Bulldogs colts and reserves look ahead to grand finals

FOR the first time since 2004 both the South Fremantle colts and reserves teams have advanced straight through to the WAFL grand final after winning their second semi-final match-ups.

South Fremantle last had two teams in grand finals in 2009 when the league and reserves sides both were victorious to win premierships, and also to help the Bulldogs to claim the Rodriguez Shield for the season.

With the league and reserves teams haven’t been able to make it back to a grand final between 2010 and 2012, the colts have dominated the competition winning premierships in 2011 and 2012, and now again being in the grand final of 2013.

The South Fremantle reserves team also joins the colts in a grand final this Sunday at Subiaco’s Patersons Stadium making it the first time any two Bulldogs teams will take part in the big day since 2009, and the first time the colts and reserves have both been there since 2004.

However, in 2004 the colts went down to Peel Thunder to start off grand final day while the reserves managed to beat Claremont by 59 points to win the premiership.

While South Fremantle’s league and reserves teams both won premierships in 2009, Sunday presents the Bulldogs’ reserves and colts the opportunity to win flags in the same year since they achieved the feat in 1985.

The colts teams of the past two years have produced some outstanding AFL and WAFL talent as well.

From the 2011 side that beat Claremont by 44 points in the grand final, Haiden Schloithe, Adam Carter, Mason Shaw, Shane Kersten and Josh Bootsma are now in the AFL.

On top of that, Shannon Burnett, Jason Maskos, Brendan Verrier, James Laurino and Jacob Martinez have all played league football with South Fremantle.

The Bulldogs’ colts then made it back-to-back flags last year with a thumping 58-point grand final win over East Fremantle with Shaw and Sam Rundle kicking five goals apiece.

Marvin Warrell, Brendan Verrier, Adam Carter, Sean Lynch, Simon Panizza, Shaw, Dale Hamilton, Emmanuel Collard and Robert Thompson all played in both premiership teams meaning they have all stepped up into being senior footballers to open up room for other youngsters to step up.

Jacob Dragovich, Bailey Matera, Tim Stewart, Braden Fimmano and Jakeb Tartaglia are among those players to step up and become key players in the South Fremantle colts team of 2013.

Matthew Ah Siu has been the Bulldogs colts leading goalkicker with 25 from 20 matches but Willie Rioli came home with a rush booting 24 in just six games after beginning his season playing in the reserves.

Jermaine Lewis and Ben Sokol have both kicked 21 goals apiece for the colts side in 2013 while Cameron McCarthy kicked 20 in eight matches before going down injured.

South Fremantle’s colts came from behind to beat minor premiers Claremont by 23 points at Claremont Oval last Sunday to qualify for a third successive grand final with the Bulldogs colts now one win away from an incredible hat-trick of premierships.

Claremont bounced back from losing that second semi-final to South Fremantle by beating Subiaco in Sunday’s preliminary final at Claremont Oval again to set up a grand final with the Bulldogs this Sunday at Patersons Stadium with bounce down at 8.30am.

Meanwhile, South Fremantle’s reserves have put together an outstanding second half of the 2013 season.

The Bulldogs reserves are highlighting the improved depth of the senior squad and got into the grand final with a week’s break by downing the minor premier Perth in the second semi-final at Bassendean’s Steel Blue Oval by five points.

The South Fremantle reserves team from that second semi-final win over Perth was a strong one featuring 16 players who played at least one game in 2013, and 18 who have played league football previously.

One of those, Reece Adams, was a league premiership player in 2009 so he is no stranger to grand final day and the big occasion.

Then there is experienced senior footballers like Shaun Bewick, Alex Grima and Jarrad Winter in the South Fremantle line-up also.

Marlon Pickett could very well be the most exciting young talent in the country after his amazing league debut in the Round 23 victory at Fremantle Oval over grand finalists East Perth.

The 21-year-old could further enhance his reputation and put himself in position to be drafted with a grand final in the reserves on Sunday.

Blaine Johnson, Brendan Verrier, Tim Kelly, James Laurino and Warrick Andreoli are young players who also played some good league football in 2013 so the South Fremantle reserves side heads into the grand final on Sunday full of talent and confidence.

Of those, Kelly cemented himself as a permanent midfielder in the second half of the season in the league side while Verrier was terrific on the wing in the last month of the season, Andreoli found good form as a running defender and Laurino did outstanding run-with jobs on the likes of Subiaco’s Jarrod Kayler-Thomson and East Perth’s, and West Coast’s, Cale Morton.

Awaiting South Fremantle in the reserves grand final that bounces down at 11.30am is a West Perth team which has now won nine straight matches following its win over Perth in Sunday’s preliminary final at Claremont Oval.

Without hesitation, having both the colts and reserves teams in grand finals in 2013 is a tremendous sign that the club is heading in a strong direction with exciting signs for the future.

The league side showed good signs in the second half of 2013 as well so with the majority of those players to stick around and be part of the club again in 2014, and with players from the colts and reserves grand final a chance to step up, the future is looking incredibly bright for the South Fremantle Football Club.

By Chris Pike