The EDFA Colts side with their Coach, Luke Rosher (second row, middle) before the start of the Great Southern Colts Carnival at Kulin on Saturday. Joining the team, from the left were Gary McDonald (Runner), Frank Murray (Trainer), Alan Jones (Trainer) and Kim Thornton (Team Manager) on the right. Photo: EDFA.
The Esperance District Football Association finished fourth of eight sides at the long running Great Southern Colts Carnival, defeated by surprise packets Eastern Districts in the third and fourth playoff at Kulin on Sunday.
Eastern Districts controlled the match from the outset leading by 24 points at half time going on to win 7.11 (53) to 3.6 (24), Jarrad Coppen providing three goals for the winners.
EDFA director Chris Oversby said the squad acquitted themselves well at the two-day carnival.
“Unfortunately we went down to a pretty slick outfit in Eastern Districts (in the final) and they got a bit of a jump on us,” he said.
Photos: EDFA.
“A lot of our guys were carrying injuries on Sunday, but overall they played really well.
“It was well worthwhile.”
The carnival commenced on Saturday with close victories against the Lower South West Football League (4 points) and Ongerup Football Association (18 points).
A tiring Esperance outfit were then blown away by the Great Southern Storm in the last match of the Saturday by 85 points in the battle for a grand final berth against the Peel Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers won back-to-back Great Southern Colts Carnival titles by defeating the Storm 7.8 (50) to 2.3 (15) in Sunday’s Grand Final.
Peel’s Trent Robertson won the Clem Bray Trophy for best-afield in the grand final as Goldfields Tim George won the Harry Reeves Medal for the carnival’s fairest-and-best player, with Eastern Districts’ Zac Sprigg runner up.
EDFA’s vice-captain Tyson Graham from the Esperance Football Club was named as the team’s sole representative in the Great Southern 20.
The players named in the Great Southern 20 from the Carnival, minus the Peel and Great Southern players, will form the bulk of the Regional Districts team to compete at next month’s CBH Group Country Colts Championships in Perth.
Meanwhile, former EDFAW players, Taya Strickland (Esperance) and Nat House (Ports) contributed heavily to the Perth Demons inaugural win in the WAFLW at Fremantle Oval on Sunday.
Strickland (three goals) and House (one goal from 11 disposals) were influential in the 5.4 (34) to 3.4 (22) win for the WAFLW expansion side.
Strickland is currently fifth in the running for the Joanne Huggins Leading Goalkicker Award with ten goals after switching to the Demons from Subiaco in the pre-season.
