Busselton have defeated Bunbury at Hands Memorial Oval on Sunday afternoon, in some of the worst conditions seen for a while at the venue.
Despite the surface being in very good condition, the wind was un-relenting, with gusts of up to 56kmph which at times had the goal posts particularly at the Southern End almost bending in half. Added to the wind, would be rain and the occasional squall, with a bit of sunshine thrown in, making conditions incredibly hard for the players.
The match would be witnessed by one of the smaller Preliminary Final crowds in recent times, with 1383 people braving the elements, while the scoreline itself created it’s own records. Busselton’s winning score of 4.12.36 is the lowest winning score of any League final, beating the Hawks 2022 Grand Final winning score of 5.7.37 which was played in perfect conditions.
With hail showering down before the league game, conditions were never going to be ideal, with Bunbury kicking with the aide of the wind in the first quarter. Trae Field kicked a great goal on the run five minutes into the match, allowing the wind to do the rest as the Bulldogs took the early lead. But that would be the only goal, as the ball lived almost exclusively on the outer side, with Busselton doing a great job of defending.
The question would be, would one goal be enough with the breeze, and the answer appeared to be yes, with Busselton also managing just one goal with the wind in the second. That would come after Kane Mitchell managed to slot through a goal at the Southern end which briefly gave the Bulldogs a twelve point lead. Busselton’s goal would come from Liam Creighton who converted from 30m out to narrow the margin to one point at half time.
Busselton didn’t score in the third term, with Cameron Lamonaca giving Bunbury their only goal of the term, five minutes into the third quarter. The remainder of the term would see the ball live between the arcs, with Busselton’s defence working effectively to quell Bunbury’s scoring.
Ryan Ekert converted a set shot early in the last term, and when Brodie Howell goaled at the nine minute mark of the quarter, Busselton were in front for the first time in the match. Busselton were constantly on the attack but couldn’t find the major opening, managing six consecutive behinds, before Ky Meers goaled in the final minute of the match, sending the Magpie faithful into raptures and into a Grand Final against South Bunbury, who defeated Buseelton in the second semi final by just three points.
It certainly was not a day for the forwards, with the defenders relishing the conditions, with Tony Notte as solid as a rock for Busselton, while Beau Chinnery and Lucas Kemp also played well.
Bunbury were galant in defeat, and finish third in 2025.
SCOREBOARD
Busselton 0.1.1 1.6.12 1.6.12 4.12.36
Bunbury 1.1.7 2.1.13 3.2.20 3.2.20
Goals: Busselton – Liam Creighton 1, Ryan Ekert 1, Brodie Howell 1, Ky Meers 1. Bunbury – Trae Field 1, Cameron Lamonaca 1, Kane Mitchell 1.
Best: Busselton – Beau Chinnery, Tony Notte, Lucas Kemp, Ethan Bowman, Jalen Hoffman, Jozef Parkinson. Bunbury – Mackenna Taylor, Tyson Wood, Durak Tucker, Trae Field, Haydn Busher, Hamish Hall
Ground: Hands Memorial Oval
Umpires: Talen Guthrie, Khye Skoda, Cameron Valenti
Crowd: 1383
