Roos brush aside Kambalda as Kirby boots seven goals

Kalgoorlie coach Michael Worthington faces tough selection calls in the run to the Goldfields Football League finals after Saturday’s big win over Kambalda, 26.11 (167) to 9.10 (64), produced several casualties.

The Roos’ fifth victory was at the expense of opposition already out of finals contention, with Kayle Kirby leading the charge with seven goals from Cam Symonds (six) and Ricky Whitehead (five).

Kambalda, however, were typically hard-nosed in pursuit of a first win, with Worthington on Sunday confirming Jacob Billing, Mark Wallace and Tim Miller had joined the injury list.

Ahead of a clash with first-placed Railways this weekend, Kalgoorlie cannot finish higher than fourth with two rounds of the qualifying series left.

Worthington, however, is desperate to have his best squad in place before a first semifinal showdown with Mines Rovers on September 4.

On that score, Dylan Clarke, Jordan Madden and Ryan Patterson are waiting in the wings for a recall, possibly this weekend against Railways, who have lost their past two matches.

Worthington said others were on the cusp of league selection.

“We would have liked to have gotten through unscathed, but that hasn’t been the case all year,” Worthington said.

“I’d like to think we’ll go into this weekend close to full strength and, if not, we won’t be far off.

“It’s an interesting competition and will definitely be a race to the finish, but we still have lots of players to consider.

“Those include Caleb Paparone, Macrae Akroyd, Jayden Burgess and Damien Gatti who all missed out on latest selections, but played some pretty good footy in the reserves.

“For me, it’s really the start of quite a few tough selection calls.

“When you’re forced to make those calls, it makes for a better squad and some people get a bit upset.

“The bonus is that each player who did miss out responded with good footy and continue to put their hands up for selection.”

Kalgoorlie are chasing a third successive flag this season, but they have generally struggled against the top-three teams.

Of the Roos’ five victories, four have been against last-placed Kambalda.

The exception was a 17-point win over Mines Rovers in round 14.