Busselton Magpies take down high-fliers Bunbury in SWFL grand final rematch

In a marathon grand final rematch at Sir Stewart Bovell Park Busselton Magpies knocked off the SWFL’s top side, defeating Bunbury Bulldogs 16.9 (105) to 14.8 (92). The two sides might have already faced off in wet conditions just three weeks ago in round 12 but the Magpies and the Bulldogs squared off once again in the rescheduled round three match-up. Busselton looked to dominate early with goals from Austin Styles, Mitch Tenardi and Dylan Patterson giving them the early advantage. Not willing to let the Magpies get away, Bunbury amped up the defensive pressure but struggled to gain territory until Harry Creasey broke through from the midfield to open the scoring for the Bulldogs. In the midst of the physical contest with plenty of stoppages, Busselton continued building their advantage with further goals from Patterson and Creighton. However, Bunbury were not losing hope with majors from Jett Rigby and Jake Symington cutting the margin to 17 points at the first break. Busselton’s control continued into the second term as Creighton began showing some flair on the field with an impressive mark early which was quickly backed up with his second goal for the afternoon followed by a major from Matthew Welburn just seconds later. Bunbury continued fighting from the back line but still struggled to convert after a soccer goal from Kester Decke extended Busselton’s lead. Eager to respond in a big way, Bunbury tried to turn the tide with majors from Travis Justins and Jethro Barraclough the catalyst they needed to fight back. After a third Bunbury goal via Liam Renton, Busselton looked to take back control and extended their lead after two goals through Decke and Patterson to lead 10.6 (66) to 5.2 (32) at half-time. After a light shower during the main break, Bunbury returned to the field looking to gain ground. While they got off to an ideal start with a goal from Paddy Farrant, Busselton started swooping into the contest with a major from Jon Meadmore after a stalemate. However, Bunbury hit back with two successive goals from Randall Hodgson to bring them back into the game. But with two goals from Jaxon East the margin blew back out to four goals at the final change. Although the Bulldogs fought hard until the end, the Magpies’ ideal start gave them the much-needed push to defeat the league’s top side by 13 points.