THE Upper Great Southern Football League are the 2019 Landmark Country Football Champions after they defeated the Goldfields Football League by 21 points in the Division 1 Grand Final at Claremont Oval, in Perth, on Sunday.
UGS kicked 11.8 (74) to down GFL 8.5 (53), turning the tables on the round 1 clash between the two sides on Friday.
In the first of four qualifying games, on that occasion GFL 8.4 (52) defeated UGS 7.6 (48).
Both teams then went through the competition undefeated, with respective wins over the Avon Football Association, the South West Football League and the Peel Football and Netball Leagues to set up the Sunday afternoon rematch.
The Kalgoorlie-based team had a better start in the final, leading 3.1 to 2.2 at quarter time, but stumbled in the second quarter, failing to even register a single point, while UGS added another 4.4 to its tally, taking a handy lead at the major break.
The third quarter saw another momentum shift with UGS only kicking one point while GFL kicked 4.3, leading by three points at the last change.
The firepower in the UGS line-up, headed by former Essendon player Leroy Jetta, was too strong in the run to the final siren, with more of the ball penetrating GFL's defence to set up the win.
Jetta finished with four goals while Jake Wilson and Mason Hill claimed two each, and Jayden Schofield, Ryan Melvin and Matthew White all chipped in with one apiece.
Joshua Mathers and Sasha Kernutt were the multiple goalscorers for GFL with two each, while Alex Stuart, Cameron Symonds, Chandler Nelson and Brett McKinlay kicked one each.
Better players for the new champions were Alek Oliver, Matthew White, Simon Panizza and Jarrad Doney, while Brayden Sprigg Dos Santos, Jayden Bootsma, Alex Stuart and Kyle Hams were the better performers for GFL.
UGS coach and former Fremantle Docker star Paul Duffield was named coach of the 2019 Allstars.
William Thorne was a focal point up front for the Great Northern Football League in their 14.6 (90) to 2.5 (17) win over the Mortlock Football League in the Division 2 Grand Final.
Shannon Cox kicked two, while Kingsley Smith, Len Papertalk, Kurt Tunbridge, Elliot Delay, Leon Galby, Thomas Collins and Reginald Jones added to the scoreboard with one goal each.
There wasn't much to celebrate for the Mortlock boys with Alex Wenn and Samuel Bevan the only scorers.
Matthew Kimberley, William Thorne, Kingsley Smith, Dillon Battistessa and Leighton Bilgin were the best for GNFL.
For MFL, the better players included Josh Siegert, Maxwell Wilson, Chilton Yarran, Corey Taylor and Jerome Woods.
In Division 3 the Regional Allstars kicked 9.7 (61) to defeat the Great Southern Football League 7.6 (48).
Scorers for the Allstars were Keifer Yu with three, while Reece Griffiths, Daniel Farmer, Alex Byrne, Bo James, Braydon Wood and Michael Burgess kicked one each.
John Lee and Richard Wallis booted two each for GSFL, while Jack Steel, Jake Becroft and Dionne Woods contributed with one each.
Best players for the Allstars were Ben Staunton, Alex Byrne, Lewis Upton, Keifer Yu and for the GSFL Hamish McMorran, Harrison Lill, Luke Hutcheson and Jesse Wynne were the leading players.
In the Colts Grand Final South West 8.9 (57) defeated Southern Southern Storm 3.2 (21).
- For more results and pictures from the championships, make sure you grab this Thursday's edition of Farm Weekly.
