Country Championships: Valiant effort from young Great Southern Storm squad despite heavy defeats in co

Great Southern Storm coach Darrell Panizza believes this year’s campaign in the CBH Group colts division of the Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Football Championships will serve as a useful learning curve for the current crop of young talent in the region. The Storm finished their tournament with one win and three losses across their four games, including a 33-point defeat in their fifth-place playoff with Regional Districts at Sir Ross McLarty Oval in Pinjarra on Friday. Despite being on the end of a couple of heavy losses, the young squad showed plenty of fight against physically imposing opposition. The Storm were brushed aside by eventual champions South West in their last qualifying game before losing their fifth and sixth place playoff loss to Regional Districts on Friday. In an anticlimactic day of football for the representative Great Southern Football League side, a 53-point loss to South West cemented the Storm in third place in Pool A, finishing with one win and two losses. Regional Districts, who finished third in Pool B, were too strong in the playoff clash against the Storm as they cruised to a 33-point win. “We certainly saw that they are capable of the intensity but we’ve just got to work on being able to take the physicality but also execute under pressure,” Panizza said. “It’s a great learning experience for all the kids and going forward, it will help us develop them. “We probably had four players that were injured that would make a big difference in midfield and the forward line but they aren’t excuses because the wonderful thing is someone else gets an opportunity to play. “Our kids played 12 games of footy in 14 days so we were probably a little bit mentally and physically fatigued which is where the skill level sometimes falls away. “But we’ve got to talk positive and it’s an overall great experience that will give us a lot of knowledge going forward.” With a massive task on their hands in their third game of the carnival, it didn’t take long for a strong South West side to impose their will over the Storm. The Storm side had to withstand plenty of pressure early with South West kicking four goals in a rampant first half. South West gun Ryan Babich snapped the last two goals of the first period in quick succession as the Storm stumbled to a 29-point deficit at half-time. Fraser Gilchrist added more scoring pressure with a goal straight after the long break before Babich slotted his third from a set shot 40m out. Two goals to Angus McDonald and one to Peter Woods ensured the South West ran out big winners, 9.6 (60) to 1.1 (7). Kobi Keen provided most of the grunt work through midfield while Lucas Ravenhill toiled hard in the ruck all game. That result left them waiting for the outcome of the two remaining Pool B games. Kimberley Spirit defeated Great Northern and Regional Districts pushed past Avon with both sides locked on equal points. Regional Districts couldn’t make up for the percentage gap on Kimberley Spirit, setting up the playoff with the Storm. The Storm had some early inside-50 entries but found trouble locking it in or forcing any stoppages. Ollie Moeauri kicked a terrific opening major on the run from 40m out and Kailen Leahy had another just before the break to help his side out to a 15-point buffer. Blake Panizza breathed some much-needed life into a stagnant Storm side after half-time, jailing a bomb from 45m out from a free kick. However, that joy was short-lived as Regional Districts caught fire. Memphis Mayers shrugged a tackle and snapped truly, and converted another set shot minutes later before a long-range effort from Leahy went over everyone’s head and dribbled through. Jake Tucker put the icing on the cake with the last goal to help his side to a comfortable 6.4 (40) to 1.1 (7) victory. Keen, not for the first time in the tournament, showed a captain’s fight in gathering plenty of the ball and tackling hard along with Lachlan Cale while Tait Hartfield and Fynn Kelleher-Bird tried hard in a difficult match-up.