The Preliminary Final of the Tyrepower Manjimup League season is set for Pemberton Oval on Sunday, with Southerners and Kojonup meeting for the right to face Deanmill in the Grand Final. Kojonup had a fantastic first half in the 2nd Semi Final, before the most un-Kojonup like performance in the second half as Deanmill turned up the intensity, while Southerners were outstanding in tough conditions in their 1st Semi Final victory over Bridgetown. So, what have previous matches between the two teams in 2025 given us by way of information to give us a glimpse at what may happen on Sunday?
Head to Head
The two teams have met on two occasions in 2025, with Kojonup winning both contests.
Round 5 – Kojonup 19.7.121 def. Southerners 11.8.74
Round 12 – Southerners 9.8.62 def. by Kojonup 15.12.102
The Round 12 game was played at Pemberton and conditions at the ground were still soggy after a run of three consecutive home games, that commenced with an unprecedented rainfall on the day of Southerners’ Round 10 clash with Deanmill. Southerners were also missing several key players on that occasion, and though they went down by 40 points on the day, did enough with an undermanned side to show they will be more than capable of taking it to the Cougars.
Key Players
Kojonup
Josh Crook – was superb on Sunday, even as the Cougars’ defence was put under extraordinary pressure by Deanmill. Rebounded forward and added a goal on Sunday, just his third for the year. Crook was absent in the Round 12 clash, so may be the ideal match up for the dangerous Ben Cabassi when he plays forward.
Harry Taylor – Taylor had a superb first 60 minutes against Deanmill, with perhaps one slightly forgettable moment in the 2nd Quarter, and had 4 goals on the board by half time. Like the rest of the Cougars’ forwards, he was starved of opportunities for much of the second half and was drawn well away from goals to get involved in the game. Kicked 5 goals back in Round 5 and 2 in Round 12 on a day that was tough for forwards. 6th in the league goal kicking for 2025 and a crucial match up for Souths to get right.
Lee Lucev – his 2 goals on Sunday equalled his lowest return for the season, with both goals coming in the final minutes of the contest, when the game seemed beyond Kojonup. Lucev has shown time and time again however that he shows up for the biggest games more often than not. Look for him to bounce back on Sunday, especially with a weather forecast that may suit him more than taller forwards. Has 8 goals from his two games against Souths.
Leon van Voorthuizen – has often been key to the Cougars’ ability to link up their defence and attack, with his hard running on the wing. A potential match up with Tayten Smith could go a long way towards deciding the outcome, especially if the forecast rain arrives and the teams want to play the game wide of the centre patch.
Lachlan O’Shea – like many of his team mates, fair to say O’Shea had a better first half than second on Sunday as the Hawks midfield got on top. O’Shea is all class however and has had an outstanding season, finishing equal 7th in the Tyrepower Medal.
Brad Ashton – was amongst the Cougars’ best in Round 12, after an absorbing duel with Tyson Jacob. Had a massive challenge on Sunday with Archie Hall and at this time of year, there are no easy games, especially in the ruck and particularly if it does get wet and ultra congested.
Southerners
Nick Sarsero – returned for the 1st Semi Final and in tricky conditions, to the surprise of absolutely no one, was outstanding. A good player in all conditions, Sarsero may be caught wishing for rain on the weekend where he excels, while the hard working Southerners committee will be hoping for the opposite.
Callen Sprigg – Runner Up in the Under 21 Best Player award, to team mate Tyson Jacob, Sprigg is a strong, straight lining forward who has a knack of pulling in a big grab regardless of the conditions. Kojonup’s defence had a torrid day on Sunday, and while Sprigg doesn’t arrive with the profile of Jordan Strahan, he is absolutely not an easy day out for whoever gets the match up on him. If you hear Mark of the Year was captured on Filming Footy’s coverage this week, whatever you do, don’t bet against it being Sprigg.
Lachlan Hughes – stepped up big time for the undermanned Souths in Round 12, going off the ground hurt, in amongst racking up plenty of possessions against experienced opponents. Provided plenty of energy and with Southerners’ Colts not playing this weekend – expect a fresh Hughes to be amongst the leaders of Souths’ youth brigade. If he can support a wing rotation with the likes of Smith (who missed the Round 12 clash), opposed to van Voorthuizen and co, his input will be crucial.
Ben Cabassi – 5 goals in the two outings against Kojonup in 2025, including 2 in tough conditions for forwards in Round 12. Cabassi’s flexibility makes it hard for opposition defences to settle as he rotates between forward duties and the midfield.
Tyson Jacob – has had an outstanding year with selection for East Perth Colts and on Friday received the award for Best Under 21 Player at the Tyrepower Medal Presentation Night. Up against Brad Ashton and co, Jacob will look to use his work rate around the ground and his height and spring to get on top of the Cougars’ big men.
Hamish Omodei – another with the potential to benefit from approaching a senior game fresh, with the Colts safely through to Saturday week’s Grand Final. Potentially gets the job on Mitchell Blakers or Lucev, who give Kojonup so much firepower along with Taylor and co.
The Big Questions
The top four system often arrives at a strange dynamic come Preliminary Final week. Kojonup have been superb all season, but their ability to bounce back from their second half against Deanmill will be crucial to their chances. Conversely, Southerners, who would likely start as the underdogs against Kojonup on season form, go into the game full of confidence and coming off a 14 day break, after their impressive Round 17 win over Deanmill and 1st Semi Final performance against Bridgetown.
Kojonup’s structure. Travis Abbott has given the Cougars defensive half balance in the latter part of the season – ironically after losing Clancy Norrish in the Round 12 clash with Southerners necessitated his shift back. Against Deanmill, Abbott eventually had to stand Strahan and while he did quieten the Deanmill powerhouse, it also robbed Kojonup of some rebound and his ability to zone off and create a 2 on 1. The Kojonup front half is capable of kicking goals with or without Abbott, but beyond Sprigg, many of Southerners’ goal kickers are hybrid mid sized forwards, or their midfielders. Where Abbott puts his own magnet this week will be a fascinating watch.
The forecast is not exactly tipping a return of the beautiful conditions we saw at Rea Park on Sunday. Southerners played on a very wet deck in Rounds 10 – 12, with a loss to a Deanmill in Round 10, a big win over Imperials in Round 11 and a hard fought loss to Kojonup in Round 12. Given the opposition and personnel changes in Round 12 particularly, are we any closer to knowing who will be happier if the rain does indeed arrive as forecast?
Both teams’ support cast. In all three previews to date – some of the usual names have come up. When we get this deep into the season, we know every team has some outstanding contributors that have been consistent performers in their teams’ success. Which team can get the biggest output from some of the less heralded names? The likes of Brent Clarke, Ryan Bellotti and Geoffrey Pethick don’t attract the same attention as some of their Cougars’ team mates, while for Southerners the likes of Samuel McRae and Tom Bendotti often fly under the radar, at least to opposition clubs. Sunday is going to take a contribution from all 20 players to take a place in Saturday week’s Grand Final.
Three weeks into these previews and still no chance I try and tip a winner. My only tips are it will be a closer game than the 40+ point margins between these two teams in both their meetings so far in 2025, and I’d rather be sitting at the desk live scoring than defending Ben Cabassi or Lee Lucev if conditions are tough and 120 minutes of concentration is required to keep them from doing the kind of scoreboard damage that could end a team’s season a week early.
For all the latest scores, goal kickers and best players – the Lower South West Football League has it’s home on PlayHQ HERE.
