Saturday, August 2 was marked in people’s calendars the minute the Lower South West Football League fixtures were released for 2025. Round 15 of the Tyrepower Manjimup League season was no ordinary day – it was the day SuperHeroes returned to action, wit the latest iteration of Bridgetown’s support of SuperKids Superheroes Day.
In 2025, Spiderman themed jumpers were the order of the day, the Bulldogs set to tangle with Deanmill and hopefully add a sting to the battle for second place and the all important double chance.
Unfortunately for home fans, not only was the weather unkind, but the visiting Hawks rained goals in the early part of the first quarter. The margin slipped out to 21 points before Max Wilson finally got the Bulldogs on the board with their first goal, and Brett Wilson followed minutes later. Jared Edgar added one for Deanmill late in the quarter that pushed the Hawks back out to a 15 point advantage, one that remained until the first change.
The early part of the second quarter saw a succession of minor scores for Deanmill, but Bridgetown’s inability to completely clear the area in the soggy conditions eventually caught up with them. Ethan Dimitriou got on the end of one and kicked truly, to extend the margin out to 23 points. Kalani Brooks had an opportunity to close the gap with a set shot from 40 metres, but the attempt missed as the sun came out. Minutes later Jordan Strahan muscled his way to a shot on goal which hit the post, before Bridgetown once again paid full price for a turnover across the middle of the ground. Blake East chopped off a clearing kick, before the Hawks switched play to the outer side. The Sparks’ brothers connected and Kade Della pushed the margin out with a superb snap from the boundary line in the scoreboard pocket.
The Bulldogs may have been in Spiderman themed jumpers, but Brett Wilson donned his cape once more as we’ve seen him do so many times in the past, manufacturing a superb solo goal following a stoppage and Max Wilson gave the home fans hope leading into half time when he ran into the goal square and booted their second in a row.
The third quarter was a tense affair with just the one goal apiece, the quarter blighted by a season ending injury to Hawks hardnut, Ben Gianatti. Gianatti’s leg got caught awkwardly in a tackle and it is believed he is headed for surgery for a broken fibular.
After the tense third quarter where no one was able to break the shackles, the game did open up in the final term. For Bridgetown fans hoping for a SuperKids day comeback, they just couldn’t quite string together multiple goals and put scoreboard pressure on the visitors.
Brock Tempra opened the scoring after Blake East (again) chopped off a Bridgetown clearance. Tempra marked and kicked truly from 45, and while it was far from the sealer, it was exactly the start Bridgetown didn’t need momentum wise. When Strahan powered his way to a mark at the top of the goal square and added their second of the quarter at the three minute mark, alarm bells were sounding.
Ultimately, Deanmill added two late goals, the last of which saw Edgar again put an exclamation mark on a quarter. The pushed the margin to 37 points, after it had been lower for most of the day, though Deanmill always seemed in control. With a game plus a sizeable percentage gap now between Deanmill and Bridgetown, the Bullldogs now need to win their last two games (against Imperials and Kojonup), and hope Deanmill slip up against Tigers and Southerners.
Thomas Quaife was a revelation at the recent Country Championships, but his performance was no surprise to the Tigers’ faithful as they have watched him lead their ruck with aplomb all season. Quaife was once again prominent against Southerners in Round 15.
It’s been a wet winter, with much of the worst of the weather landing on weekends in the Lower South West. After several weeks of games played in damp conditions, Sunday managed to one up them all at Rea Park. After a lightning enforced delay in the Reserves, the League players and officials were greeted by a sudden lift in wind conditions that were strong enough to fell a couple of the big trees that line the outer side of Rea Park, the rain turn to hail and all against the backdrop of a temperature that meant the best place to be was inside the Tigers’ club rooms.
A competitive first quarter saw Southerners edge in front as the game approached quarter time. Tayten Smith was continuing his outstanding first season for Souths, while for the Tigers, Thomas Quaife was battling hard against the multi pronged Southerners ruck battery and James Johnston was getting plenty of the ball.
As the weather settled in the second quarter, another sotmg approached, this time in the shape of the yellow and black’s tackling intensity. Souths struggled to find any space to operate in and there were multiple free kicks paid for holding the ball. We keep seeing glimpses in 2025 of what Aaron Watson is building at Tigerland, and while the conditions made scoring difficult, the home side appeared right on top. The half time margin had narrowed from 15 points to 8, with Liam Edwards setting the standard for the high ferocity attack on the football. Aside from the tackling intensity, arguably the highlight of the quarter was a clever snap from Adam Edwards, who guided it past the lunging Tom Mutter.
The third quarter bought with it an end to the respite from the rain, another heavy shower hitting at half time and carrying on as the play resumed. Callen Sprigg was proving a menace for Southerners, taking several strong grabs, while Jack Omodei helped the visitors get the game back on their terms.
The final quarter had a bit of everything as the Tigers looked to wear down the 22 point margin. A 100 metre penalty after a pair of infractions to the home side early in the quarter went to waste as the resulting shot missed. A Series of spotfires bubbled away as the sun again came out, Seaton Thompson (who was once again amongst his sides’ best) and Edwards (Adam) had a running battle, while Edwards (Liam) and Alex Cabassi remembered they hadn’t exchanged phone numbers at the recent Country Championships. Souths players were unhappy with late contact from Quaife on Smith and again multiple players converged before cooler heads prevailed.
In amongst the mayhem, or perhaps adding to it, Sprigg launched himself for a mark of the year contender (at the opposite end of the ground to the photographer), as Southerners did enough in the final term to run out 31 point winners. Southerners will almost certainly finish 4th, with their only other possible finish being 3rd and the same First Semi Final appointment on August 24th.
Imperials entered their match on Saturday looking to gain an advantage on Tigers as the two sides look to avoid the wooden spoon, and a big Round 17 clash between the two lying in wait. For their part, Boyup Brook were not back to full strength, but did have some welcome inclusions as they looked to return to the winners’ list at home.
David Johnston returned for his first League game in two years and immediately had an impact, with a 4 goal performance. His return freed Ash Wallam up to play a different role, and Wallam responded with a superb performance. David Cowan was once again prominent, adding 3 goals of his own, leaving him 8th in the competition goal kicking, remarkable for a player primarily deployed as a midfielder.
Boyup Brook got the confidence building fast start they were after, heading to the first change with a 22 point lead, which they extended to 29 at half time. While the likes of Jordan Johnson, Sam East and Raymond Mayers worked hard for the Magpies, they couldn’t narrow the gap and by the final change it was out to 35 points. With Luke Reilly also getting plenty of the ball, the Roos eased away in the final term, claiming a 52 point win. With just one game remaining in their campaign, the Roos appear destined for a 5th placed finish, and ready to turn their attention to 2026 post their Round 16 clash with Kojonup this weekend.
For all the latest scores, goal kickers and best players – the Lower South West Football League has it’s home on PlayHQ HERE.
