Former Legs coach helps Hawks swoop to another flag while Hahndorf beats Uraidla for Hills Football League Div 1 grand final
FORMER Redlegs premiership coach Ben Warren helped Langhorne Creek to another Great Southern Football League flag while Hahndorf, Imperials and Nuriootpa Rover also tasted premiership success.
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HE coached Norwood to its last premiership.
But on Saturday, as his former Redlegs charges geared up for the first shot at a flag since that day in 2014, premiership coach and two-time premiership player Ben Warren was helping Langhorne Creek to another Great Southern Football League flag.
Warren kicked three goals alongside brother Nick and former Crows, Demons and Glenelg player James Sellar as the Hawks ended McLaren’s rise from cellar dweller to grand finalist and won their first premiership since 2012.
Warren, who also captained South Adelaide after a long and successful career at the Panthers where he topped the goalkicking on six occasions, played in home club Langhorne Creek’s 2011 premiership before Nathan Bassett lured him back to the SANFL and The Parade.
Warren was dumped from the Redlegs’ top job at the end of 2016 and returned home this year after one year as an assistant at Sturt, in which it secured back-to-back flags.
In the Hills Football League grand final at Lobethal, Hahndorf ran out comfortable winners, beating Uraidla 13.15 (93) to 6.10 (46).
Nineteen-year-old Mapies player Troy Parker-Boers celebrated his first senior flag by taking his dog Jasper up on the dais to collect his winners’ medal. “He goes everywhere with me, he is part of the family,’’ Parker-Boers said of the three-year-old border collie.
In the River Murray Football League, Imperials upset Mannum in a thriller by two points at Meningie.
Former North Adelaide forward Jonny Boras booted six goals as the Blues capped a fairytale season where they went from wooden spooner to premier to claim their first flag since 2011. Centurion Gene Robinson kicked five goals for the Roos.
In the Barossa league, brothers Aseri “Bobby” Raikiwasa and Aisea “Magic” Raikiwasa helped Nuriootpa Rover to its first premiership since 2015 with a 21-point win over Tanunda.
The brothers, who played for Glenelg, and Port Adelaide and Eagles respectively, were both among the best for the Tigers outfit led by player-coach and former Essendon talent Henry Slattery. Brad Hoepner was named best on ground.
Finals results this weekend
SUBURBAN FOOTY
Adelaide Footy League Div 1:
Tea Tree Gully 13.15 (93) def Rostrevor Old Collegians 9.9 (63)
Southern Football League A Grade: Flagstaff Hill 21.16 (142) def Reynella 6.6 (42)
Country football
Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association: Nuriootpa 12-6 (78) def Tanunda 8-9 (57)
Great Southern Football League: Langhorne Creek 15.11 (101) def McLaren 10.17 (77)
River Murray League: Imperials 9-6 (60) def Mannum 8-10 (58)
Port Lincoln Football League: Tasman 14.9 (93) def Wayback 7.13 (55)
HILLS FOOTBALL
League Div 1:
Hahndorf 13.15 (93)
def Uraidla 6.10 (46)