The Peel Cavaliers snapped a five-year cold spell when they won the flag at the Great Southern Colts Carnival in Kulin over the weekend.
The Cavaliers – who had not won the carnival since 2013 – topped the field with a stunning 3-0 record from their three matches, culminating in a 19-point win over the Lower South West Football League in Sunday’s grand final.
Waroona’s Zac Moody was outstanding across all matches, tallying 30 votes to take out the Harry Reeves medal as the carnival’s fairest and best, and joining fellow Cavs Cody O’Donnell (Rockingham), Zayne Selkirk (Rockingham) and Matthew Bennell (Mandurah) in the tournament’s top 20 players.
Peel 12.12 (84) defeat Great Southern 9.9 (63)
Their early efforts helped Peel register a tough win early as they toppled the Great Southern Football League by 21 points to storm out of the gates.
A dominant second quarter saw the Cavs taking a 41-point lead into the half time break, giving them the breathing space they needed to fend off a determined Great Southern.
O’Donnell and Bennell led the scoring with four and three goals respectively, while Reece Sheehan (Halls Head) and Josh Hill (Baldivis) were influential.
Peel 27.15 (177) defeat Esperance 2.1 (13)
But it wasn’t until game two that Peel’s campaign kicked into overdrive, as they decimated a helpless Esperance with a whopping 164-point shellacking.
Moody found himself among Peel’s best while helping himself to three goals, while O’Donnell continued the form that has him leading the local colts league’s goal kicking with a further five.
The Cavs were off to a flier when they led by 40 points at the first break, and they refused to ease off as big performances from Haiden Mead (Rockingham) and Brody Dalgetty (Rockingham) helped the side put Esperance to the sword.
The enormous win gave Peel a huge percentage booster and buoyed them to a grand final berth against the formidable Lower South West.
Peel 8.12 (60) defeat Lower South West 5.11 (41)
But their red-hot scoring form completely dried up against their premiership opponents, with the Lower South West charging to a 19-point lead in the first quarter.
Peel responded and trimmed the margin to a mere one-point at the long break, but another momentum shift saw the Lower South West side regain control in the third, as they led by 14 points at the final break.
Fortunately for the Peel side, they saved their best for the last stanza, keeping their opponents scoreless in the final quarter as they piled on five of their own goals to pull out an astonishing win.
The Cavaliers colts will now return to the training track and their local clubs in the PFNL as they prepare for the Landmark Country Football Championships in July.