It was all happening in the world of Western Border football as the big boys fought for grand final spots at Blue Lake Sports Park on Saturday, while the young guns searched for their first ever trophy at McDonald Park on Sunday.
West Gambier was forced to wonder what could have been after a scoreless first term against Millicent.
The Roos gave the Saints a 26-point head start, but pulled the deficit back to single figures thanks to the hard work of Cooper Sanderson and Kayne Badman.
However, Joe Walker and Nick Ash made sure Millicent held off West by 10 points to make sure the same clubs face off in both senior deciders.
The Roos and Saints also went head-to-head in the Under 18’s preliminary final.
Inaccuracy threatened to derail West’s hopes after missing eight of 10 scoring shots during the first half.
A set of five from Jaxon Cushion propelled Millicent to a 17-point lead, but that was blown to smithereens from by a Roos side at full bounce.
West found its accuracy led by Josh Cornolo kicking seven goals to one in the second half to storm into the big dance.
There were also plenty of thrills during a heated Under 16’s fight between South Gambier Red and Millicent.
No one could keep up with the action after both sides bombarded the scoreboard in a blink of an eye.
Some classy work from Liam Delaney handed the Demons a comfortable 18-point lead before quarter time, but the red and white could only score one more goal for the remainder of the game.
This allowed Kobe Gibson and Kalan Shanks to bring the Saints back into the frame, but they fell one straight kick short.
The 36-30 result means the Under 16’s showpiece will be an all South Gambier affair between the red and white teams.
Millicent suffered another hard-luck story in the Under 14’s do-or-die contest against North Gambier.
A solitary point separated the rivals during a goal-for-goal first half before Aaron Dally broke the game open for the Tigers in the “premiership” quarter.
Dally’s hat-trick put North 12 points ahead heading into the final term, but the yellow and black kept followers nervous by not troubling the scorers again.
Gibson playing the first of two games kicked two goals, but the Saints finished one major short of a grand final appearance in the curtain raiser.
The stars of tomorrow had their first chance to win some silverware at the “Kennel” on Sunday during the Under 12A Lightning Carnival.
In what has been a familiar sight in 2021, the red and white South Gambier guernseys proved untouchable to emerge victorious after 11 games played in a whirlwind day of action.
