Western Border Football Netball Budget - The Western - 1st Semi Final

SENIORS

Cast-Sand 2.2 7.5 9.7 15.8 (98)

South 5.3 7.5 12.6 16.7 (103)

Best - Casterton Sandford: A. McCrae, M. Krieger, D. Ayton, J. Carlin, G. Parsons, H. Carlin; South: R. Jones, M. Harrold, M. Sims, H. Mitchell, T. Saffin, E. Fisher.

Goals - Casterton Sandford: H. Mccrae 4, A. McCrae 3, D. Ayton 3, G. Parsons 2, A. McKinnon, M. Krieger, E. Pritchard; South: M. Sims 4, E. Fisher 4, B. Kain 2, E. Chuck 2, N. Seager, J. Sims, M. Harrold, H. Wright.

West 5.2 8.4 10.8 12.11 (83)

East 0.4 1.5 3.6 5.7 (37)

Best - West: B. Newton, T. Holmes, A. Stone, K. Giddings, L. Bradley-Brown, A. Pfitzner; East: J. Forster, G. Cooper, T. Mccourt, N. Lock, R. Lillecrapp, K. Dwyer

Goals - West: T. Holmes 4, B. Newton 3, D McElroy 2, J. Williams, A. Stone, R. Cowling; East: G. Cooper, N. Lock, M. Scanlon, R. Flamank, C. Slape.

North 0.0 3.0 5.2 9.7 (61)

Best - Millicent: F. Grimes, J. Carger, H. Nitschke, H. McRae, H. Tunkin, D. Tincknell; North: B. Adams, D. Bachmann, J. Collins, N. brown, T. Christophersen, N. McInerney.

Goals - Millicent: F. Bradley 4, H. Nitschke 2, H. Tunkin 2, J. Carger, M. Reilly, J. Werchon; North: S. Stafford 4, B. Adams, D. Bachmann, N. Brown, D. Ilsley, N. Blachut.

RESERVES

Best - West: R. Rutkowski, J. Coombe, T. Redden, T. Schrader, C. Wagstaffe, T. Dolan; East: S. Balshaw, T. Balshaw, G. Janeway, C. Barry, A. Dethmore, J. Love.

Goals - West: T. Dolan 4, R. Wilson 4, L. Winterfield 2, R. Rutkowski 2, T. Morale, S. Nay T., J. Thomas; East: T. Wilke 2, A. Sco 2, G. Janeway

Goals - Casterton Sandford: S. Broomby 2, R. Killey 2, B. Millard, J. Smith; South: L. Thiele 3, S. King 2, R. Sturges, C. Denney-Allen, L. Ray

Best - Millicent: N. Robbins, W. Oconnor, A. Fuller, A. Schultz, J. Peters, T. Craig; North: R. Rolph, W. Brown, J. Glidden, M. Blanck, B. Howard, Z. Clark.

Goals - Millicent: J. Peters 7, S. Duldig 5, W Oconnor 4, A. Fuller 3, M. Nitschke 2, L. Ferguson, T. May, T. Craig; North: B. NoleJusce, R. Rolph.

UNDER 18'S

West 1.7 5.9 10.12 16.14 (110)

Best - West: T. Johnson, J. Prior, P. player, H. James, MeeReh Htoo, Z. Hopgood; East: T. Dalton, E. Telfer-Sco, S. Couldrey, C. McLean, K. McCracken, D. McDonald.

Goals - West: J. Prior 4, C. Carson 3, B. Overmaat-Pohlner 3, F. Kenseley 2, N. Davey 2, H. James, S. Medhurst, P. Player; East: E. Straord, A. McKinnon, S. Couldrey, C. McLean.

McLaughlin, C. Turner, K. Allen, Tate Smith, A. Dally, B. Braithwaite.

Goals - Millicent: C. Hateley 6, L. Tunkin, W Wilson, M. Hunt; North: J. Hanne 2, A. Dally 2.

Best - Casterton Sandford: B. Mckinnon, C. Rice, H. Dorahy, J. Jones, A. Lane, R. Parsons; South: L. Sigley, M. Bentley, N. Maxwell, I. Bouchier, O. Sneath, W. Awill.

Goals - Casterton Sandford: J. Rhook; South: W. Awill 6, J. Maxwell 4, O. Sneath 2, M. Hopgood.

UNDER 14'S

West 0.0 1.1 1.1 1.2 (8)

Best - West: R. Hinchliffe, R. Pearson, B. Witneys, M. Day, T. Porter; East: E. Clark, R. Grigg, CJ Ligairi, J. Saunders, F. Chileborough, A. Ferraro.

Goals - West: No goal scorers recorded; East: J Saunders 3, R. Hayden, A. Kanahs.

North 1.0

Best - Millicent: J. Bowden, K. Shanks, T. Dunn, A. Wesolowski, H. Gibbs, P. Jennings; North: T Hamilton, M. Gold-Smiths, D. Ilsley, J. Collins, Z. Nulty, J. Spark.

Goals - Millicent: H. Gibbs 4, A. Wesolowski 3, K. Thomas; North: R. McLaughlin 3, D. Ilsley 3, S. Doody 3, Z. Young 2, Z. Nulty, H. Haywood.

Best - Millicent: A. Gysbers, R. Lindner, L. Millard, L. Robbins, L. Easterby, A. Robbins; North: E. Kulimushi, E. Brook, J. Butler, S. Baron, M. Rogers, I. Richards.

Goals - Millicent: B. Thomas, K. Kenny, A. Robbins, R. Straord; North: J. Butler

Best - Casterton Sandford: B. Rhook, J. Lykke, A. Lane, N. Longhurst; South: M. Ropini, O McCracken, J. Burns, J. Harten, H. Kensh, C. McGregor

Best - Casterton Sandford: K. Forbes, A. Russell, J. Smith, K. Schembri, T. Searle, C. Devereux; South: L. Pearce-Raisin, H. Snell, M. Whitehead, B. Milstead, S. King, L. Thiele.

Best - West: W. Pearson, J. Sim, S. Fraser, R. Newton; East: C. McCracken, R. Angelino, T Grigg, R. Lawrence, B. Dempsey, J. Mee.

Goals - West: S. Fraser 2, J. Sim, O. Pohlner; East: C. McCracken 3, B. Dempsey 2, R. Angelino 2, J. Mee, R. Mitchell, N. Gollan, S. Telford, M. Andersen.

Best - Millicent: T. Lawlor, C. Hateley, M. Hunt, J. Werchon, W. Wilson, Z. Ash; North: C.

Goals - Casterton Sandford: J. Lykke; South: J Vause 4, J. Harten 2, M. Ropini, O McCracken, C. McGregor, P. Sigley, J. Hagge.

BendigoBankSeniors

Reserves

LADDERS

BENDIGOBANKSENIORS

Clubs are encouraged to submit arcles regarding social events plus player and club milestone informaon for inclusion in the Western Border Football & Netball Budget. To assist the publisher please note that the preferred format for arcles is as a Word document and any photographs should be supplied as a JPEG file to ensure the best quality reproducon.

All arcles are required by 12 noon each Monday and should be emailed to westernborder@xpressigns.com.au

XPRESSIGNS.COM.AU

SATURDAY

MONDAY 8.00am - 10.00am

This Saturday one of Tigers coach Ben Hardy or South Gambier coach Brayden Kain’s coaching tenure will come to a close with both clubs seeking new coaches for season 2024.

North Gambier North Gambier

South Gambier South Gambier

ALLSENIOR GAME REPLAY’SAREAVAILABLE ON THE WESTERN BORDERYOUTUBE

South Gambier South Gambier

East Gambier East Gambier

MILLICENT

West Gambier West Gambier

Millicent Millicent

Red,

Casterton-Sandford Casterton-Sandford

West Gambier West Gambier

North Gambier North Gambier

Yellow & Black

Coach: Ryan Roulstone Assistant Coach: Sco Fle

Team Manager: Jess Roulstone

East Gambier East Gambier

Red & Black

VGrant

1 Kobe Roulstone 4 Cooper Harris (vc) 8 James Butler

2 Kane Harris 3 Ethan Fle 6 Kobi Long 9 Ethan Brook 10 Levi Creek

5 James Bryan

12 Jacob Vinko

13 Lincoln Holtham

14 Charlie Waters

16 Izac Richards

17 Charlie Wurst

18 Jack Dyson

19 Esaie Kulimushi (vc)

20 Penny Coleman

21 Brock McEachern

24 Mitchell Chapman

26 Fletcher Mobbs

34 Sam Baron (c)

54 Cody Blanck

86 Banjo Stephens

11 Reid Hamilton 99 Mason Rogers

tom dolan 300games

Tom Dolan who's heart beatstruefortheRedand the Blue celebrated his 300th games last wee. So t h e We s t G a m b i e r Footballclubwouldliketo a c k n o w l e d g e t h i s tremendousachievement for our great club we are

all very proud of him, and i t wa s a g re at d ay celebrated with all players members and supporters. Well done on this great achievement Tom. GOWEST!

F.L.

*Image courtesyAdam Schultz

FROMTHEARCHIVES

AWITNESSTOTHEIRLIVES

1955SouthEastandBorderFootballLeague

NORTHGAMBIER

BY 1955 North Gambier was searching to recapture the glory days of the late 1940s whentheTigerswonthreeSEBFLflagsin1946, 47and48.

North had plenty of talent and three Mail Medal winners (Milton Arthurson, Glen Evans, Ian Adams) in their line-up during the early 1950s when surprisingly they found it difficult to either get into the top four or make much impactonthefinals.

By 1955 Arthurson, a talented half back, was theonlyoneofthattrioleftstillplaying.

But they had some young stars coming of age andsoontheTigerswouldmakeanimpact.

Among them was a champion-in-the-making in a centreman named Trevor Probert who would later make a name for himself at Tigerland He was typical stay-at-home centreman and whenever the North defence wasunderpressurethebackmenknewexactly where to kick the ball to get out of trouble because Probert was always there on his own. Suddenlythisturneddefenceintoattackandit was a ploy used very well much later by coachesRitchieGreenandBillCocks.

Eric Roughana was North’s vice captain under captain coach Johnny Taylor and played through from 1946 (at East Gambier for two years at first because of the zoning laws which dictated that you played in the area zoned to each Mount Gambier club. The four “zones” were on each side of the dividing streets of Commercial Street east and west, Bay Road and Penola Road) to the early 1960s as a consistent and attacking half back flanker and also played at centre half back and had some great duels with former Port Adelaide star and PenolacoachWallyDittmar

Taylor had arrived from West Adelaide where he played and was captain of the 1947 premiershipside.HewasalsocoachedofWest andGlenelgbeforemovingtoNorth.Oneofhis West Adelaide premiership teammates was South Gambier wingman and coach in the early50sDougBeaton.

Another who played with Taylor and Beaton at WestAdelaidewasWestGambierstalwartand playingcoachoftheearly1950sHarryDennes. Taylor also played state footy and was the first SANFL to play 250 league games. He was the coachthattransformedtheTigersintoafuture premiership-winning outfit which later bore

WITH G GRREEEENNWWOOOOD D

results in the early 1960s. He never achieved premiership success at North but became a hero at West Gambier when he coached the club to its first premiershipin1957.

A young Harvey Stafford had started to show whathecoulddoaroundthegroundandinthe ruckduels.

A brilliant tap ruckman, Stafford was a star at junior level and was ready for senior level the moment he left school. He would go on to play leaguefootball at South Adelaideand Geelong and be a part of North’s famous 1964 WBFL premiershipteam.

Stafford would have help in ruck from high leaping young gun Barry Bruhn who had starred in junior footy with the Tigers Powerfully built with strong shoulders Bruhn had an amazing leap and could hold his own againsttallerruckmen.

At full forward, veteran Joe Waters, who was a ruckman in his earlier years and had played that position since returning from the war, wouldgoontobeastalwartoftheNorthclub.

Later he was a coach of senior colts and chairman of selectors in North’s 1979 WBFL premiership Waters passed away several years ago in his early 90s yet even today, his work as a junior coach is still talked about at Tigerland.

The Hanel boys - Les, John and Bill all played during that era with Les being the second rover, Bill was on the wing and John was a toughnuggettybackpocket.

Bill Hanel had a standout year that season and was one of the Tigers best players during the finals series. He later would become an influential committee member and stalwart of theKongorongFootballClub.

In 1955 North picked a star recruit in exKalangadoo star and Mail Medal winner Peter YoungandhewasthefirstroverforNorth.

Powerfully built, he was a top class rover of his day He was a regular in the SEBFL’s interleague team and with Penola’s Mickey Davidson formed a great duo on the ball. The following year, in 1956 he played one season with Penola alongside Davidson, in what was Davidson’sfinalseasonasinjurystartedtotake itstollontheveteranwhowontheMailMedal inthefirstyearoftheSEBFLin1946.

Indefence,NorthhadlongkickingfullbackRay Thompson, said to be one the best kicks from the goal square in the league and consistently landed the ball in the centre of the ground. He was tall but also had amazing pace for a big man and used it regularly to dash down the groundwithhislongclearingkicks.

Terry O’Donnell was a tough but skilful ruck rover who was often among the goals. He was also a Barber Shield cricket wicketkeeperbatsman and played in North’s first cricket premiershipinthemid1950s.

PHOTO:NORTH1955:Back:RexCopeland,Ben Bruhn(ctte),RKitto(trainer),WRadley,GKuhl, Barry Bruhn, Milton Arthurson, John Neale (trainer),HBlackall(ctte).

Centre: Wally Spehr (cttee), Joe Waters, Terry O’Donnell, N Lafsky, J Fitzgerald, Harvey Stafford, Ray Thompson, L Ward, R Clemow (ctte).

Front: E Smallacombe, Peter Young, Les Hanel, Ern Bruhn (pres), John Taylor (capt coach), Eric Roughana (vc), Trevor Probert, J McDowell, JohnHanel.

Front: Cec Hunter (treasurer), E Telford (sprigger)KEberhart,BillHanel,JohnBeard.

350 FOR OUR CLUB PRESIDENT

Last weekend we celebrated a special achievement with Daniela Waters reaching the 350 Club – which has just been formed over the last fewweeks.

To achieve this many games for a club shows dedication, loyalty and all the great qualitiesthatDanhas.

Daniela Waters – started with East Gambier in 1996 in our 15&U competition, moving to our 17&U and then into the Senior grades where she has either played in the B or C Grade since 2001 – Missing only a couple ofyearsinbetween.

Dan reached her 100 games in 2006, 200 in 2012, 300 in 2019 and today is player her 350 game for East Gambier She has played 28 Junior gamesand322Seniorgames overall.

Dan has achieved so much in herplayingcareer Winninga LeageB&FinCGradein2006 and has also achieved a c o u p l e o f C G r a d e

Premierships Numerous B&F within the Club – all g re a t a c c o l a d e s a n d wonderfulachievements.

Daniella is a hard working goalie who positions well and can hold her space within the circle making a defenders job difficult. She is very reliable with high percentage rate in scoring. If required, she can also flip to the Defensive circle and she is a tight, close checking defender. Either end, she directs play and is always encouraging her team mates tobringthebestoutofthem. She is a player that you would definitely want on yourteamnotagainstit.

During her time at East, she has filled many roles –Coach, Committee member, Umpire, Secretary and is our CurrentPresident.

Danwethankyouforallyour efforts and commitment to everything that you have done and currently do for East Gambier A massive congratulations on your 350 games

RESULTS

A GRADE

Millicent 54 (D. verbena, T. Sanderson) d North Gambier 43 (M. Renko, G. Pos)

South Gambier 84 (M. Reid, G. Dalton) d Casterton Sandford 44 (M. Cleary, I. Lane)

West Gambier 55 (J. Rier, S. Rier) d East Gambier 35 (R. Henke, E. Cole)

A RESERVE

Millicent 59 (A. Craig, D. Denton) drew with North Gambier 59 (N. Fox, C. Nulty)

Casterton Sandford 53 (T. Broomby, C. Foster) d South Gambier 48 (C. Muller, G. Ryan)

West Gambier 66 (T. Earl, C. Tremelling) d East Gambier 29 (L. Murray, T. Waters)

B GRADE

Millicent 37 (J. Lang, N. Domaschenz) d North Gambier 28 (A. Redman, Z. Jones)

Casterton Sandford 60 (T. Cleary, E. Grigg) d South Gambier 47 (H. Witherow, S. Auld)

West Gambier 43 (D. Wombwell, E. Collins) d East Gambier 37 (S. James, O. Plunke)

C GRADE

North Gambier 44 (M. Allen, K. Egan) d Millicent 40 (L. McCallum, R. Millowick)

South Gambier 66 (M. Dalton, M. Kuhl) d Casterton Sandford 33 (J. George, S. Hart)

East Gambier 46 (B. Jean, M. Buon) d West Gambier 28 (A. Koch, I. McGregor)

17 & UNDER

North Gambier 52 (S. Brown, A. Collins) d Millicent 40 (A. Denton, J. Lucas)

Casterton Sandford 41 (I. Longhurst, I. Lane) d South Gambier 39 (C. Ryan, S. Ryan)

East Gambier 40 (J. Altschwager, M. Lamb) d West Gambier 36 (L. Simpson. C. Sco)

15 & UNDER A

Millicent 41 (K. Dunn, E. Denton) d North Gambier 29 (R. Darimaani, E. Adam)

South Gambier 56 (S. Grassi, C. Awill) d Casterton Sandford 25 (B. Carlin, A. Crauford)

West Gambier 44 (E. Jolley, L. Murdoch) d East Gambier 30 (S. Clark, J. O’Dea)

15 & UNDER B

North Gambier 34 (P. Coleman, G. Nulty) d Millicent 32 (T. Grosser, E. Mahews)

Casterton Sandford 39 (M. Ireland, A. Bailey) drew with South Gambier 32 (A. Ferrari, M. Bowering)

13 & UNDER A

Millicent 33 (O. Thorne, L. Crowe) d North Gambier 18 (G. Collins, L. Hunter)

Casterton Sandford 26 (I. Luers, A. Murphy) d South Gambier 14 (S. Ryan, T. Sims)

West Gambier 29 (S. Richards, C. Hunter) d East Gambier 17 (A. Hosking, I. Cook)

13 & UNDER B

Millicent 36 (L. Van Eeden, P. Johnson) d North Gambier 10 (A. Kamphius, I. Brook)

Casterton Sandford 38 (G Bailey, B. Mutch) d South Gambier 10 (N. Griffin, E. McCracken)

East Gambier 31 (O. Hosking, T. Olsen) d West Gambier 16 (M. Thomas, S. Richards)

11 & UNDER

Millicent 25 (R. Johnson, L. Rainsford) d North Gambier 7 (I. Clark, D. Gabrielli)

South Gambier 13 d Casterton Sandford 12

East Gambier 21 (A. Perry, A. Hannaford) d West Gambier 13 (M. Povey, Z. Bonney-Dawson)

CASTERTONSANDFORDVSOUTHGAMBIER

It was a performance South Gambier would have loved to produce more consistently and earlierintheseasonbuttheDemons84-44on the road victory was clearly their best of the season.

In the end, the stunning 40 goal victory saw the young South line-up fall less than one percentage point out of the top four – the second season in a row they have fallen agonisinglyshortofareturntofinalsacon.

It was the Gracie Dalton show in the first quarter as the young shooter need 17 from 19 as the delivery from shoong partner Alyssa Duncan and mid courters Megan Reid andRubyRichterwasboldandpinpoint.

The Cats were missing usual defensive duo of Caeleigh Humphries and Ebany Jarrad, leaving the task of curbing South’s scoring to Tessa Marra and Claire Foster but the South offence wasonsongandmadethattaskdifficult.

Dalton ended up with 52 goals for the game, while Duncan had a perfect 11 from 11 in the second quarter and 10 from 11 in the third to makeherownmarkonthescoreboard,aswell astakingtotalcommandoftheoffensivethird.

The drive from Reid and Richter was also crical, as was the constant presenng of an offensive opon of Tully McShane, while Ellie Bouchier and Sophie Wight applied plenty of pressure to the Casterton Sandford goalers andcreatedastackofturnoverball.

CatsshooterIvyLanefoundgoodspaceonthe baseline and at the post, while the experience of Tori Broomby added a strong voice and some accurate finishing to the line-up, while freeingMadaleneClearytorunthecentrealso addedtotheCatsballmovement.

But in the end, the Demons were in control, leadingby10atthefirstbreak,27athalfme, 25 at three quarter and then produced a dominant22-7finalquarter

WESTGAMBIERVEASTGAMBIER

West Gambier did what they had to do at the weekend, returning to the winners list aer their first loss of the season and pung together a clinical performance to outshine EastGambier

The 20 goal victory was set up with a strong first quarter and bookended by a dominant final quarter as the reigning premiers turn theirsightstotheirpremiershipdefenceinthe 2023finalsseries.

Speaking of bookends, it was the Rier sisters leading the way for the Roos – Sarah having a good bale with Morgan Amy but sll having plenty of influence on the contest with her 40 from 50 and Jade geng her hands to plenty of balls and consistently producing turnover ballforherRooteammates.

Themarginwassixatquartermeandeightat the main break but the Bulldogs just couldn’t find a way to eat into the deficit and at three quarter me it was an 11 goal game and in the final quarter the Roos showed no mercy and the13-4quarterputtheresultbeyonddoubt. Importantly, West goal aack Lisa McGregor again got through unscathed, as did East’s Morgan Amy, meaning both crucial players for theirrespecveteamswillbeabletoplaytheir roleinfinals.

McGregor had been baling a calf strain and Amyafootinjury

Heading into this weekend’s knockout first semifinalonthebackoftwolossesisnotideal for the Bulldogs but they did spend much of theweekend’smatchgoingtwototoewiththe reigningpremiers.

Amy and Bo Creek were able to apply enough defensive pressure to keep the Roos to a relavely low total, while Eliza Cole connues toimpressinthemidcourt.

Goalers Renee Henke and Casey Horrigan wererelavelyaccuratebutclearlyneedmore supply and the final quarter, where east only generatedsixscoringshotswasasmuchasign of how strong the Roos are defensively, with Rier,AmyCram,ZoeMalseedandTaraBryant working together to deny opposion me and spacetocreateanyeasyscoringshots.

MILLICENT V NORTH GAMBIER

It was a bale for the double chance when North Gambier headed to McLaughlin Park to take on Millicent and in the end the Saints earnedthetoptwofinish.

The Tigers were missing starng goal aack Macey Griffith but fortunately had talented ulityLauranNormanabletotakethatbiband while she has not played with Grace Pos before, Norman was certainly a capable replacement.

ItwasaghtfirsthalfwithMillicentleadingby one at the first change and two at the main break.

The defensive pressure was through the roof from both sides as they looked to deny easy access to the respecve sides’ tall shooter –TabathaSandersonandPos.

Their direct opponents, Stella Mobbs and Pora McRae, were doing the best they could to deny access but it was a whole of team projectforbothsides.

It was in the third that the Saints made their move, generang more scoring opportunies andextendingthatleadtoseven.

It was Demi Verbena’s most producve quarter, neng six from eight, on top of what was a four quarter performance of providing pinpointaccuratefeedingtoSanderson.

The Tigers just couldn’t find a way to reduce the Saints’ advantage and despite a perfect shoong performance from Pos in the final quarter, Millicent was able to post an 11 goal victory–winningeveryquarter

The news wasn’t all good for the Saints with reliable wing aack Daisy Tunkin dislocang her finger in the final quarter but hopes are high with two weeks ul Millicent’s second semifinalclashwithWestGambier,sheshould berighttogo.

Tunkin’s exit saw the mid court rejigged and allowed Kimmi Tincknell into the contest aer hermonthlongbreak.

In the end, both sides would have appreciated the finals like hit out with North now quickly turning their aenon to a knock out semi finalagainstEastGambier.

It is do or die this weekend for North Gambier and East Gambier as they go head to head to keep their 2023 seasonalive.

East is yet to defeat North but have been in the contest and in reality, they only have to do it this weekend and they will still be in the premiership race.

ball,andherabilityintheairis matched by the athleticism of Creek, who will drop back to assist, as well as looking to pressure the feeds from Macey Griffith and hunt the intercepthigherupthecourt.

Much will also depend on Bulldogs wing defender Choe Perryman’s ability to work in tandemwithElizaColetoshut down the easy ball for North feeders Brianna Walters and MelRenko.

Vcontest.

East has a unique shooting circle, not boasting the height of other teams, so testing defendersinadifferentwayto t h e o t h e r s h o o t i n g combinations.

Lauran Norman and Stella Mobbs, who will share the defensive duties in the back threeroles.

For the Bulldogs, much will rely on the influence of circle defenders Morgan Amy and BoCreek. The East mid court duo will need to be disciplined –contesting delivery but also ensuring they stay in play to applyhandspressureoverthe balloneveryfeed.

Renee Henke, who is also coming off a strong month, and Casey Horrigan have developed a strong chemistry and they will be using their speed, timing on the move and clever screens to try and find the ball in good shooting position.

McCallum’s leadership and determination to succeed will bepivotalandshewillnotjust beakeyfactorintheoffensive efforts of East but she rallies the troops to ensure the Bulldogsmakeballmovement tough for the opposition with tough defensive pressure on thetransitionball.

The duo will need to work together to deny too much accesstoNorthshooterGrace Potts, who has been prolific in 2023athernewclub.

Amyhasalwaysthrivedonthe challenge of taking on the tallershooter–ithasbeenthe story of her career – and she will make Potts earn every

1st SEMI FINAL

North Gambier is yet to lose to Casterton Sandford but the margins have dwindled to the point that in Round 15 the two sidesdrew

Both sides are the perfect blend of youth and experience and both sides know they will be in for a tight tussle where theywillneedtokeeperrorsto a minimum and take their opportunities.

Those opportunities aren’t limited to but definitely are highlighted by the two teams’ r e s p e c t i v e s h o o t i n g combinations.

New recruit Cole has been a revelation for East, especially in the past month, and her battle with Renko will be one ofthecriticalmatchupsofthe

They will rely on the classy feeding of Tarsh McCallum and Cole and the mid court duo will need to work over time to ensure East protect the ball as they look for a safe passage through the tight defensive efforts of North’s Noni McConnell, Mikaila Pitt,

North is clearly the more experienced line-up and Potts won’t get any shorter as the match progresses, allowing the Tigers a get-out-of-jail scoring option so North should progress to the September 9 preliminary final.

she debuted in A Grade as a teenager

Her combination with Alycia Pitson has developed with Bryan’s strong work on the hold and setting screens complementing Pitson’s well timed front cuts and ability to findspaceonthebaseline.

The Cats shooting combo is alsoallclasswithPaigeMurrell and Tori Broomby working defences overtime with their moving circle and both are comfortable on the mid and longrangeshots.

Vtheir strength in the air, long reach and ability to read the play to deny easy ball, while at the other end, Riley Mitchell anchors the Tigers defence with her good positioning, work over the shot and strong rebounding, teaming with Jessie Little, who has speed onto the ball and is as damagingonthegroundasshe isintheair

Amanda O’Shaughnessy is going to need to be shut down and the Cats may well rotate players onto the hard running centre, while Cara Nulty brings the creativity on the attacking wing and Nat Fox is a tight checkingwingdefender

Claire Foster and Sharna Fidler will look to limit the influence of the Tigers goalers, using

Every match up in those shootingcircleswillbecritical. North has veteran shooter Aisha Bryan who has been outwitting opponents and frustrating them with her accuracy on the finish since

The mid courts will also play a critical role as they look to find their star studded shooters in space and deny the tight c h e c k i n g d e f e n s i v e combinations a chance to create turnover ball and the speed of Indi Longhurst, strength on the drive of Gaby Tomkins and experience of Dani Russell will test the Tigers mids.

BothteamshaveplayerswithX factor on the bench. The Cats have Phoebe Carlin who is a talented utility that can take a midcourtordefensiveroleand specialisesincreatingturnover ball, while Ava Collins can play any role for North and can use her height to great advantage in either circle or the mid court.

Almost too tight to call but the Tigers will maintain a perfect record over the Cats in a tight one.

SouthGambierwassitting top of the B Grade table in what has been one of the tightest grades contested this season and a couple of late season losses see themnowintheknockout semi final against West Gambier.

The Demons are yet to lose to the Roos but their last encounter was a tough three goal victory that could have gone eitherway

West is a tenacious lineup and they will not let their season end without afight.

Kylie Heaver controls the game for the Roos with her composure and

1st SEMI FINAL

It has been nothing but lopsided results between West Gambier and North Gambier this season making this one of the tougher finals on which to makeaneducatedcall.

West leads the head to head 2-1 but North won the most recent outing by 17goals.

Tigers defenders Rebecca Johnson and Sarah Nieuwenhuizen will need to be at their tight checking best to deny

smarts through the centre, while Daena Wombwell anchors the defensive end, making u s e o f h e r h e i g h t advantageofateveryturn and then there is Kristy Dolan, Caitlin Carraill and Elysha Gillies who can all take on a shooting role and finish with good accuracy.

Up against her former club Maelee Dalton is a tight checking defender who also plays a key role for West in transition, with Brooke Holmes also able to play a similar role, while Kirby Hunter places allsortsofpressureonthe feeders to try and create

C-GRADE

West captain Emily Phillips, who is an accurate finisher from long range, Emma Pollock and Lisa Boyd too much easyballinrange.

At the other end, athletic Roos defender Alana Koch, tenacious defender Zarah Sudgen and Emily Sutherland, the grade’s reigning best and fairest and with an uncanny ability to turn the ball o v e r, w i l l n e e d t o concentrate for the entire

Vanerror. And West will need to be at their best with South putting an experienced, quality line-up out on court.

they are and sees them getting critical touches to turn the ball back into Southhands.

The Demons mid court has the hard running Shelby Auld, super smart Hannah Witherow and Jasmine Disselbach, who has filled all three mid court roles over the season,andtheywillneed tobesafewithballinhand to ensure the West defenders don’t get the chance to disrupt their passagetogoals.

Sister Sam Raedel and Melissa Glynn have d e v e l o p e d a g r e a t chemistry in the shooting circle and they work hard for each other to find the ball in good shooting position, while at the other end, Kim McIntyreClarke is a defensive juggernaut, who can play a tight checking game but alsotakesriskstohuntthe intercept. It will be another tight knockout semi final with the Demons keeping their seasonalive.

ShecombineswithKaitlyn Tucker and Tara Bonney who both play taller than

four quarters to curb the scoring power of Milly Allen, Keeley Quinn and HannahFox.

Kahlia Egan controls the mid court, with Tara Fleming bringing the defensive grunt and Shay Merrett the versatility of playing a number of roles, while youngsters Sarah B r o w n a n d K e l s i e Anderson could also be thrownintothemix.

West’s mid court also has plenty of options with Olivia James, Annabel

Judd and Teone Brauer, w h i l e d e f e n s i v e l y Madelyn Sutherland is also part of the mix, while y o u n g s t e r I m o g e n McGregor is another goal attackoption.

Much will come down to who can keep their errors to a minimum and the accuracy of the shooters with West returning to formandadvancingtothe September 9 preliminary final.

The 17 & Under 1st semi final looms as one of the tightest contests of the day with five goals the biggest margin in the teams’ three meetingsthisseason.

Casterton Sandford won the first round by one, and the second by five, while East got the chocolates most recentlybyfour Both teams have versatile line-ups with Cats coaches Madalene Cleary and Haylee Rhook and east’s Bindi Davis having multiple combinations at their disposal depending on the matchsituation.

East’s Ambah Beveridge has

had a break out season, even debuting in A Grade, andtheCatswillneedtopay her close attention and East has depth in the shooting circle with captain Jordy Davis, who is creative and smart and Matilda Lamb is strong on the hold and an accuratefinisher. East’s defensive line is also impressive with Indi Dwyer and Tahlia Geraghty both capableofcreatingturnover ball, paying a tight checking game but also willing to hunttheinterception.

Jarrah Altschwager has dominated the court for the Bulldogs and with Abby Lines making the wing

defence bib her own and Sam Hobson and Keelie Neilsonabletoplaymultiple mid court roles, the Bulldogs have all the pieces ofthepuzzle.

The Cats have Ivy Lane and Chelsea Hulm in goals and East will need to plan carefullytokeeptheballout of their hands. They are smart, work well together andaredeadlyaccurate.

It also helps that they receive the ball from one of the competition’s best mid courters, Indi Longhurst, with Madeline Patton having a breakout season in centre, also being part of the Cats A Grade line-up in

2023 and Mia Doyle happy to sacrificeherowngameto denyheropponenteasyball or access to the circle’s edge.

Defensively, the Cats have the height of Isobel McCrae andthetightcheckingSarah Richardson, while Phoebe Carlin is one of the best readers of the play and she will create plenty of turnoverballifEastuses too muchcrosscourtdelivery.

Casterton Sandford almost coughedupawininthefinal round but thatcould wellbe the wake up call they needed to extend their season and advance to the preliminaryfinal.

West Gambier enters this 1st semi final with a perfect 3-0 record over South Gambier but after a comfortable opening first round victory the next two matches were tight, the Roos winning bythreeandfourgoals.

Both teams have strong shooting combinations. West with 13 & Under star Lila Pearson, who has good height but also goodaccuracyfromlong range, as well as Miley Vivian, who has great timing on the drive and isanaccuratefinisher

South has A Grade goaler Gracie Dalton and the always reliable Shana Grassi and the duo has built a strong workingrelationship.

DefensivelytheRoosare blessed with the ability of Alice Allen to create turnover ball and she is t h e q u e e n o f t h e intercept and applies outstanding pressure over the shot and

Mikayla Pearson is also an athletic defender who gets her hands to ballsshehasnorightto.

West has speed to burn in the mid court with Swaye Lindner and Lara

Murdoch and their match up with Ruby Milich and Charlie Attiwill will be pivotal to

the final result, as will the defensive pressure for West’s Maggy Dyson and Ella Jolley and the tenacity and speed of South’s Halle Harvey, who has made the wing defencebibherown.

South has Tyga Allen w h o p l a c e s g re at pressure over the shot and has improved her ability on the rebound, while Kasey Sims has turned herself into a circle defender after mostofhercareerbeing in the mid court and her tight checking often p r e s s u r e s t h e oppositionintoerror. In their last encounter South had every chance to win and they just might cause one of the upsets of the day in this semifinal.

The clashes between West Gambier and South gambier have been one-sided in 2023 in the Roos’ favour and it is hard to mount a case that this weekend willbeanydifferent.

West has its 15 & under A shooting combination of Lila Pearson and Miley Vivian also t a k i n g o n t h e g o a l i e responsibilities in this grade, as well as Ava Reid who uses her long reach to great effect to pull

in balls and earn her shots close tothepost.

At the other end, Analeigh Anderson is the lynchpin of the defence with her close checking and determination to win the ballbackforherteam.

Shecombineswellwithwhoever takes the goal and wing defence bibs with matilda Badenoch, HollyJacksonandBrydeeStarick providing coaches Barb Vivian and Jo Reid with plenty of

versatilityatthedefensiveend.

The mid court also has the always consistent Maya Lynch and Libby Buck – both with speed to burn and also capable of making creative passes into theirshooters.

South has Amber Ferrari and Layla Sneath in goals and they are both strong in the air and work hard to get front position, while at the other end, Macie Bowering has become the

mainstay of the defensive end with Grace Peucker also making lifetoughforopponents.

Kadie Attiwill is the team’s utility and can play in all three areas of the court, while Sophie Meier has been a reliable feeder and Lily Milich control the mid court in centre with her hard running andleadership.

TheDemonswillnotgoawaybut West should easily advance to thepreliminaryfinal.

Casterton Sandford had West Gambir’s measure in the first two clashes of this season but last time the two met it was only a four goal victory, giving the Roos some hope in the 1st semi final.

Goalers Eva Povey and Sara Richards are key for the Roos, as is speedy mid courter Ella Mckenny, who recently celebrated her 50th game for theclub.

ClaireHunterisalsoimportantat the defensive end for West with herabilitytocreateturnoverball and shut down an opposition goaler

Add to that the tenacity of Miah Jackway in the mid court, the defensive mindset of Samantha Foster,thepressureovertheball from Matilda Neale and the versatility of Claudia Vorwerk andIslaLynchandtheRooshave the ingredients to cause a

Of course the Cats will have something to say about that with the defensive skills of Ylana Grigg and Chloe Kurzman, the smarts and accuracy of goalers Adele Murphy and Renee Gorman and the mid court work rate of Marlee Robbins and GeorgiaBailey.

Renee Gorman adds depth to the shooting end of the court, Zoya Syed is a new player to the

sport but developing every game and using her height to great effect, with another newcomer Stacey Edwards also showinggreatdefensivesmarts.

Isabella Luers is also a critical and versatile mid courter, while Brooklyn Mutch can have an impactingoalsorthemidcourt.

The Cats should have the firepower to keep their season alive.

This is a hard final to read with Millicent winning the first clash in 2023 by b16 goals, West Gambier winning the second round clash by 13 and Millicent clocking up an eight goal victory mostrecently

Millicent has utility Lindy van Eeden as one of its most influential players, able to play anywhere on court, while the ability of defender Audrey Galambos to win back the ball

willbecritical.

Prudence Johnson, while still beingeligibletoplay11&under, has been one of the stars of this team, whether in defence or the mid court, while the mid court is full of speed with Lacey Sunderland, Brydie Madden and LottieMatthews.

Sophie Walker and Clara Vella will be important for the Saints defensively, while the versatility of Olivia Hales also looms large

ascriticaltothefinalresult.

West has captain Hannah Jackson leading the way from the goal attack position and her combination with Isobel Richards will be critical, as will Aggie Thomas, who is a defensive rock at either goal keeperorwingdefence,winning the ball back with monotonous regularity

Molly Thomas is another key Roos defender, while Chaneil

Cowland has made the wing defenceroleherown.

Savannah Riddoch, Harper Lindner, Ruby Lamb and Mackenzie Fisher all add depth and tenacity to the mid court and give coaches Michell Mckenny and Kirra McKenny plentyofoptions.

Finals in this age group can throw up some curve balls but Millicent might just have the edgeinthisone.

boilover

SEASON FIXTURE F.L.

ROUND 1 - 22nd April 2023

West Gambier

East Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

Anzac Day - 25th April 2023

South Gambier

North Gambier

ROUND 2 - 29th April 2023

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

North Gambier

East Gambier

South Gambier

West Gambier

ROUND 3 - 6th May 2023

East Gambier

West Gambier

North Gambier

West Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

ROUND 4 - 13th May 2023

East Gambier

West Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

North Gambier

South Gambier

Millicent

ROUND 5 - 20th May 2023

South Gambier

Millicent

North Gambier

East Gambier

West Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

ROUND 6 - 27th May 2023

North Gambier

Casterton-Sanfford

Millicent

South Gambier

West Gambier

East Gambier

ROUND 7 - 3rd June 2023

South Gambier

East Gambier

West Gambier

Millicent

Casterton-Sandford

North Gambier

BYE Interleague - 10th June 2023

ROUND 8 - 17th June 2023

West Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

East Gambier

South Gambier

North Gambier

ROUND 9 - 24th June 2023

South Gambier

North Gambier

Millicent

West Gambier

East Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

ROUND 10 - 1st July 2023

West Gambier

East Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

South Gambier

North Gambier

BYE State Country Championships - 8th July 2023

ROUND 11 - 15th July 2023

South Gambier

West Gambier

East Gambier

North Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

ROUND 12 - 22nd July 2023

Casterton-Sandford

North Gambier

Millicent

East Gambier

West Gambier

South Gambier

ROUND 13 - 29th July 2023

East Gambier

South Gambier

North Gambier

West Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

ROUND 14 - 5th August 2023

Casterton-Sanfford

East Gambier

West Gambier

Millicent

North Gambier

South Gambier

ROUND 15 - 12th August 2023

Millicent

South Gambier

North Gambier

West Gambier

East Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

ROUND 16 - 19th August 2023

West Gambier

Casterton-Sandford

Millicent

1st Semi Final - North Gambier - 26th August 2023

2nd Semi Final - Millicent - 2nd September 2023

Preliminary Final - East Gambier - 9th September 2023

Grand Final - South Gambier - 16th September 2023

East Gambier

South Gambier

North Gambier