After a month and a half in the wilderness, the 2021 Bendigo Bank Western Border Football League season fires back to life this weekend.

Hunger for the second half of the season to commence could not be higher after COVID restrictions  turned what was supposed to be a seven-day break into three-week pause,  but now with inter-league honours out of the way, players are eager to fight for their clubs again.

With eight rounds completed and the same amount to come, there are still plenty of possibilities with only runaway leader South Gambier safe at the top.

Millicent, North, East and West Gambier are all separated by just one game in the fight for second and one of them will miss finals and a battle to the death is instore, while Casterton Sandford hopes to get off the mark after a horrific season.

MILLICENT V EAST GAMBIER

All four of the finals contestants are facing off in round 10 and the Millicent v East Gambier match at McLaughlin Park is one to watch for a number of reasons.

The Bulldogs could be forgiven for feeling it is round 1 considering they  have spent an extra week on the sidelines due to the postponement of their  previous game at Island Park.

But there were plenty of positives from the last time East took to the field, none more so than the result a 28-point win over the Tigers.

A clinical performance from the Bulldogs saw the return of co-coach Matt Willson, who has made even larger strides during the break.

The successful interleague side was made up of seven East players and they would be keen to carry the winning momentum into the main season and bite back from their round 5 defeat to the Saints.

After overcoming the Bulldogs in enemy territory, Millicent will expect  nothing but a home win to stay at the pointy end of the fight for second.

Team leaders Clint Gallio and Jacob  Carger were inspirational in the previous clash and should lead the midfield brigade again.

The Saints have suffered an inconsistent win-loss record over the past  six rounds, but if the pattern continues, they will come out on top at  home.

SOUTH GAMBIER V CASTERTON SANDFORD

Sadly it is incredibly difficult to find anything suggesting a Casterton Sandford victory over South Gambier at Blue Lake Sports Park.

Before the break, the Cats had  lost every game, suffered a terrible amount of injuries and to make matters worse, COVID restrictions destroyed their ability to train.

But the Victorians returned to Island Park at the end of last month and used the extended break as a chance to refresh.

And the side needs to soak up every single minute of preparation for its daunting on-field return against the mighty Demons.

South is the hot premiership  favourite and for good reason, knocking over every obstacle in its way and the COVID-enforced break should have played into its hands, giving the players a breather from their electric start to the season.

The Demons will make sure they will not lose any momentum from the mid-year gap with another textbook performance.

WEST GAMBIER V NORTH GAMBIER

Some more exciting football is on the cards at Malseed Park where West and North Gambier face off for the second time in 2021.

Recent history is against the Roos with the grand final rematch also going the Tigers’ way by 21 points.

However, North stumbled into  the mid-season break and needs to regroup following two disappointing defeats to East and South Gambier.

The likes of Nick McInerney and Jake Schutz will be searching for more support, while coach Justin McConnell will be determined to find his magic after a goalless effort in his last on-field appearance.

 West also hopes to snap an inconsistent run and string its first consecutive win together in 2021.

 The Roos bounced into the break with plenty of energy following a strong away win against Millicent, but  each game remains a must-win proposition as they cannot quite reach level  terms in the finals fight.

Lawry Bradley-Brown has put his head over the ball all year and showed  no signs of slowing down in interleague colours last weekend.

The Tigers will need to be wary of not giving West a sniff as the latter has the ability to change games during damaging passages of play.

This was showcased for all to see at McLaughlin Park where the Roos  won after producing a scoreless opening term.

With the threat of falling outside  the top four for the loser, expect neither side to take a backward step.