.
Edie Easterby also showed she has even more strings to her bow than the already obvious athletic ability and her turn in goals was productive for the Saints.
The mid court of Lisa Duldig, Lillie Paul and Daisy Tunkin had to work overtime at the weekend.
They match up well on the East mids in Casey Horrigan, Eliza Cole, Teagan Nunan with Morgan Amy also adding some toughness and leadership to the Bulldogs centre court.
In the opening two rounds much has come down to the ability of star defender Bo Creek to create turnover balls.
Along with the accurate conversion of debut coach Malinda Foster, that will be the case again this weekend.
As will the ability of Sharna McKinnon, who so often flies under the radar, to deny easy balls to the Millicent shooters.
The battle between Saints defenders Portia McRae and Lauren VanEeden and East goalers Ambah Beveridge and Foster will go a long way to deciding the final result.
It seems likely Millicent will return to the winners’ list.
CASTERTON SANDFORD V NORTH GAMBIER
The Cats came so close to a breakthrough victory in round two but North Gambier is a team clearly looking to build its premiership credentials.
Based on their dominant performance over South Gambier on Anzac Day, Casterton Sandford are in for a tough day at the office.
The shooting combination of Kelly Lockwood and Macey Griffith, uses impeccable timing, strong holds and selfless screens to set up scoring opportunities and both are accurate on the finish.
At the other end of the court the likes of Shirley Underwood Medallist, Lauran Norman, teenage sensation Stella Mobbs with tenacious and versatile defender Ava Collins make scoring hard work.
Add to the speed and power of the Tigers’ mid court that boasts the experience of Mel Renko, Kaitlin Egan and Brianna Walters and North Gambier is a powerhouse that should easily secure the win.
The Cats are working hard to settle a new look line-up.
Holly Smith and Chelsea Hulm are building a good understanding in the shooting circle but will need to be super accurate as the rebounding battles will be won by the Tigers defenders.
At the other end of the court, Ebany Jarrad, Caeleigh Humphries and Chloe Finnigan are tenacious and thrive on contesting every ball.
They will need to work together to try and stop the speed of the ball from the Tigers.
Madalene Cleary always looms large with her two-way running and on court leadership.
With the likes of Madeline Patton and Phoebe Carlin also able to take a mid-court role, the Cats have options but they still might not be enough to stop the rampaging Tigers.
