The South Mandurah Falcons made it back-to-back colts premierships when they fended off a gallant Rockingham Rams outfit in the PFNL grand finals on Saturday.
The Falcons led for most of the game but were forced into some last-quarter heroics when the Rams hit the front midway through the fourth term.
Goals to Zayne Selkirk and Daniel Sudden gifted Rockingham a five-point lead with just seven minutes to go, but the Falcons were able to wrestle momentum back.
Best on ground Lachlan Cullen capped his dazzling performance off with a goal that gave South Mandurah the lead in the dying minutes, and a following major to Troy Lee ensured they would win their second straight flag with a 10.11 (71) to 9.9 (63) victory.
The Falcons had the upper hand to start the game, booting the opening two goals.
They looked in total control but a brilliant chase down tackle from Rockingham’s Isaiah Gidgup enabled the Rams to go forward and slot their first.
Cullen’s dominance up forward got started early and it was through his strong contested marks that Souths were able to take a comfortable lead into quarter time.
The game became a tussle in the second and third quarters, with momentum swinging to and fro as each side gave small bursts.
Rockingham’s Kyle Donaldson got heavily involved around the ground as the Rams continued to push, but South Mandurah refused to relinquish their lead.
It wasn’t until Sudden’s inspiring goal in the fourth quarter that Rockingham was finally able to hit the front.
They looked to be on their way to an upset win but the top-of-the-table Falcons regained their composure and finished strong to go back-to-back.
The win is the club’s fifth colts premiership.
Goals
South Mandurah: L Cullen 5, R Davis, R Steinbock, Z Ugle, C Farmer, K Rawson
Rockingham: T Thorne 2, W Steele 2, J Mineards, J Hewitt, Z Selkirk, D Sudden, M Heal
Best
South Mandurah: L Cullen, R Steinbock, J Cullen, T Dyer, T Lee
Rockingham: Z Selkirk, T Thorne, M Heal, J Hewitt, K Donaldson, D Van Der Kwast