Tigers feast on league flag spoils

The Peel Football League’s 2017 season came to a close on Saturday, with league, reserves and colts teams all facing off in grand finals at Rushton Park in Mandurah.

In the league final it was the Pinjarra Tigers who were crowned premiers after they comfortably defeated the Waroona Demons 12.12 (96) to 8.7 (55).

Pinjarra were favourites heading into the big game after finishing the home and away season as minor premiers, but Waroona came into the game in red-hot form after beating the South Mandurah Falcons, Mundijong Centrals and the Baldivis Brumbies.

With the game evenly poised after a close first term, Pinjarra blew the game wide open in the second quarter, booting five goals to Waroona’s one, giving them a healthy 30-point lead at the main break.

Waroona found more momentum in the third term and matched Pinjarra as they kicked four goals each but the damage done in the second quarter proved fatal as they still trailed by five goals at three-quarter-time.

The Tigers were simply too good in the end, running home 41-point winners before the champagne flowed and celebrations began.

Rohan Kerr played a starring role for Pinjarra and Jeffrey Carter booted four goals. Joel O’Driscoll kicked three goals, while Mitch Brown, Brennan Gillam and Todd Ninyette kicked two goals each.

Benjamin Wright, Steven Cameron, David Butler, Alan Wilson and 250th-gamer Courtney Lakay were the stand-outs for Waroona.

In the reserves grand final, Baldivis thumped South Mandurah 11.9 (75) to 1.7 (13) to win easily by 62 points.

The Brumbies were simply too good from the first bounce, keeping the Falcons goalless in the first half as they ran out to a commanding 42-point lead at half-time.

South Mandurah were unable to hit the scoreboard at all in the third quarter as Baldivis continued to build their lead, with the Falcons finally kicking a goal early in the fourth quarter.

The colts grand final, in which South Mandurah beat 10.11 (71) the Rockingham Rams 10.11 (71) to 9.9 (63) was the most thrilling of the day, with a five-goal haul from Falcons youngster Lachlan Cullen proving vital in the eight-point win.

In a game that ebbed and flowed, South Mandurah held a slim lead at each break, with a gutsy effort from a talented Rams outfit falling just short.

Along with Cullen, Riley Steinbock, Jaydon Cullen, Thomas Dyer and Troy Lee were the stand-outs for South Mandurah.

Tyrone Thorne and Wesley Steele were Rockingham’s main goal scorers, kicking two each, while Zayne Selkirk, Matthew Heal, Jacob Hewitt Kyle Donaldson and Dylan Van Der Kwast were among the Rams’ best.