CASTERTON-SANDFORD is eyeing off a footy finals appearance after the reserves team held off a determined North Gambier by 16 points at Vansittart Park on Saturday, moving up into fourth spot.

The visitors kicked with the wind in the opening quarter and edged out to a seven-point lead at the first break.

The Tigers were unable to do any scoreboard damage in response, as the Cats held the home team to just five behinds to go into half time with a narrow lead.

As confidence grew in the Cats’ changerooms, the second half played out in a similar fashion with Casterton-Sandford kicking a further two goals in the third term to stretch the margin out to 16 points at the final break.

North Gambier needed to dominate the play early in the final quarter and create scoreboard pressure, but the defence held up for the Cats, with the visitors eventually claiming a 6.4 (40) to 3.6 (24) victory.

Matthew Kurzman was the star up forward, booting four goals for the winners, while Bevan Wombwell was the Cats’ best on ground.

Cats coach, Joe McArlein said the team knew how important the win would be in their quest for a finals spot.

“It was probably the first real pressure game they have faced in a lot of ways and I think as far as home and away games go, we treated it like a final,” he said.

“They seemed to thrive off the pressure.

“The pressure that was on the ball from both sides, it was an awesome game of footy to watch.

“They were fighting for a finals spot as much as we were.”

Kurzman also earned the plaudits from the coach for his efforts up forward, creating space and getting the reward on the scoreboard.

“He (Kurzman) has proved the difference in a lot of aspects as far as forwards go, we have relied on him pretty heavily to kick our goals this season,” McArlein said.

“(The forward efficiency) and I would say the pressure we put on the North players, they have often spread really hard and made us pay for our mistakes in the past.

“Jarrad Smith has had a couple of niggling injuries and credit to him, he leads by example as captain and was our best on ground and the second best on ground in the past two weeks.

“He is just showing the other boys the kind of pressure that needs to be applied.”

With the win moving the Cats above North Gambier into fourth spot and a final round clash against wooden spooner, East Gambier, this weekend the Cats are already licking their lips at the prospect of going into a finals series with nothing to lose.

McArlein said the team will go into the business end of the season with a nothing to lose approach.

“Especially from last year to this year, going winless to making finals, the boys are starting to see a bit of a reward,” he said.

“We haven’t won a game against North in the past two years, so it shows if you put the effort in, you get the reward.

“Rolling the dice is something we have talked about a lot, we are the ones who don’t really have the pressure, we are the ones who can wait and reap the rewards of pressure.”

And as for the post-game celebrations, McArlein said the song was sung with plenty of gusto following the round 15 win.

“A lot of boys out of breath by the end of it, I haven’t seen that amount of positivity, I haven’t seen them that up and about all season,” he said.

“The smiles on their face makes it all worth it.”

The Cats will host the Bulldogs at Island Park in a final round clash on Saturday before the team shifts into finals mode the following week.