Magpies to face Panthers

Carey Park has come out on top to earn the right to face Busselton at the South West Football League Grand Final.

They did it the hard way. Losing the Qualifying Final to South Bunbury forced them into a do-or-die Semi against Donnybrook. They mounted a massive comeback in the final quarter, coming from 23 points down to win by 13.

That only got them into the Preliminary Final, where on Sunday they had another shot at South Bunbury, who took it down to the wire against Busselton last week.

This time, Carey Park were playing at home, the fortress where they didn’t lose a single game for the whole regular season, and the place where Busselton’s undefeated streak came to an end in round 19.

The finals rematch drew a Preliminary Final record crowd of 2264, who’d piled in to see the battle between Panthers key forward Ryan King, and South Bunbury’s Leigh Kohlmann. They weren’t disappointed as the two were on the board early in the first.

King led his Panthers to a 15 point lead at half time, but the Tigers fought back. By three-quarter time, there was just a goal in it, and early in the first Kade Szyszka reduced the margin to a single point. South Bunbury threw everything they had at Carey Park – and as Busselton found out last week, that’s a lot – but the Panthers’ defence held strong, and with two clutch goals from Rory O’Brien, Carey Park secured their place alongside the Magpies for this Sunday’s Grand Final.

The Panthers will be extra motivated. Last year, they finished eighth on the ladder. This year, second. They know they’re just one win away from a fairy tale season.

They’ve got the best of the Magpies before, and while teams haven’t been announced at time of writing, their side from Sunday packed some serious firepower.

Ryan King ended the regular season as Carey Park’s leading goal kicker with 44. He’s made that 50 with his performances in the finals.

Midfielder Harley Sparks broke the record for Fairest and Best votes this year, earning the Hayward Medal with 42 votes from a possible 60, most of which were picked up in the back half of the season.

They picked up some more midfield strength late in the season when 2019 AFL Rising Star nominee Sydney Stack joined the team. As well as picking up several goals in his time with the team, Stack has been a key part of the Panthers’ defensive efforts, which have been essential to their success.

The Magpies come in well rested after another week off. They’ve played just the one game in the past three weeks, while Carey Park have had hard battles in all three.

Hands Oval remains under construction, so this year’s Grand Final will be held at Payne Park in Bunbury.

The first bounce will be at 2:30pm on Sunday. They’ll be joined by the Magpies Reserves, who face South Bunbury from 11:50am.