GSFL 2023: Determined Railways side reach colts grand final, Lions and Sharks progress in other prelim finals

A terrific opening half powered Railways to a strong preliminary final victory in the colts competition, eliminating Albany in straight sets on Saturday. The Sharks finished second on the ladder at the end of the Great Southern Football League regular season but were bundled out by a determined Tigers outfit at Retravision Stadium. The Tigers started in commanding fashion with six of the first nine goals to set up their 22-point triumph, 10.12 (72) to 7.8 (50). The victory sets up a grand final showdown with Royals, who are chasing a fifth straight colts flag to continue their long-running dominance of the competition. Three goals to one gave the Tigers a fast start in the preliminary final and that margin grew to 22 points by half-time. Both teams had the same number of scoring shots in the third term but another three goals from the Tigers pushed the buffer out to 27 points. Despite the Sharks kicking two majors in the final term they fell short as their season came to an end. Flynn Jackman was on fire in the front half for the winners with four goals, while Riley Barrett chipped in with two. Riley Paxman, Tom Geddes and Caleb Haua were all vital in the Tigers’ triumph. The Sharks were best served by Aiden Clark, Kaleb Germain, Ned Shepherd and Louis Cosh. Meanwhile in the 16s competition, the Sharks sixteens secured their grand final place with a tense 10-point win over the Lions. Max Grimes and James Taylor kicked two goals and Jesse Owens was dominant for the Sharks in the preliminary final win, 6.8 (44) to 5.4 (34). The Lions season came to an end despite three goals from Buddy Robinson and strong performances from Natale Trichilo and Ashton Henrickson. The Sharks now face off against the Tigers in the 16s decider. The Lions produced a crushing preliminary final display in the reserves, holding the Tigers to one goal. A 52-point victory for the Lions sets up a grand final clash with Sharks as James Watters kicked three goals and was well supported by Brett Hooper, Joley Graham, Pieter Coetzee and Braden Murphy. The Lions kicked five unanswered goals in the second half to cruise to the 8.11 (59) to 1.1 (7) result. Lions’ Mathew Laudehr received a red card for striking in the third term. Jake Brown, Hayden Smart, Angus Thompson and Matthew Lehaney led the way for the Tigers.