Southerners went back to back in the East Perth Football Club Colts in 2026, after a powerful second half saw them overcome Deanmill. The Hawks had a superb opening half, going to half time with a 14 point lead, but a 6 goal to 2 second half saw Southerners take the flag with a 12 point win.
The opening to the contest felt every bit like a Grand Final, with tight contests all over the ground and fierce tackling from both sides. Early in the game, the gap between the sides was Deanmill’s superior ability to convert, and a capacity to do the brilliant basics. The Hawks held their chances when they came and were more than content to move the ball forward by whatever means necessary if required, important after a pre game shower left conditions a little slippery at Pemberton Oval.
It was the Hawks who opened the scoring, after Riley Hetherington and Brodie Rayson combined in the middle of the ground to drive the team deep into attack. Elijah Bennett, who was already looking lively and a difficult match up for Jayden Sawyer, was rewarded for a big tackle and lined up for the game’s first goal. From a tight angle, Bennett made the kick look easy and put the Hawks on the board. Minutes later, Mark Hordienko read the ball well off the back of a marking contest and goaled from inside the goal square to put Souths a point in front. Several minutes of tough, tight football followed with the sheer pressure forcing mistakes from both sides, but Deanmill appeared to be getting on top. Zachary Wren was part of a pack in front of of Deanmill’s goal 10 minutes in and got his own front and centre, following up the contest with an outstanding pick up and goal around the corner to give the Hawks back the early lead.
Minutes later Bennett extended the lead after another free kick, this time held onto after a ruck contest. He once again slotted the goal to give Deanmill a double digit lead as he then changed into the ruck. In the 16th minute, the Hawks executed an end to end move that landed with Hetherington, who put the 4th on the board for Deanmill and surely had at least mini alarm bells ringing in the Southerners box as the Hawks went to quarter time with a 15 point lead.
In the early minutes of the second term, Stefan Renzullo added to the lead with a move that started from an important one on one win by Spencer Hanrahan in defence. The intensity lifted another notch as Southerners tried to work their way into the game and stop the scoreboard damage the hot Hawks were inflicting at the time. Hordienko found an answering goal midway through the quarter, with a move that started with an intercept mark from Harry Cybula in Southerners’ defensive 50.
Hetherington then kicked one of the most remarkable goals you could hope to see in any game, let alone a Grand Final. Matt Watt lined up for Deanmill’s 6th, with the ball dropping short in the goal square. Hetherington at the front of the pack threw a boot at it and managed to flick it back over his head, with the goal standing after a brief discussion between umpires.
Byron Sebire, normally a prime mover for Southerners but looking sore at times during the first half, marked at the top of the square to give Souths a late goal and reduce the margin to 14, a margin that at the time looked unders given Deanmill’s first half performance. On the plus side for Southerners, with the margin at 14, several of their usually influential players hadn’t really got going.
Southerners needed a fast start in the third term and got one. Riley Gill, after a tough first half, showed his class with a mark about 40 from goal and put the ball almost on the goal line with the resulting kick. Chayce Stacpoole marked on the line and turned to kick the goal, the exact start Daniel Nitschke would have been looking for from his side. The game then turned into an arm wrestle with both sides giving their all. In a wonderful advertisement for the East Perth Football Club Colts competition in the Lower South West, both sides ran hard, tackled with ferocity and defended with the effort level any side would want in a Grand Final. It took until past the half way point of the third quarter for the second, and last, goal of the quarter. Brody Bachos simply wouldn’t give up on a ground ball and kept it moving his way, before eventually getting a handle on it and booting a fine goal around the corner.
The game was all set up with just 4 points in it at the final change. Southerners were clearly coming on strong, and would have taken heart from overcoming a deficit in the 2025 decider. The Hawks, while under pressure, still had the points on the board and if they could get back to the levels they reached in the first half, certainly had the opportunity to close the game out.
Both coaches put several of their biggest hitters into the middle of the action for the start of the last quarter. Bennett lined up opposite Gill in the ruck, while the likes of Hetherington, Cooper Rayson, Cybula and Lachie Hughes were also present, while Stacpoole, who had played much of the game forward, started on a wing.
With the score at 36 – 40 at the final change, it seemed likely to be an arm wrestle to the finish. When Sebire goaled just a minute in, and Stacpoole followed up minutes later, the 8 point lead felt large in the context of the game and Southerners’ lift in the half. Lincoln Reeve however answered back for the Hawks to bring the margin back to 2 points, as both teams went on a run that saw 5 goals kicked in the first 10 minutes of the quarter. The tackling was still fierce, but gaps were opening up around the ground as the players started to tire after a physical, high intensity contest. Rocco Pipicelli again pushed the margin to 8 points for Southerners, with Corey Giancola again answering quickly to reduce it back to 2. Southerners had a couple of chances to extend the lead, but after the early goal rush, a couple of points were the only additions to the scoreboard until the 17 minute mark.
Hughes, who at that point had been one of the best players on the ground and arguably the most complete performer across all four quarters, put his biggest stamp on the game. He held his ground strongly to take a fantastic contested mark and from around 15 metres out and a 45 degree angle, Hughes kicked truly to push the margin back out to 10 points. With quarters being 17 minutes plus time on for scores only, the early goals loomed as Deanmill’s last hope to give them enough time to find the two goals required. It wasn’t to be however for Daniel Terrigno’s team as Southerners added the only remaining scores of the game to greet the final siren with a 12 point lead.
While losing a Grand Final is always a bitter pill, both sides should be proud of the quality of the contest and the spirit in which it was played. For the winners, Hughes did deservedly take home the Sportspower Manjimup Medal for Best on Ground. Jayce Messer was superb all day, while Byron Sebire worked his way into the game and had a critical influence. Sawyer was another who overcame a difficult first quarter and became important in the defensive 50, while Cybula was important throughout across half back and when he went into the middle.
For Deanmill, Riley Hetherington delivered yet another high quality performance, while Bennett was important, especially early. Brodie Rayson was superb, while Zachary Wren was exceptional throughout. Both Cejay and Koby Brown were also important for the Hawks.
