Belt Up Round is a key date on the Country Football W.A calendar, and for the Lower South West Football Tyrepower Manjimup League competition, Round 6 was full of intrigue. Kojonup headed to Deanmill with an unblemished record across their first four games, while Boyup Brook made the trip south to take on Southerners, who had shown glimpses of their potential before running into a white hot Kojonup in Round 5. Tigers hosted Bridgetown, after competitive showings the previous two weeks against both 2024 Grand Finalists.
The inclusion of Harley Sparks for Deanmill was an early bonus for the Hawks, courtesy of the WAFL bye as W.A travelled to take on South Australia. For the local product, it was his first outing in Deanmill colours since 2018 and his first opportunity to play alongside brother, Cooper, since a Grand Final appearance in Carey Park colours in 2023.
The first quarter was a fierce affair, with space at a premium and a high intensity brand of football. In what would prove a theme for the day, Archie Hall and his Kojonup counterpart Brad Ashton went to battle time after time for ruck ascendancy, with the likes of Sparks and Ben Gianatti giving the Hawks plenty of drive from the middle of the ground. The two teams went to the first break 9 points apart, with Deanmill in front 2.3.15 to 1.0.6. The match started to take shape in the second quarter. The ball started flowing Deanmill’s way out of the middle with greater regularity and Kojonup found themselves under extreme pressure. Jordan Strahan was wearing down the Cougars’ defence, while Ethan Dimitriou continued his fine start to the season. Blake Rawson was also hitting the scoreboard and as the Hawks piled on 8 goals for the quarter, it felt like they had options everywhere they wanted to go inside 50. The half time scoreboard read 10.5.65 to 4.2.26, a 39 point lead to the hosts and a long way back for the ladder leaders.
The third quarter bought more of the same, rather than any respite. Strahan continued to be a presence that was marking everything, or crashing packs and bringing the ball to ground, while Jaxon Cahill was again showing his class. For the Cougars, Lee Lucev tried to keep the scoreboard ticking over, while Matt Marinoni toiled hard and Jamie Marinoni help up well under extreme pressure in defence. Heading to the last change with a 60 point lead, the last quarter wasn’t quite played at the same frenetic pace and intensity the first three had, but the silky skills and ball movement on show highlighted the quality that both sides possess. Kojonup managed 3 for the quarter to see the final score read 18.11.119 to 10.4.64. Dimitriou finished with 5 goals, while Strahan and Rawson managed 4 apiece, with Sparks (Harley) taking home the match ball as Best on Ground.
The aerial battle between Deanmill’s Archie Hall and his Kojonup counterpart, Brad Ashton, was worth the price of entry on it’s own. The two big men went toe to toe for 4 quarters and were both amongst their sides’ best.
In the second of the Belt Up Round Saturday match ups, Tigers hosted Bridgetown, looking to build on some encouraging patches against Boyup Brook and Kojonup. Aaron Watson’s young side were unfortunately on the back foot early, as Bridgetown booted four unanswered goals in the first term, heading to quarter time with a 26 point lead. The scoreboard was 0.2.2 to 4.4.28, with the likes of Kyle Wilson and Cameron White prominent for the Bulldogs. The visitors put another three on the board in the second term, as the Tigers added their first, to see the Tigers trail 1.4.10 to 7.9.51.
The third quarter saw the Tigers’ resistance stutter as Bridgetown added 9 for the term. Matt Tilbee was having another day out, having now kicked 3 or more goals in each of his four games in 2025, while Brett Wilson was also hitting the scoreboard with a concerning regularity for Tigers’ fans. The three quarter time margin stood at 91 points, with the hosts down 2.5.17 to 16.12.108. The Bulldogs added another three in the final term as they eased to the finish line, with Josh Power adding a Belt Up Round match ball to his collection of awards, adjudged Best on Ground by the umpires.
Boyup Brook went into their Sunday clash with Southerners with an opportunity to claim top spot on percentage if they could secure a victory. The first quarter was a fantastic display of football, with both sides booting four goals to see the hosts trailing by a point at the first change, 4.4.28 to 4.5.29. Souths made their move in the second term, adding another four goals, while restricting the Roos to two of their own. Daniel Cabassi was getting a lot of the ball, while Ben Cabassi continued his recent goal kicking form. For the visitors, David Cowan was doing David Cowan things, while Ashley Wallam kept the scoreboard ticking over. The half time scoreboard read 8.7.55 to 6.8.42, but given the Roos had already overcome early deficits multiple times in 2025, the home crowd knew there was no place for complacency with their 13 point lead.
The third quarter played out in a similar way to the first, both sides booting four goals, to leave the margin at 12 points at the final change, Souths up 12.10.82 to 10.10.70. The final term turned into an arm wrestle, Southerners’ defence pressure looking to close out the high quality contest, while the Roos looked to pull off yet another come from behind victory. Mitchell Kings continued to be prominent for the Roos, while Seaton Thompson and Jack Omodei worked hard to keep Souths on top. After a gruelling contest, Souths did prevail, 14.14.98 to 11.11.77. The 21 point victory saw the Southerners climb above Boyup Brook to 4th on the Tyrepower Manjimup ladder, with Boyup Brook not only missing the opportunity to climb into the top two, but falling to 5th in a remarkable start to the season that sees the top five separated by one game and percentage. Ben Cabassi capped off his 6 goals with the match ball he’d seen plenty of during the day, adjudged as Best on Ground.
While it’s still relatively early in the season, Kojounp, Bridgetown, Deanmill. Southerners and Boyup Brook have all traded wins amongst the group and without discounting Imperials or Tigers entirely, they know five into four doesn’t go when it comes to finals qualification. Another crucial set of games awaits this weekend, with Kojonup back at home and looking to return to the winners’ list against Imperials, while Boyup Brook hosting Deanmill has epic written all over it. Southerners then travel to Bridgetown on Sunday, the two sides having already having played out a close contest in Round 1, when the visitors prevailed by 13 points.
For all the latest scores, goal kickers and best players – the Lower South West Football League has it’s home on PlayHQ HERE.
