South Bunbury have won the 2025, Dale Alcock Homes South West, South West Football League Grand Final, in the most dramatic of circumstances, with Tom Gorter scoring a behind that hit the post, with seconds remaining, in one of the all time great grand finals.
The match had five lead changes, and despite the match being close throughout, scores were only level once – at the 24 minute mark of the final term, with another two minutes of dramatic play to unfold before the behind that would ultimately give South Bunbury back to back premierships, and their seventeenth flag.
In a tight first term, it would be Blaine Johnson who would score first, just two minutes into the match. Kade Wallrodt who played a fantastic game and would win the Pike Medal, would kick the Tigers second after receiving a 50m penalty. Trailing by eleven points the Magpies needed to respond, and after getting on terms with the Tigers, Busselton responded with Bailey Sanford kicking accurately from a set shot. With the Tigers looking likely to lead at quarter time, Liam Creighton took a great mark and put the Magpies in front, after the quarter time siren.
Wallrodt converted in the opening minute of the second to give South Bunbury back the lead, before the intensity went up a few more notches with some tough uncompromising football. Jace Cormack would be on the back of a chain of handballs to put the Tigers further in front, and when Captain Kevin Chitty snapped a good goal from 30m, the Tigers lead had swelled to sixteen points. Dylan Patterson put an end to the three consecutive goals from the Tigers, when his snap bounced away from two Tigers defenders. Wallrodt wouild goal again, before Blaine Johnson kicked another, and things were starting to look grim for Busselton. Like the first quarter, Busselton would have a shot after the siren, with Ryan Ekert giving Busselton some momentum going into half time.
That momentum followed through into the third term, with Creighton running into an open goal in the second minute, and when Ryan Ekert kicked a goal on the goal line, Busselton were right back in the match, trailing by just four points. Immediately, Wallrodt popped up again to give the Tigers a slender lead, but Ben Ganzer reduced it back to five points when he snapped a good goal from close range. Mitchell Cameron received a relay free-kick, which would put Busselton back in front, with the Magpies dominating the quarter, having eleven scoring shots for the term.
Leading by fifteen points at three quarter time, the Tigers reduced the margin back to four points at the nine minute mark of the last quarter. After this time, Busselton would score a behind to lead by five points, before the Tigers dominated the final half of the quarter, but couldn’t find the major opening. The Busselton defence twice saved a score on the goal line to keep scores locked at 73 apiece, but a sixth straight behind would be the score that would win the Tigers the Premiership.
Kade Wallrodt was outstanding, kicking five goals, which earnt him the Pike Medal.
Players from both sides were out on their feet in the concluding stages of an epic grand final.
SCOREBOARD
South Bunbury 2.1.13 7.4.46 8.8.56 10.14.74
Busselton 2.5.17 4.6.30 10.11.71 10.13.73
Goals: South Bunbury – Kade Wallrodt 5, Blaine Johnson 3, Kevin Chitty 1, Jace Cormack 1. Busselton – Liam Creighton 3, Ryan Ekert 2, Mitchell Cameron 1, Ben Ganzer 1, Tony Notte 1, Dylan Patterson 1, Bailey Sanford 1.
Best: South Bunbury – Kade Wallrodt, Thomas Gorter, Thomas Gallaway, Rocco Versace, Jack Wright, Ben Horsman. Busselton – Liam Creighton, Lucas Kemp, Beau Chinnery, Tony Notte, Bailey Sanford, Ben Ganzer
Ground: Hands Memorial Oval
Pike Medal: Kade Wallrodt (South Bunbury)
Umpires: Cameron Valenti, Khye Skoda, Talen Guthrie
Crowd: 3980
