The South West’s bid for a historic third straight Nutrien Ag Solutions Men’s Country Championships division one title came to an end on Sunday, but coach Seth White said he remained proud of the players and staff who helped deliver another strong campaign.
After an unbeaten run through the pool matches, the Dale Alcock Homes South West side fell short in Sunday’s grand final, going down to Peel by 33 points at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on a three-peat, White said the effort and commitment from everyone involved over the past three years was something to be proud of.
“I’m still super proud of everyone that’s been involved, but we were just beaten by a better team today,” he said.
“We just didn’t start well, and then we just chased tail all day and when you play a good team and a quality side, it’s really hard to comeback and to their credit, they took their chances and made us pay.
“But I’m still super proud to be at the front of all this, and it’s been a good ride for three years, and we can’t win it every year so we have to make sure we come back bigger and better.”
The grand final loss came against Peel, the same side South West defeated in last year’s decider, continuing a growing rivalry between the two strongest country competitions in the State.
“I think it’s no secret that we both think we’re the best competition, and we’re definitely the top two competitions going around,” he said,
“So anytime we fight each other, it’s going to be a challenge, and you know we got the better of them last year, and they turned the table so well done to them.”
White said the biggest lesson from the loss was the need for the South West to continue playing with the attacking freedom that had carried them through the pool matches.
“I think if I’m still involved in it, I just think we just played a bit safe,” he said.
“I don’t think the boys played with with the usual flair and excitement that they usually do, I just think we went into our shell a bit and allowed Peel to dictate to us, and that’s probably something to take away.”
Three South West players were recognised for their performances across the carnival, with Liam Creighton, Caleb Stephens and Jack Fletcher named in the All Stars team.
Creighton was also awarded the Times Medal as the South West’s best player of the championships.
Co-captains Jesse Crichton and Tom Gorter led from the front all championships, said White, with their impact felt on and off the field.
“It’s not just what they do on the footy field, they’re super leaders,” he said.
“They’ve both obviously played at at the highest level, so I just love having them around and I get as much out of them as what hopefully they get out of me.”
White said creating a positive environment around the team remained a key part of the South West’s Country Championships approach even if the result didn’t go their way.
“That’s something we pride ourselves on and when I took over, I was going to make sure that we had a good time and we didn’t just make it about footy,” he said.
“We wanted people to go away and have some fun, and it is their weekend off, so we’re really happy with all that.”
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