The South West Football League claimed their third straight Landmark Country Football Championships flag with an emphatic last quarter and a standout performance from Zavier Williams leading them to what loomed as an unlikely victory against Regional Districts.
Defending their crown for a third straight season, the green and gold nailed eight last quarter goals while keeping Regionals to zip to claim a 13.6 (84) to 9.4 (58) win.
The South West boys went into the game as hot favourites after dispatching of their opponents with ease in the round-robin stages, but they found themselves in hot water when the Dogs booted the first five goals of the contest.
Regionals absolutely stormed out of the gates with Mitchell Daube, Sam Van Diemen, Reece Edwards, Nathan Spooner and Zhane Robertson all nailing majors in the first quarter.
A shell-shocked South West found themselves in a five-goal hole heading into the second, but a four goal to two quarter kept them in the hunt.
They looked likely to overtake Regionals when they pressed early in the third term against the wind, but Van Dieman nailed the only goal of the period to restore his side’s buffer to 25 points at the final change.
At that point it looked almost as if the South West were out of it, but the reigning champs took things to another level in the final quarter.
Spurred on by some magnificent efforts from Malek Wallam and Jaxon Pitts, the South West booted the opening goal within the first three minutes and simply got motoring from there.
All-star Eli Hill was deadly up forward and Harvey’s Jaxon Egan joined in the fun on the scoreboard as they went into overdrive, piling up eight goals to Regionals’ none on their way to a 26-point win.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
