Kalgoorlie not fazed by underdogs tag for GFL grand final

Five losses through the opening six games, including three in a row to start the season, wasn’t the type of form that lent itself to Kalgoorlie being a serious threat in 2024 — let alone a grand final appearance.

To that point, the Roos’ lone win was against Kambalda in round four by 70 points — a fortnight after Justin Tarasinski had stepped down as senior coach.

Enter Rick Butterfield, who conceded that his ambitions to coach at senior level were fast-tracked when he was unexpectedly thrust into the position.

“It (senior coaching) was always something I’d looked at doing anyway, but it’s going to be a lot of pressure and hard work,” Butterfield, a triple premiership player, said at the time.

“I wouldn’t say I was necessarily ready for it (now), but I had those (ambitions).”

Some pundits viewed Butterfield as being thrown into the deep end, but the squad’s performances gradually became more consistent.

The revival can be traced back to round eight in a three-point win over Mines Rovers.

A round 11 defeat by 79 points against Railways was a reality check, but they finished just 13 points adrift of Boulder a week later before again toppling Mines Rovers in round 13, by a point.

The back-end of the qualifying series was a mixed bag, with an honourable 16-point loss against Railways in round 16 followed by a 12-point victory over Boulder in round 17.

Mines Rovers had the black-and-whites’ measure in round 18 by 16 points.

A 231-point win over Kambalda in round 19 and a round 20 bye was hardly an ideal lead-up to the finals.

But Kalgoorlie haven’t been beaten since and will head into the grand final chasing a fourth straight win.

Can they keep it going?

That remains to be seen, but the Roos are in season-best form that included a 10-goal second half against Boulder in the first semifinal.

They backed it up last Sunday with a four-goal final term against the Diorites in the preliminary final.