Landmark carnival: colts do battle for top spot

Northern Suns v Ragional Distrcits

3.01pm: A game between two fairly strong and evenly matched sides in this one shapes as a potential thriller.

South West v Peel

2.58pm: FULL TIME. Despite a bit of after the siren magic from Peel, the Cavaliers fall short to the South West who claimed a 3.0 (18) to 5.5 (35) win.

2.41pm: South West in control of this match now as it becomes a slug fest.

2.30pm: HALF TIME. Despite a spirited display from both teams, the South West is thoroughly outclassing Peel on the scoreboard. They lead 4.4 (28) to 1.0 (6) at the half time break.

2.24pm: Temper, temper. Players fire up after an altercation on the wing. One South West player handed a yellow card. A number of spectators, presumably Peel supporters, heard voicing their distaste.

2.22pm: South West struggling to assert themselves in the tough conditions, despite controlling a lot of play. But a goal to Peel's Jordann Ness late in the first half keeps the game close.

2.07pm: Ball has been bounced and the South West are the first to bag a goal through the boot of wiry runner Braiden McMullen.

2.03pm: Teams are warming up for what has become the best rivalry at the Landmark Country Football Championships – Peel v South West. The neighbouring leagues both usually put in strong showings but it will take an extra-special effort for Peel to claim a win over the South West here.

Regional Districts v Great Southern

158pm: That’s the game, Regionals win. In a game that got a little overheated toward the end, Regionals were able to take a 5.5 (35) to 4.1 (25) win on the back of a ripping second half.

1.56pm: A late one to Great Southern makes this an interesting game. Tempers starting to flare with a number of minuscule melees breaking out.

 1.49pm: And here comes the hail! You really have to feel for the players as hail has just begun to bucket down. It looks to be a short-live spell, but unpleasant nonetheless.

1.41pm: And just like that, Regionals hit the front. A nice goal from a hard angle to Jarrod Humhpries puts Regionals in the lead.

1.39pm: Jordan Hooks goals to give Regionals a real sniff at a come-from-behind win here.

1.35pm: Play back underway and an early goal to Matthew Abraham has the Regionals back within two straight kicks of the lead. 

1.28pm: Great Southern sure came to play. Regional Districts fighting hard but are yet to boot a major. Both sides have the same amount of scoring shots but accuracy telling the tale. Great Southern leads 3.0 (18) to 0.3 (3) at the half.

1.25pm: A couple of class goals to Great Southern has them in the lead but this game could go either way. Both backlines are scrapping hard for their teams. Storm’s Jaike Dale playing well around the ground.

1.15pm: True stalemate in this one, no goals kicked so far and the conditions are really getting to both sides. Regional Districts appear to have the upper hand in terms of general play, albeit by a thin margin.

1.05pm: Great Southern return to the field after claiming the scalp over the South West, this time to take on another title contender in Regional Districts. Can they claim another upset? We’ll know in about an hour.

Peel v Northern Suns

12.59pm: The Peel Cavaliers have broken their drought and won the first game of the carnival with an upset victory over Northern Suns. The Suns fought hard late but the Cavs stayed firm to claim a 6.6 (42) to 5.3 (33) victory.

12.47pm: Let there be light! Dark skies have forced the lights to come on at midday and forced me back inside the safety and warmth of my car.

12.45pm: Spoke too soon. Suns hit back with one of their own. Still a task to get the win from here, but not such a tall one now.

12.44pm: The only goal of the half so far as gone Peel’s way as the Cavs inch closer and closer to their first win as the seconds tick by. It would take a huge push from the Suns to get over the line. 

12.37pm: Play has resumed and five minutes into the second half it’s Peel maintaining their two goal lead after each side has scored a point. 

12.31pm: HALF TIME. Some accurate kicking from both sides as neither have kicked a behind in the first half. It’s the Cavaliers out in front of the Suns 5.0 (30) to 3.0 (18).

12.14pm: Peel playing the better brand of football here early, but not putting much score on the board for their efforts. They lead by a goal midway through the first.

12.06pm: Anderson already making his presence felt for the Cavaliers, but the ball has spent the majority of its time in the Suns’ forward line. However, each side has one goal early on.

12pm: Peel takes on Northern Suns in each side’s first match of the day. Northern Suns have the upper hand on paper, but Peel’s poor scores yesterday didn’t reflect the hard work by their players. Plus, having star player Ky Anderson back in the line-up helps a lot.

South West v Great Southern

11.56am: What a game! Easily the best match of the colts carnival so far as Great Southern pull off a nail-biting upset to win the game 6.5 (41) to 5.5 (35). Jake Becroft was close to best afield for Great Southern while Connor Walker shone for the South West.

11.53am: Raining on their parade: As the day’s first rain starts to fall, so do the South West’s hopes of going undefeated. They trail narrowly in an epic, but with the ball in their back half it looks like a near-impossible task.

11.47am: Consecutive goals to Dylan Heasman have the South West back in this one. They trail 35-40 in the dying stages.

11.46am: Hearing reports of vicious hail storming down on the division one games at HBF Arena in Perth. No rain here in Pinjarra as of yet, but any minute now…

11.43am: Well, how things have changed. The South West’s early dominance has been thrown out the window by a very hungry Great Southern side. South West looks likely to lose its first game of the carnival unless they can pull something out now.

11.34am: Play has resumed but unfortunately due to a scoreboard error we can’t bring you an updated scoreline yet. We will update you as soon as possible.

11.24am: HALF TIME. Great Southern hit back in the final minutes of the half and we have a ripper on our hands at the break. Although, the South West had some stellar second halves yesterday, so Great Southern will need to keep their high intensity up.

1.22am: Anyone would think Great Southern read my last update. Since then, they’ve been well on top of the contest with regular inside 50s and a couple of goals coming from them.

11.14am: Two consecutive goals to the South West give them some breathing space midway through the first half. Great Southern struggling to stay with the competition favourites.

11.03am: Jake Becroft continues his good form from yesterday, nailing Great Southern’s first of the day.

11.01am: Hi again fellow grass roots footy fans, we’re back on deck ready for all the action from Pinjarra Football Club today. First up, the undefeated South West take on the 1-1 Great Southern. South West has kicked an early goal to take the lead 1.0 (6) to 0.1(1) early.

South West v Northern Suns

4.07pm: That wraps up a big day of footy here at Bendigo Bank Stadium. Some brilliant displays of footy and we’ll see you again tomorrow at Pinjarra.

4.06pm: FULL TIME. Final siren in the day’s final game sees South West beat the Northern Suns 55 – 33. South West remains the only unbeaten side in the colts.

3.59pm: Luke Slater makes the Suns task an impossible one with a goal giving the South West a 22-point lead.

3.57pm: Jordan Corbett bags a goal that lifts South West to what would appear to be an unassailable lead. South West up 49 to 33 with the majority of the second half behind us.

3.49pm: Two quick goals to Xavier Williamson have the South West up by 10 points. They’re threatening to run away with it here.

3.45pm: Dylan Heasman has played a great game, and hits the first major of the half with a goal for the South West. South West down by a point two minutes in.

3.44pm: Play has resumed and both sides still appear to be in attack mode, this one has the potential to go down to the wire.

3.42pm: Fun fact – the South West and Northern Suns share three of the past four colts A-section flags, with the remainder going to Peel.

3.34pm: A late goal to Northern Suns forward Mitchell Henry gives the Suns an eight-point lead at half time. They lead the South West 4.1 (25) to 5.3 (33). 

3.28pm: Leslie Rossiter nails a very impressive left-foot goal under pressure to bring the Suns within a point. SWFL leads 4.1 to 4.0 with four minutes left in the half.

3.20pm: Mitchell Henry puts one through the big sticks. Entertaining match here as Northern Suns lead 13 to 18.

3.14pm: Quicker, more high-scoring game on our hands with this affair. Northern Suns booted another through the boot of James Warrell, they lead by six.

3.11pm: Bailey Sanford hits back with a nice goal for the South West, scores level just a few minutes in.

3.09pm: Khyle Ugle opens the scoring for the match with a set shot goal for Northern Suns.

3.06pm: No love for Peel’s Callum Dews, as “Callum Dews is a Flog” flashes up on the digital scoreboard.

Great Southern v Peel

3pm: FULL TIME. The sun, much like Great Southern, has shone for the entire second half. Peel lose their second for the day going down 7.7 (49) to 3.4 (22).

2.57pm: A goal to Mitchell Lenegan puts the game out of reach for the Cavaliers, who will suffer their second loss of the day.

2.51pm: Tom Baldwin kicks his third to put his side out to a 20-point lead. Peel has not scored since the first half, a comeback win is looking unlikely.

2.47pm: Jake Becroft dribbles through a stunning goal to deliver an eight-point lead for Great Southern. Storm leads Peel 4.5 (29) to 3.3 (21) midway through the second half.

2.43pm: Bit of a tussle to start the second half. Peel has had plenty of opportunity, but continue to waste the footy.

2.31pm: HALF TIME. A much better showing from Peel compared to their first game, but Great Southern isn’t letting them off the hook. Both teams fighting hard with scores level at 3.3 (21) at the half. Tom Baldwin (Great Southern) and Jordan Ness (Peel) both have two goals.

2.25pm: Two quick goals to Tom Baldwin gift Great Southern the lead. They’re up 3.2 (20) to 2.2 (14) mid way through the first.

2.20pm: Peel gets their second goal for the match through Jake Vittorangeli, but the Storm get a quick response through Brandon Woods. Peel leads 1.2 to 2.2 with 14 minutes gone.

2.17pm: Gloomy clouds persist in hanging over the oval, but little rain is yet to fall.

2.14pm: The first goal of the match goes to Jordan Ness, who unleashes a great set shot for six points. Peel moving the ball much better than their first game.

2.08pm: Ball has been bounced and Peel are set to take on Great Southern. Both sides are searching for their first wins.

South West v Regional Districts

2.03pm: FULL TIME. South West put the burners on to run away with a huge win in their opening game, beating Regional Districts 3.1 (19) 12.5 (77). Braiden McMullen and Dylan Heasman were impressive for the South West in the win.

1.51pm: The South West are running away with it now, with consecutive goals to Reece Ralston and Luke Slater gifting the heavyweights a 46-point lead.

1.48pm: A fantastic snap goal to Dylan Heasman has the South West in a comfortable position as they should cruise to a win in this one. They lead 2.1 (13) to 7.5 (47).

1.43pm: South West hit back through the boot of Lachie Hernaman, lead 2.1 (13) to 5.5 (35) with nine minutes played.

1.41pm: A few costly errors from the South West as they give away a high tackle free inside 50 and then fail to man the mark, allowing Mitchell Thornton to goal. Regionals trail South West 2.1 (13) to 4.5 (29) with six minutes gone.

1.35pm: Bounce is down and the second half is underway, it would take an almighty push from from Regionals to take a win from here.

1.33pm: Kyle Hickman defending solidly for the South West, with Troy Edwards playing a similar role in the Districts backline.

1.29pm: HALF TIME. The South West outplayed Regionals for most of the first half, but Districts fought their way back into some form of a content in the final five minutes. South West leads 1.1 (7) to 4.3 (27) at the break.

1.27pm: After a struggle, Regional Districts have their first goal from the boot of Matthew Abraham from a Jarrod Humphries assist. 

1.19pm: South West putting the foot to the pedal in this five minute spell as Lachlan Payet makes something out of nothing with a quick foot-to-ball goal in the square. His brilliance followed shortly after by Jake Bloomfield. South West lead 3.3 (21) to 0.1 (1) half way through the first half.

1.14pm: Bailey Sanford opens the goals for the game by booting South West’s from a beautiful set shot. 

1.11pm: Both sides showing signs of class early in the match, but both backlines keeping the scores down with stringent defence. South West leads 0.1 (1) to 0.2 (2) with just seven minutes played.

1.05pm: Ball has been bounced for what could be a grand final preview of the carnival. Both sides look to be true contenders for the 2016 crown.

Northern Suns v Great Southern

12.58pm: We’ve just added some photos from Northern Suns’ win, check them out in the above gallery.

12.57pm: FULL TIME. Northern Suns come away with a 4.2 (26) to 2.6 (18) win. Ripping game between the two sides, with Great Southern ruing some missed opportunities.

12.49pm: Both sides continue to contest the footy hotly, neither look to be budging yet.

12.44pm: Brendan Stone gets the quick reply for the Suns. Suns lead by 10, 10 minutes gone.

12.43pm: A goal to Jake Becroft brings Great Southern within four points, eight minutes gone in the second half.

12.37pm: Spoke too soon, Northern Suns goal through a great set shot. Suns getting some strong overlap run in now.

12.35pm: Second half resumes. No early signs that either side is going to pull away in this one. 

12.29pm: Much closer game than the first one on our hands here at the half time break.

12.27pm: HALF TIME. Brendan Stone looking lethal for the suns in the forward line. He takes a strong contested mark and boots one from point blank range to put the Suns up 2.2 (14) to 1.4 (10).

12.22pm: The score gets even closer with a goal to Rivers Ryder for Northern Suns making the score 1.1 (7) to 1.4 (10). Great Southern lead with 18 minutes gone in the first half.

12.19pm: Still a close game but Great Southern Storm seem to have the advantage. Their tackling pressure has been outstanding and Ben Watson has been sharp.

12.13pm: Hamish McMorran breaks the drought, kicking the first goal 10 minutes into the half and giving the lead to Great Southern.

12.09pm: Fast-paced game on our hands early in this one, plenty of end-to-end action with both teams entering forward lines for no goals.

12pm: Next up, reigning champions Northern Suns take on Great Southern.

Peel vs Regional Districts

11.57am: FULL TIME. Regional Districts make an absolute statement in the opening match of the carnival, destroying Peel in the second half to run away with a 13.8 (86) to 3.7 (25) win. Humphries an easy candidate for best on ground. Wrigley and Ness shone for Peel.

11.52am: Humphries continues his dominance in the forward line with another, Regionals lead by 62 points in the dying stages of the game.

11.43am: Consecutive goals to Luke Larkins for Regional Districts has the fat lady warming up her vocals. Game truly out of Peel’s reach now. Regionals lead 3.6 (24) to 11.8 (74) qith 15 minutes gone in the second half.

11.39am: Consecutive goals to Jarrod Humphries and Matthew Abraham have Regional Distrcits up 3.4 (22) to 9.7 (61) with 10 minutes gone in the second half. Both have been on fire in the forward line.

11.33am: Play has resumed. Peel has upped their intensity but continue to fall down when they go deep into their forward line. Score is 3.4 (22) to 6.7 (43) four minutes into the second half.

11.23: HALF TIME. Tough footy from both sides, but Regional Districts in control on the scoreboard. Regionals lead 3.2 (20) to 6.6 (46) at the half. Matthew Abraham has looked deadly in the Regionals forward line while Chad Wrigley is performing admirably for the PFL.

11.19am: Regional Districts are in commanding control of the game. Peel is giving great effort but pressure from Regionals has them coughing the ball up in all the wrong places. A goal to Jarrod Humphries had the lead at 5.6 (36) to 2.2 (14) with 20 minutes played.

11.15am: A goal to Matthew Abraham pushes Regional Districts’ lead out to 17 points.

 11.11am: Peel’s Jordann Ness boots his side’s second. Cavaliers trail 2.1 (13) to 2.2 (14) midway through the first half.

11.09am: Slippery weather making for some physical contests around the footy. Few crunching hits being laid in the packs.

11.04am: Rain seems inevitable here at Mandurah’s home of football, but bioth sides are maintaining a fairly classy level of footy early.

11.01am: Chad Wrigley wheels around and nails a classy shot to give Peel their first goal. Scores tied at 1.1 (7) six minutes in.

10.56am: Regional Districts are the first on the board against Peel Thunder with a goal to Ben Sherry. Sherry took advantage of a one-on-one matchup in the goal square to kick an easy set shot.

10.52am: How’s this for a view? Thanks goes to the Peel Football and Netball League for setting us up with some of the best seats in the house.

10.39am: We’ve just touched down and set up our gear for the day to begin our rolling coverage of the 2016 Landmark Country Football Championships colts division. The Peel Cavaliers are looking to defend their home turf of Bendigo Bank Stadium in the day’s first game.