The Grand Final Umpires for the Dale Alcock Homes South West, South West Football League Grand Final have been announced, with two umpires from last years decider getting the 2026 version again.

Talen Guthrie, who umpired last years match, and has gone on to umpire the Nutrien Ag Country Championship Grand Final and then represented Western Australia in the State Country Match, will oversee his second grand final.  He will be joined by Khye Skoda also umpiring his second grand final.

The third member of the panel will be Aaron Andrews, who has officiated in 354 League Games, and will umpire his eighth League Grand Final, joining Scott Jones who officiated eight League Grand Finals, and closing in on the all time record of ten held by Kevin Nettleton.

The emergency Field Umpire will be Matthew Stewart.

The boundary umpires will be Christian Walker, Daniella Schoeman, Asher Bourke and Jarrad Andrews who will officiate his 14th League Grand Final.   For Walker and Schoeman it will be their first, while Bourke umpired last years Grand Final.

The Goal Umpires who will have a tough job judging the strong wind on Grand Final day will be Vance Burton who also presided over last years Grand Final and Glenn Swann who will officiate his fourth Grand Final.    Blair Driscoll will be the third scorer (emergency).

Busselton and Bunbury will play off in the 2026, Dale Alcock Homes South West Grand Final at Hands Memorial Oval on Saturday, with history suggesting we are in for another close one.

Amazingly, two of the foundation clubs will play in just their second grand final against one another, with the other just six years ago.

The much anticipated second semi final clash between the two sides didn’t disappoint, with the match resulting in a one point victory to Busselton. Earlier in the season in the home and away matches, Busselton also won narrowly.

The two teams play a similar brand of football and both have match winners all over the ground.

Busselton have the Hayward Medallist in Mitch Tenardi roaming through the centre, while the runner-up Aidan Clarke of Bunbury is likely to join him at some point.

Busselton have Liam Creighton, the competitions leading goal kicker, while Bunbury have Jett Woods and Dylan Heasman who finished in the top ten on the season. In the Preliminary Final, Haydn Busher was dynamic giving Bunbury multiple avenues to goal.

Both sides have great defensive lines, though Tony Notte of Busselton would be the pick of the bunch, with his ability to read the play, second to none.

Both teams like to run and carry, and both sides have players with elite kicking skills.

Both teams have a blend of youth and experience, and both sides have players who have been in SWFL grand finals, knowing what it is like to both win and lose the biggest game of all.

The Average winning score in a grand final is 95.98, and it could easily be suggested that the winning score will be way lower than that. Earlier this year Busselton won 8.8.56—7.5.47, while in the Second Semi Final Busselton won 9.8.62 to 9.7.61. Ten goals may be enough to win, but it will almost also ensure a close match, with three of the last four grand finals separated by less than a goal at full-time.
Who wins? This is a legitimate line ball decision, with the agony and ecstasy awaiting the two combatants in a match that promises so much.

Busselton will play Harvey Brunswick Leschenault in the Tronox Women’s Grand Final on Saturday, with the Lions in their first decider.

It will be the experienced versus the debutants in the Tronox Women’s Grand Final, with Busselton having several players with Grand Final experience, while the Lions will be relying on just a couple.

A month ago, Busselton were the overwhelming favourites, but the Lions have showed in the second semi final they can challenge the Magpies, and potentially cause a big upset.  The Magpies will definitely not take the Lions lightly in promises to be a great match.

Harvey Brunswick Leschenault got the jump on Busselton in the second semi final kicking three quick goals, which only saw them  over-run in the final term.   The Lions did the same thing in the Preliminary Final, but on this occasion they went on with the job to record an emphatic win, setting up a rematch with Busselton.

Busselton who went through the home and away season undefeated, looked untouchable until the second semi final, which makes this match now an intriguing one as to what will happen.

Busselton do have Sarah Lang as the competitions leading goal scorer, and HBL have Trinity Brown, the Nola Marino Medallist. Both sides have talented midfields, and both sides like to run with the ball.   Busselton do have plenty of players who kick goals, which might be the difference, but based on the last match, it might be much closer than expected.

The Solahart Reserves Grand Final promises to be a close one, when Bunbury and Harvey Brunswick Leschenault play in the 2026 Reserves Grand Final at Hands Memorial Oval.

For most of the season it would be Harvey Brunswick Leschenault and Carey Park on top of the ladder, dominating the opposition, but Bunbury defeated Carey Park and the Lions to make the Grand Final first, leaving the top two sides at the end of the home and away season to battle it out in the Preliminary Final to play the Bulldogs.

Both sides have high quality full forwards with Joel Houghton at one end for Bunbury and Jarrod Humphries at the other for the Lions.

The last time the two sides met, the Bulldogs won by fifteen points in a very low scoring match with just ten goals kicked.   The Bulldogs kicked six and Joel Houghton kicked four of those, several from long range.

The Lions bounded back on the weekend for a twenty nine point win over Carey Park, with Humphries kicking two clutch goals to give the Lions the advantage, setting up the second semi final rematch.

Aside from the two genuine full forwards, both sides have plenty of players who can kick goals, and also influence the match.  Jordan McGinley recently won the Times Medal for Fairest and Best Player in the Reserves competition and is sure to get plenty of close checking from the Lions on Saturday.

Both teams also have strong defensive units down back, with the Lions defence the most miserly in the competition, with Bunbury ranked second.

Randall Hodgson mops up plenty of the ball in the defensive line for the Bulldogs and will be a key player, as will Keegan Williams  who has plenty of League experience as well.

When it comes to League experience both sides have at least seven players who have played League football, while the Lions having been in last years decider do have many players who know what its like to play in a Grand Final.

Bunbury won the Second Semi Final, the Lions won the two matches during the home and away season, firstly by 42 points at Brunswick Oval, and then at Payne Park by 10 points.

The Lions have played in twenty two grand finals for fifteen victories, while Bunbury have played in sixteen grand finals for nine wins.  The two sides have never played in a Reserves Grand Final.

The last eleven Reserves Grand Finals have been decided by twenty one points or less and of those eleven, four have been by seven points or less, and one was in extra time, giving all the hallmarks of another close Grand Final.   Bunbury last won the pennant in 2021, while Harvey Brunswick Leschenault last tasted glory in 2020.

Harvey Brunswick Leschenault will play South Bunbury in the Get Careers Colts grand final, this Saturday at Hands Memorial Oval.

The Get Careers Colts match is normally one of the best games of the day, and this one promises to be a ripper, with Harvey Brunswick Leschenault and South Bunbury to do battle in the 2026 decider.

The Lions are into their fourth straight Grand Final which is a great achievement, while the Tigers were last in a Colts Grand Final in 2019.

The Lions have won the last six contests between the two sides, but not by big margins, with the Lions winning the Qualifying Final by 23 points, while in round sixteen it was just seven points and in round five it was ten points.

The most recent match was played on neutral turf at Sir Stewart Bovell Park, with South Bunbury leading at half time, before the Lions kicked five goals to one in the second half to take victory.

Riley Preece, Rodney Joseph and Ziggy Freemantle were amongst the better players in that match and have been consistent contributors all season.   The Lions are tall side, none taller that Louis Gualter who regularly gets his hand to the ball first and is hard to match up on.

Up forward, Mason Bubb and Cody Matthews have combined to kick 51 goals between them, while at the other end, Eamon Ramsay has kicked 45 goals, highlighted by his fourteen majors in round twenty against the Bulls.

Both sides are highly skilled and like to run with the ball, and both have the ability to score quickly.   The Lions may have the advantage of having several players in their side that have played in a grand final, the  Tigers don’t have that luxury, however they are playing on Hands Memorial Oval, which they are sure to use to their advantage.

The Lions have played in seventeen colts grand finals winning eight and losing nine, while the Tigers have been in ten, winning five.    The Lions have won the last two premierships and will looking to make it a third, while South Bunbury have not won the Colts competition since 2005.  In that Grand Final the Tigers defeated the Lions by ten points, just one of two times they have met in a Grand Final, the other was in 1986.