Country championships: South West colts side beat Great Northern and lose to Regional Districts on Friday

The South West colts side’s second day of country championships action at Pinjarra’s Sir Ross McLarty Ovalon Friday was mixed, edging out Great Northern before suffering a shock loss to Regional Districts. In a first-up rematch of last year’s championships final, the two teams played out another low-scoring thriller but the result was the same, with the 2023 winners coming late to steal a 2.5 (17) to 2.1 (13) victory. Deegan Cummings proved the hero for the South West with less than a minute to go, taking a strong inside-50 mark and converting a set shot to go to give his side the lead. Great Northern needed to win the next clearance in quick time to give themselves one last chance but could not do so, with the ball landing on the chest of Robert Chitty to mark the end of the game. Both teams looked up for the contest early, with Jaxon Graham’s opener for Great Northern cancelled out by a crafty finish from Hayze Griffiths. Deep into a tight half, a defensive-50 screamer from the South West’s Lucas Kemp was controversially chalked off for a block on Great Northern’s Mick Horstman, who goaled from the resulting free kick to give his side the lead back at the main break. The second half saw South West push but be unable to find an elusive major, with Rohan Grout and Seann Arrowsmith among the players to miss attempts on goal, before Nico Le Roux won a free kick for a high tackle and teed up Cummings’ winner with a long kick to the top of the goal-square. With the grand final immediately after, the South West were hoping for a stress-free final outing against Regional Districts, who had won only one game for the carnival, but got nothing of the sort with a 6.6 (42) to 2.2 (14) defeat. The South West looked near certainties to make the championships final — so much so that third-placed Great Southern had departed the venue — but were in the end only a few more Regional Districts goals away from disaster. The underdogs started the game in brilliant fashion, opening proceedings through a Kieren Douglas snap before Conor Cole followed up shortly after. Rohan Grout got the South West on the scoreboard but Regional Districts proved their hot start was no fluke, responding with two Riley Holden goals as quick as a flash to take a 22-point lead into half time. Tempers flared after the half-time break but Regional Districts were able to survive some South West pressure and build on their margin.