The South West colts produced a great campaign at the CBH Group Country Championships to earn their place in the grand final after an impressive opening day at Scotch College last Thursday.

South West booked its spot in the decider with two wins from three pool matches, including a strong opening victory over defending champions Peel and a dominant final round performance against Regional Districts.

The carnival began in ideal fashion as South West defeated Peel by 20 points.

Rhys Gardiner was influential in the ruck and around the ground, while Taj Houlahan, Tienen Murphy, Lewis Fairweather, Tanner Reid, Tyson Buswell and Josh Fry all hit the scoreboard.

Toby McGee and Taj Magee were also important as the defence withstood sustained second half pressure before South West pulled away.

The team’s only pool defeat came against eventual champions Great Northern, with South West falling just four points short after a spirited comeback.

Great Northern led by 23 points at half-time, but South West stormed back after the break through goals to Spencer Groenenberg, Kalani Downes and Noah Stewart, reducing the margin to just three points late in the contest before Great Northern held on.

Needing a convincing finish to keep their grand final hopes alive, South West delivered with a 36-point win over Regional Districts.

Josh Fry starred with three goals, while Gardiner continued his excellent championships with two majors as South West controlled the contest from start to finish.

Although the championship ended with defeat in the decider, South West’s run to the grand final highlighted the depth of young football talent across the region, with the side producing several stand-out performances against the State’s best country teams.