Reigning champion Scotch College has defeated Hale School 13.6 (84) to 11.3 (69) on Thursday afternoon.
Despite slipping behind by 14 points in the first half, Scotch's six goal haul in the third managed to put them in good stead for the remainder of the match, eventually toppling Hale by 15 points.
Scotch College head coach and inaugural Eagle Steve Malaxos is pleased with the results from the match.
“It was a really good atmosphere down at the ground, because it was Thursday afternoon, so when school finished all the junior school and upper school came down, as well as parents, so there ended up being quite a few people there,” Malaxos said.
“Lot of Scotch people there, plus there was what was called a ‘Boarders long weekend’, so the boys knew that they had no school the next day, so it was a really good day for Scotch.
“We played Hale, in the last couple of weeks they got a few of their better players back playing and they have been as strong as anyone in the last couple of weeks, so they really took it up to us, could’ve gone either way.
“Every team has got a strong will to win, but I really think they desperately, desperately wanted to win, and I think that’s what came through in the end.”
The competition is played in alternate rules to the AFL and local football leagues, with no finals, no grand final and no percentage.
Malaxos said if Scotch had lost the match, it would have resulted in a three-way tie for the league.
“It’s a different sort of competition. Whoever is on top at the end is the winner,” he said.
“You can easily tie if you all win the same amount of matches.
“The last game, if we had lost, it would’ve been a three-game tie, which is okay, but considering there’s only seven teams, and you’re tied with three, it’s a bit different, so the boys really wanted to win.”
And with the help of dual All-Australian Malaxos and former West Coast premiership ruckman Ryan Turnbull, the Scotch side was able to take out the title by one match.
West Coast's Naitanui Academy Players Coen Livingstone and Richard Farmer also lined up for Scotch College and Hale School respectively.
“We do train them pretty hard, so maybe a little bit of it was fitness, but I think a lot of it was just will to win,” Malaxos said.
“We got Ryan Turnbull there too, who is a former Eagle as well, he helps us out, so there’s an Eagles contingent there.
“But I can’t overload the boys, so I try to work out what they boys can process and what they can’t, but they’re good kids to coach.
“They listen and try and do what you ask.”
SCOREBOARD
SCOTCH 2.3 3.5 9.5 13.6 (84)
HALE 2.1 5.1 7.2 11.3 (69)
GOALS
Scotch: M Mumme 2 J Spadanuda 2 E Graham 2 D Curtin 2 L Crump E Allan S Moody E Hewett T Messina.
Hale: R Farmer 3 T Higgins 3 D Biglin 2 H Cole N Erasmus A Bryant.
