A stirring win over the Great Southern Storm led the Peel Cavaliers to a third-place finish at the Great Southern Colts Carnival over the weekend.
Some of the Peel Football and Netball League's finest young talent hit the field for the two-day event in foggy Lake Grace, tallying two wins from their three games to finish in an impressive third spot.
The reigning premiers opened their 2019 campaign with a bang demolishing the Goldfields with a stunning 12.7 (79) to 5.11 (41) victory.
Rockingham's Ben Otto showed he was on fire early with a four-goal haul, while South Mandurah duo Bailey Norris (three goals) and Thomas Dyer (best afield) put in excellent showings.
Unfortunately Peel's hot start faded when they ran into the Lower South West in round two, as they were dealt a 10.16 (76) to 4.2 (26) defeat despite excellent performances from Halls Head's Travis Williams and Waroona's Matthew Tilbee.
It would go on to be their only loss for the tournament, coming against the eventual premiership team, with Peel going on to whip Upper Great Southern in their 3v4 final the next day.
Upper Great Southern looked to be in good touch when a pair of goals to Kaittisak Deechaiyadhum had them leading by a point at quarter time, but the Cavaliers eventually wrangled a two-goal buffer at the half.
From there it was all Peel, as they kept their opponents goalless in the second half of the game while snaring three of their own to claim a 3.6 (24) to 8.5 (53) win.
Pinjarra's Riley Vidovich was emphatic in the win while Centrals' Zaine Atwell showed plenty of promise.
Coach Craig Rakich said the top-three showing was the sign of a bright future for footy in the Peel region, with the Cavaliers fielding one of the youngest sides at the carnival.
"We had eight guys who had only just turned 17, so to compete the way we did I thought was a sign of how much effort the boys gave," he said.
"I think it shows the future looks bright for Peel footy."
Rakich said the tournament gave players the perfect chance to come together as a group ahead of the Landmark Country Football Championships, set to be played in Mandurah in July.
"It's always amazing to see how far the players come over the course of the carnival," he said.
"When you set out they're all pretty quiet and reserved, and then after two or three days they're a boisterous bunch.
"We even stopped just outside of Lake Grace where a tree had fallen on the road and the boys got out and helped take care of it, so to see them come along as a group is rewarding."
The individual performances of Norris, Tilbee and Andrew Barker (Halls Head) were recognised when the trio was selected in the tournament's all-star side.
The Cavaliers now return to training as they prepare for the Landmark carnival.