Pinjarra will win their second straight premiership, the Peel Football and Netball League will make it three Landmark carnival victories in a row and Rockingham will be the surprise packet of 2018.
That’s if the PFNL’s head coaches have their way.
Ahead of the upcoming season, which kicks off on April 7, the Mandurah Mail quizzed all nine of the league’s coaches in a short, anonymous survey to gauge their thoughts on how the year will pan out.
The Pinjarra Tigers were a popular choice when forecasting premiership chances, while Falcons spearhead Brad Holmes is predicted to once again lead the league’s goal kicking.
See the results of our survey below:
1. Outside of your club, who has the best chance to win the flag?
- Pinjarra: 8 votes
- Baldivis: 1 vote
The Tigers were emphatic in their victory over Waroona in last year’s grand final, and coaches are tipping them to go back-to-back this year.
Pinjarra has welcomed WAFL gun Rory O’Brien back to Sir Ross McLarty Oval, and kept the majority of its premiership team in tact.
Far and above the popular choice among the coaches, but will the masterminds get this one right? The Tigers could face stiff opposition with a number of clubs looking good ahead of the year.
(No prizes for guessing who picked Baldivis.)
2. Which side do you think will be 2018’s surprise package?
- Rockingham: 6 votes
- Mandurah: 2 votes
- Halls Head: 1 vote
All three of these sides missed the finals last year, so one could argue there’s nowhere to go but up.
However, Rockingham stand out among the coaches as the most likely to climb the rungs of the ladder and enter finals contention.
“I really like what (coach) Scott Franklin is doing up in Rocko – he’s got the players buying in and I think they’ll keep getting better,” one opposition coach said.
“I reckon they’re a chance to finish fifth or fourth. They’re definitely a finals side to me,” said another.
3. Who will win this season’s Ross Elliott medal?
- Andrew Haydon (South Mandurah): 2 votes
- Rory O’Brien (Pinjarra): 2 votes
- Ben Wright (Waroona): 1 vote
- Rohan Kerr (Pinjarra): 1 vote
- Rhett Mason (Waroona): 1 vote
- Fraser Millar (Rockingham): 1 vote
- Thomas Bennett (Centrals): 1 vote
Andrew Haydon could go back-to-back but he will face a string of competitors for this year’s league best and fairest if the coaches are to be believed.
Of course, injuries or suspensions could hamper these predictions, but the league’s coaches appear divided on who they think the best player in the competition is.
Thomas Bennett joins Centrals after spending five years with East Fremantle in the WAFL, while Rhett Mason is a chance should his form from late last year carry into 2018.
O’Brien looms as a likely contender given his star-studded past for East Fremantle and Peel Thunder, but he has a bunch of teammates that could pinch his votes.
4. Who will lead the league’s goal kicking?
- Brad Holmes (South Mandurah): 6 votes
- Brennan Gillam (Pinjarra): 1 vote
- Daniel Wilson (Centrals): 1 vote
- Jay Walton (Mandurah): 1 vote
Back in the days of Rod Tregenza this would be a unanimous landslide, and it appears fellow South Mandurah forward Brad Holmes has taken over the reins as the league standard for scorers.
He booted 91 majors last year, so you can see why.
A few coaches decided to think outside the box here, and Gillam, Wilson and Walton could certainly challenge for the crown, but Holmes is the safe bet for this year’s coaching crop.
“He’s just a dominant, in-form forward. It’s too hard to go past him,” one coach said of Holmes.
5. Will Waroona continue its run of being at least top three by the end of finals?
- No: 5 votes
- Yes: 4 votes
It’s been 12 years since the Waroona Demons saw anything less than a preliminary final appearance, but that run will come to a halt in 2018, according to the majority of coaches.
Although, that’s the slimmest of majorities, with four of the nine coaches firmly believing Waroona is still good enough to threaten a run at the flag.
“They’ve built their success mainly because their locals are just an amazing crop. It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime run, but I think they’ll slip this year,” one no-voter said.
“I’ll never count them out,” a yes-voter contradicted.
6. Should the league persist with a Saturday grand final?
- Yes: 9 votes
No surprises here.
Almost every coach said they liked to enjoy a beer after grand final day without the stress of working (or calling in sick) the next day, and who can blame them?
It’s a hit among the masterminds.
7. Will the PFNL make it three straight Landmark carnival wins this year?
- Yes: 8 votes
- No: 1 vote
There’s always one sourpuss, right?
The Peel Football and Netball League has won the last two A-grade grand finals at the Landmark Country Football Championships, and will be a big chance at snagging a third this July.
Standing in their way is the South West Football League, who have lost the last two grand finals to Peel.
“The South West is the best side in the history of the carnival, they will bounce back sooner or later,” the coach who voted no said.
Well, we’ll see coach, we’ll see…