Eagles ready to take premiership

Boddington are poised to collect back-to-back premierships in the Upper Great Southern Football League after seeing off minor premiers Wickepin in Sunday’s semifinal.

The reigning premiers won direct passage to this year’s decider after their 9.11 (65) to 6.11 (47) victory at Wagin’s Matera Oval.

The Warriors were in firm control early, holding the majority of the contest in their forward half.

Ryan Melvin, Dion Anthony and Kim Schofield were prolific for Wickepin, collecting plenty of first-term possessions, while Jayden Schofield punished the Eagles coming out of defence with multiple intercept marks across half forward.

Boddington’s back six, led by Matthew Giumelli and Joshua Commisso, held firm under enormous pressure, forcing Wickepin to kick long and high inside their forward 50.

After three consecutive misses, Anthony finally made the breakthrough for Wickepin, kicking a goal on the run from 45m out on a tight angle.

Jaxon Ramsay found his side’s second for the quarter, collecting a hands-in-the back free 35m out, before Jayden Brooks added a third to give Wickepin a 3.4 (22) to 0.2 (2) lead at quarter-time.

Anthony and Aidan Omodei continued to give Wickepin control of the ball early in the second term.

Matthew White and Ben Sherry kept Boddington in the contest across the field, while Commisso consistently found the chest of his teammates by boot on the rebound. An intercept mark from a diving Harrison Ellis 35m in front of goal led to the Eagles’ first goal of the afternoon.

Luke Crouch quickly responded for Wickepin, however White and Sherry combined to win the next centre clearance, setting up a goal for Boddington’s Jimi Gillespie.

Lachlan Young brought his side within six points with a classy snap in a pack before a goal from White levelled the scoreboard.

Dean Hart started to dominate for the Eagles across half-back, taking an intercept mark, which led to Boddington’s fifth goal for the match through Jesse Ramshaw, whose goal gave the reigning premiers a 5.6 (36) to 4.4 (28) lead at half-time.

Both sides could only manage a single goal in the third term, with Boddington hitting the scoreboard first through Lewis Gillespie, before Anthony kicked truly for Wickepin. Boddington led 6.10 (46) to 5.7 (37) at the last change.

Ramsay and Jayden Schofield led a strong forward press to begin the fourth quarter, with Wickepin desperate to hit the scoreboard.

They could only manage three behinds as Giumelli, Commisso and Alek Oliver scrambled in defence, before Matthew Almenara finally broke the Wickepin press, leading to a big Gillespie goal from a set shot on the boundary line.

Humble won the following centre clearance, creating a second goal for Ellis. Schofield kicked a ground ball through goals to give the Warriors a sniff, but Gillespie found his third shortly afterwards to seal the match.