SWFL 2022: Busselton player-coach Rennie Meadmore overwhelmed by ‘special’ milestone in first season as coach

If there was one word that to describe how Busselton player-coach Rennie Meadmore felt after the club’s maiden SWFL Women’s premiership, it was special. Following the thrilling conclusion to the 2022 SWFL Women’s season, which saw the Busselton Magpies hold off the Bunbury Bulldogs by a single point to claim the premiership for the first time last Sunday, Busselton players, coaches and supporters were overcome with emotion. There were scenes of sheer euphoria and jubilation as players piled on top of one another and embraced to celebrate the immediate impact of their historic win, which capped off a highly successful first season for Meadmore as the squad’s head coach, the new role she took on late last year. In the midst of the celebrations, Meadmore could be seen shedding tears as she embraced several of her squad members, club officials and friends, and sealed it all with a kiss with husband Jon Meadmore and their daughter. Following the match, Meadmore told the South Western Times she said had “no words” to describe how she felt. “We put in all the hard effort this year so to come out on top by a point is pretty bloody special,” she said. “It has been a new challenge after being the captain of the side for a while which was pretty special but to now coach an unreal squad means 10 times more. “We just kept ticking the boxes and we got there in the end.” During the post-grand final presentations, Meadmore also praised Bunbury coach Michelle Harris, acknowledging the huge milestone of having a SWFL Women’s grand final where both sides were coached by women. “To be the first two women to coach in a grand final has just got to be something special,” she said. “Hopefully we show the way for women in footy in the future and they step into more coaching roles.”