Augusta Margaret River Hawks will be enjoying a week off after putting themselves straight into the 2021 South West Football League Grand Final.
The Hawks hosted 2020 premiers the Bunbury Bulldogs on Saturday September 3, in what was a tough first finals match.
AMR were in front for the whole match but had to fend off Bunbury who came storming home to try and steal the win.
However, it wasn't enough with the final score being 13.6.84 to 12.5.77.
Hawks' coach Matt Jamieson said they had lost to the Bulldogs twice throughout the year due to not having the best team on the day.
We know our best is good enough and its just a matter now on who we play as to how we prepare.
- AMR coach Matt Jamieson
"We were pretty confident leading in, we had great preparation and finish to the season," he said.
"We had been chasing Bunbury all year and were able to finish on top with a great win in the last round so the guys' confidence were high.
Over the last six years or so, the Hawks have been in the finals or just missed out and Jamieson said there were some minor changes this year which contributed to the team's success so far.
"Game style been tinkered with based on personnel, last year was the first to miss a final as a coach, a lot of things didn't go our way last year but it helped me reset and look at what we need which was more leg speed out of our back half," he said.
Jamieson said players in the team had changed over the years but he knew him and other club leaders needed to lift their standards.
"Our local players such as Laine Rassmussen, Kael Coleman, Tab Hunter, Lincoln Adams have been cornerstone of our success and it just sort of happens, we did a bit more to get there," he said.
Jamieson said the team would train on the weekend, go up and support their colts side who would be playing in Bunbury.
While the coach will be keeping a close eye on what happens between Bunbury and Busselton this weekend, he didn't think it was necessary for the whole team to watch.
"We know both teams now," Jamieson said.
"We know our best is good enough and it's just a matter now on who we play as to how we prepare."
Busselton won the chance to progress in the finals series after defeating Harvey Brunswick Leschenault last weekend.
It was a close match until the last quarter when Busselton kicked five goals to HBL's three to win the match.
The final score was 7.10.52 to 10.9.69.
Part of the Hawks' successful year so far has been WA Football League recruit Simon Moore.
Moore played ten years for Subiaco before changing teams and leagues at the end of 2019.
Moore told the Mail that he had trained with Augusta Margaret River about six years prior when he had been in the area while studying.
"Since then I had Matt Jamieson call me each year to see how I was going and if I would move to the club," he said.
Moore's first full season at the club didn't go to plan with a few niggles to the body, and he knew that he needed to approach things differently.
"Jamo and I spoke about building Margaret River as a running team and thought I could lead from the front," he said.
"I love running, you can do it anywhere and so it was just a matter of pounding the pavement over the summer.
"You can see when you watch Margaret River play, the whole team has bought into it. It is a major weapon for us this year to move the ball really quickly."
To achieve something like that I never thought I could but it is a really proud moment for me.
- 2021 Hayward medallist Simon Moore
Jamieson said Moore had an 'outstanding' year and it was great to see him take out the 2021 Hayward medal.
"I wasn't being biased in the lead up to the awards night but I did think he was the best player throughout the league for the year," Jamieson said.
The Hawks coach said Moore brought on and off field experience to the club.
"He is a natural footballer, knows where to run, willingness to do it for long it enough, gets into the game and helps get the others into the game to get the momentum back," Jamieson said.
"He really is a key for us in that area and that comes with his experience in the wafl.
"But he also brings more than what happens on the field, he is a great leader and I love talking footy with him and how we can improve, everyone at the club does."
Moore said this was his first individual award, after playing a team role for many years with Subiaco.
"To achieve something like that I never thought I could but it is a really proud moment for me," he said.
"Previously been a team role player, ten years of knowing your role and supporting the dominant players and had a lot of team success.
"Personal awards doesn't really happen unless you have good people around you.
"So for me having players like Max Paterson and Regan Smith in the midfield has been a huge help for me and the team so can't thank them enough."