Clash of the year: reigning champions Kojonup to take on minor premiers Boyup Brook in footy final

The reigning champions will come up against the minor premiers at the weekend with the grand final clash set to showcase the best two teams of the 2024 Lower South West Football League season. Grand final day at Deanmill Football Club will start at 9.45am with the colts match between the Tigers and Southerners, before Deanmill and Kojonup clash in the reserves from 11.55am. In the league draw will 2023 cup winners Kojonup take on 2024 ladder leaders Boyup Brook from 2.05pm. Boyup Brook will come into the clash with a hit to their confidence after losing to Kojonup in the semifinal despite finishing the regular season in top spot. Coach Matt Michael put the loss down to a three-week break before the match which saw the boys “lose their form”. But, he said the matches that have come since have got the team back in touch with the game. “We’ve gone a bit of a long way trying to get into the final, but I think in the end, it might benefit us to have to played three games in a row rather than missing another week,” he said. “I think it took us a bit to find our feet in the Kojonup game being away from footy for that long, and we definitely played better this week than we did last week. “I think the more time we spend as a group and the more games we play in succession, it’s only going to benefit us in the long run. “We felt like when we’re on our day, we’re the best side in the competition, and it’s definitely our aim (to take the major premiership) and we all believe we can make that with the players we’ve got in the league.” The two teams have clashed four times this seasons, with Boyup Brook taking three wins. Kojonup Cougars league coach Gavin Norrish was confident his charges were up to the tall task. “(There’s) probably more pressure this year than last year — I think we rolled in last year as the underdog, and we’re probably the underdog this year,” he said. “The week off has probably been good for our club, as we had some sore boys after that final. We’ve trained hard, especially on the Thursday night and the boys have been training hard for the past two weeks. “Our opposition Boyup Brook are a pretty talented side. They’ve got key forwards, good midfielders, and probably the best side in the comp by a fair way. “It’s a bit of a worry going into the grand final, but if we stick to our process and our basic game plan, we’ll go alright in the final.” Norrish said the club was hoping to be celebrating two trophies at the weekend with the club getting around their two finals-bound teams. “We would love to win both grand finals, but regardless, we’ll celebrate the day and enjoy this week,” he said.