GNFL grand final: Chapman Valley crowned champions over Brigades to end heartbreak

Chapman Valley are back on top of the Great Northern Football League after they won the flag to end 32 years of heartbreak. It was a tight battle against Brigades, and despite the Valley being the favourites, the match could have gone either way. The Royals claimed the crown as they held on late in a 9.11 (65) to 8.6 (54) triumph over the Hawks on Saturday. It was a mix of the new recruits and the Valley faithful standing up in the win, with brothers Jayden and Kim Schofield providing a spark when the side needed it. Lee Hutchins was prolific around the ground and a valuable target up forward, and his efforts earned him the Geraldton Guardian best-on-ground award. The match was fast-paced right from bouncedown, with the sides getting into each other early. It was a post party early on, with the opening four shots on goal all hitting the sticks. The first major didn’t come until 17 minutes into the game, with Hutchins jailing it from the top of the 50 for the Valley. James Mavrick brought much-needed intensity for the Royals up forward, while Brigades’ Jesse Casselton saved face by plucking intercept marks. Despite priding themselves on fitness, Valley weren’t using their run and carry early and elected to hit up targets through the middle of the ground. It paid off late in the first, with captain Ringo McKenna hitting ruckman Daniel Borgogno lace-out inside 50 and the big man was able to send it home for the Royals’ second goal, putting them up 2.4 (16) to 0.1 (1) at the quarter-time break. After being on the back foot early, the Hawks swooped in the second quarter. JJ Clune medallist Hayden Johnson won the opening tap and got the centre clearance down in their forward line, setting up Hassan Ahmat-Watkins to kick their first goal. The Royals’ half-backs got plenty of touch in the half, with Oakley Criddle helping keep the ball out of danger. Jayden Schofield pulled off a bit of magic on the wing, as he soccered the ball high and followed up to mark his own kick. Brigades get the turnover not long afterwards, and Fletcher Klasztorny hit up Ahmat-Watkins for another Hawks score. The midfield battle was heating up, with Kim Schofield getting early looks on goal but couldn’t complete the job. However, Jay O’Brien was there with the crumbs to finish the job. Brigades’ young stars started to get going, and Reid Foot showed off his impressive speed, turning on the burners to beat his man on the outside wing and hitting up a target inside 50. The Hawks brought it back to a five-point game at half-time with the scores sitting at 4.8 (32) to 4.3 (27) — with Ahmat-Watkins accounting for Brigades’ entire scoreline. A hot day out at Wonthella Oval had some respite when the breeze came in at the start of the second half. Hawks defender Joel Pattrick was over Hutchins early and provided the spoil. The Royals continued to work the ball through the middle of the ground, with a chain of McKenna to Jayden Schofield to Hutchins working for the score. The Hawks backs were under siege early, but they managed to get it out of danger and Kristerfer Ryder rewards their effort with a Brigades goal. Brigades start to have success with the outside run they had been desperately looking for, and Casselton gets the turnover and works the ball end-to-end, with Ahmat-Watkins booting his fifth goal for the game. Late in the third the ball lived inside the Hawks 50, but they couldn’t capitalise until Jamie Ryder finally broke the deadlock with a goal – closing the margin to nine-points heading into the final term. The Brigades fans erupted watching Foot take the ball for a run and letting it go from top of the arc, and no one was there to stop it going in for a goal as just three points separate the teams. Lucas Ronan and Klay Sipila had plenty of the ball late, injecting speed and coming up with turnovers in the fourth as the Hawks looked to come back. The high-intensity game and heat started to take their toll, with the skills getting sloppy late in the game, with the ball going from end-to-end with turnovers on both sides. Brett Robinson provided the all-important winning goal for Valley late and as the time ticked down, Brigades couldn’t get the ball back forward as the Royals’ half-backs worked it between each other until the final siren. Royals fans rushed the field after they claimed the fifth league flag in club history and their first since 1992 — a 32-year gap. Valley shared the love in the win, with players getting their share of the ball. Hutchins and Jay O’Brien each booted two goals for the Royals. They had singles from Borgogno, Kane Simpson, Robinson and Tyrone Papertalk Jr. James Mavrick almost had a big day, kicking 0.3. Ball winner Ahmat-Watkins put Brigades on his back in the first half of the game and finished kicking 5.3 — accounting for more than half of the Hawks’ score for the day. Ryder brothers Kristerfer and Jamie each scored a goal along with Foot in the defeat. Following the win, player-coach Jayden Schofield was emotional after bringing the flag back for the Royals. “So many emotions, it’s not for the 22 that played, it’s for the Valley community,” he said. “Thirty-two years starved on success, and we brought it home today, unbelievable.” The coach called up the players one by one following the win to receive their medals, leaving Paul Sorenson for last — a stalwart of the Chapman Valley football club who has played more then 200 games and is the heart and soul of the team. “(Sorensen)’s the reason we played, he’s half the reason we came over,” Jayden Schofield said. “Played 20 years, played finals three or four times, and to give it to him, it means so much for me to him. “It means f… all for me, just it’s all for him.”