Forrestdale has emerged victorious from the inaugural Pre-Season Cup.
A crowd of around 500 people lined the oval at Creyk Park and kept the canteen volunteers busy all day.
Kelmscott, Gosnells, Forrestdale, and Lynwood Ferndale Football Clubs each entered a senior men’s side, with six round robin games played throughout the day followed by a Grand Final at 5pm.
Forrestdale blitzed its first three round robin games, scoring three out of three wins, and shooting straight to the finals.
After a gruelling day of footy, the final round robin match was a play-off between the Lynwood Ferndale Panthers and the Kelmscott Bulldogs.
Both teams fielded young sides; the majority of each team were Colts who had earned their place in the side through consistent effort during the pre-season.
But it was the Bulldogs who emerged victorious from that skirmish and charged into the finals.
Pre-Season Cup sponsor and Member for Burt Matt Keogh tossed the coin, and both teams trudged onto the field for their fourth game of the day.
Forrestdale now boasts five senior teams, and Sunday’s cup saw a mixture of all grades run out together. With a squad of 40 and the benefit of a short break between games, the Falcons were certainly looking more fresh-legged against the smaller and younger Kelmscott side.
“That was a lesson we’ll take on board for next year – Forrestdale were much better prepared,” Bulldogs coach Shannon Collard said.
But the Falcons were also all class, and earned their victory convincingly.
Best on Ground during the final was Forrestdale’s captain Michael Millington, and the Best Overall Player on the day as voted by the umpires was Forrestdale’s Jayden Little.
But spokespeople for both the Bulldogs and the Falcons conceded that the real winner on the day was community football.
“It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about building relationships with the other local clubs,” Shannon Collard said.
All agreed that, as the first of its kind, the Pre-Season Cup operated flawlessly.
“Huge shoutout to the Kelmscott Bulldogs Football Club, the inaugural Pre-Season Cup was executed perfectly and you should be proud of getting it off the ground,” Forrestdale said.
Main organiser Shannon Collard said word of the event has spread to other local clubs, and he’s already had interest in next year’s cup from Belmont and Cockburn.
“We want to make it an annual event, and we’re working on expanding it to eight teams and two ovals next year,” he said.
“We can’t wait until we get a chance to host it and give back to the other clubs,” a Forrestdale spokesperson said.
Photographs – Richard Polden
