WESTERN Australia capped off its Australian Country Football Championship campaign with a hard-fought 14-point win over South Australia in the minor grand final at Shepparton, Victoria on Sunday.
WA, which finished third on the ACFC ladder behind Victoria and the ACT with two wins and two losses, fronted up against fourth-placed South Australia in freezing conditions at Deakin Reserve and took out a 16.9 (105) to 12.19 (91) win.
WA’s Dale Baynes from Towns Football Club in Geraldton led the way on the scoreboard with four goals, while Jesse Gribble from Bunbury and Brad Hardingham from South Bunbury chipped in with three goals each.
WA skipper Simon Duckworth from Wickepin also played a great game through the midfield and added two goals, while Matt Kennewell from Railways Football Club in Geraldton was outstanding in defence.
A tight start saw both sides kick three goals each in the first quarter of the full-length final, before WA kicked ahead in the second term with five goals to three – South Australia paying the price for inaccuracy in front of goal to trail by six points at half-time.
South Australia attacked hard after the break to level the scores through Mitchell Portlock from Willunga and could have pushed further ahead if not for inaccurate kicking, which saw four behinds scored that should have been goals.
WA punished the poor kicking with the next two goals but missed several chances of their own, with the margin narrowed to three points heading into the final quarter.
WA ruckman Ricky Mott was dominant at the centre bounce but his followers couldn’t capitalise on first use and struggled to win the centre clearances.
A free kick at the bounce to start the fourth quarter handed WA a rare break and they used it to good effect, finding leading goal-kicker Hardingham to score the first major.
South Australia soon replied and both sides then traded goals before WA stretched their lead with three consecutive majors, including Hardingham and Gribble’s third each.
South Australia added two late goals but it was too little too late.
SCOREBOARD
WA 3.2 8.3 10.6 16.9 105
SA 3.4 6.9 8.15 12.19 91
Goals: WA – D. Baynes 4.1, J. Gribble 3.1, B. Hardingham 3.0, S. Duckworth 2.0, D. McGinlay 1.3, R. McFarland, J. Ward 1.1, R. Astbury 1.0; Forced: 0.2. SA – M. Portlock 2.2, J. Sutherland 2.1, J. Ramsey 2.0, R. Morris, B. Newberry 1.2, R. Francis, J. Vandeleur, J. Vick 1.1, M. Curtis 1.0, T. Miles, M. Burdett 0.2, L. Kruger, T. Habner, P. Mann, B. Durbridge 0.1; Forced: 0.1.
Best: WA – M. Kennewell, J. Gribble, J. Thompson, S. Duckworth, R. Mott, N. Elari, D. Baynes, J. Ward. SA – M. Burdett, M. Portlock, L. Button, J. Sutherland, A. Merrett, R. Bennett.
WA GOAL KICKERS (Carnival)
Brad Hardingham 12.2
Dale Baynes 8.5
Daniel McGinlay 3.4
Jesse Gribble 3.1
Jon Ward 2.2
Rhys McFarland 2.2
Simon Duckworth 2.0
Rowan Astbury 2.0
Bryan Hardie 1.2
N. Elari 1.1
James Thompson 1.0
Ricky Mott 1.0
Damian Casson 1.0
Jamie Bennell 0.1
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