Peel Cavaliers make it back-to-back Landmark Country Football Championship wins with victory over South West Football League

Clayton Falkingham had just taken over the reigns as coach of the Peel Cavaliers and they were determined to snatch the title from the perennial powerhouse South West Football League, who had just won their fifth consecutive Landmark Country Football Championships.

Fast forward to today and the Cavaliers have just claimed their second title in as many years, going back-to-back thanks to a pair of grand final wins over the South West.

“When I took the job two years ago we wanted to show people we were the best league in this state outside the WAFL,” Falkingham said.

“The South West had been the benchmark for a very long time before that and we wanted to reach the standard they had set.

“I think getting back-to-back wins does show that we’re the best country league in the state but now we have to defend that title.”

Peel earned the title with a history-making performance against the South West in the grand final at Leederville Oval on Sunday.

The Cavaliers controlled general play for most of the day and although they had their standout players, it was a complete team performance that lifted them to the win.

“I think if we look at every one of our players and how they went, all of them played their role and not one had an off game,” Falkingham said.

“I don’t think we had too many star players in our team, just blokes that you can trust to get the job done and our coaching staff were fantastic as well.”

The entire carnival was a dominant showing for Peel, who went undefeated in their four games and picked up a bunch of individual awards.

Waroona’s Courtney Lakay earned best on ground honours in the grand final for a scintillating performance that spanned the entire four quarters, and South Mandurah’s Andrew Haydon took out the Jock Coleman medal after being named the player of the carnival.

Peel also contributed the most players of any league to the all-star team, with Jeffrey Carter (Pinjarra), Matthew Buxton (Centrals) and Tyson Phillips (Halls Head) joining Lakay and Haydon in the team.

Falkingham got the nod for coach of the carnival to round out the Cavaliers’ bundle of accolades.

Peel Football and Netball League general manager Geoff Hiller said it was a proud moment for the league.

“We’re really proud of how all the boys held themselves and how Clayton led the group,” he said.

“I think it shows how much we’ve grown over the past two years and we’ll obviously aim to continue that growth from now on.”