Pioneer men and Rovers women win the 2024 CAFL grand finals
Pioneer piled on the points to claim its 33rd flag against a desperate Federal, while Rovers held off West Alice Springs in an extra time thriller. Read the latest CAFL action.
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Pioneer and Rovers are the champion clubs of the 2024 Central Australia Football League season after contrasting wins in the Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s grand finals.
Pioneer beat Federal by 32 points in the men’s decider, leading from the first bounce and holding off a desperate Federal to win its 33rd flag.
Rovers held off a desperately unlucky West Alice Springs in the women’s decider after a goal in extra time by forward Doreena Hansen gave them their fourth premiership in the 14th season of the women’s competition.
Pioneer utility Matt Campbell won the prestigious Everingham Medal as the best player on the ground in his side’s 13.7 (85) to 8.5 (53) win in the men’s division.
The Eagles kicked the first four goals of the game to force Federal into playing catch-up football for the remainder of the match, a task they could not complete despite closing to within 16 points at three quarter time.
It was Pioneer’s third win in four encounters with Federal this season, a fact joint coach Adrian McAdam was keen to elaborate on post-match.
“We changed a few things to make Feds think more about the game and I think it might have worked,” he said.
“We changed the on-ball players, ruck and forwards by sending our bigger blokes up front and concentrated on getting the hard ball and hunting the footy more.
“The six players from last year’s under-18 grand final and our experienced group put it together on the day and they should be very proud of themselves.”
While Everingham medallist Campbell was in scintillating form around the ground, Shane Inkamala in an unfamiliar ruckman role was a key player for the premiers.
Federal lost playmakers Andrew Richardson and Abe Ankers to groin injuries in the first half and never really recovered after Pioneer’s hot start.
Assistant coach Izaak Ankers said the injuries to Richardson and Ankers and having to play catch-up football after Pioneers jumped to an early four-goal lead had told on the players.
“To the boys’ credit they held their own, nobody shirked the issue and there were no excuses, we were beaten on the day,” he added.
Kynan Barnes on a wing, Geordie Lelliott across half back and Caylan Laporta as an intercept defender stood out for the red and whites.
Rovers won their fourth Senior Women’s flag in what turned into a heartststopping grand final against a gallant West Alice Springs.
An angle goal in extra time by best on ground Doreena Hansen secured an 8.3 (51) to 7.3 (45) win over a gallant West Alice Springs.
The scores were tied at full time after an intriguing four-quarter struggle before Bev Ellis medallist Hansen converted a pass from joint skipper Delsey Campbell to win the flag.
The six-point win also completed an unbeaten season under first year Rovers coach Renee Smith.
Double Blues spearhead Ebony Abbott-McCormack booted two important goals to form a powerful double pronged forward line with Hansen, while Brylee Kerrin in a midfield-forward role was a big ball winner for the premiers.
“The celebrations on the ground and in the rooms afterwards were crazy, with plenty of yelling and drinks flowing after a season when we didn’t lose a game,” Abbott-McCormack said.
Wests’ coach David James said the fact the game was won in overtime after a classic grand final arm wrestle was proof women’s football was here to stay in the Red Centre.
“Yes there was one winner, but the second winner was ladies footy after both sides put on a show,” James said.
“We hit the front in the last quarter before the game was tied right at the end, then we went to golden point where the first score was the winner.
“Rovers were the best side all year and their win was well deserved, they played well.”
It was the Lady Bloods’ third successive grand final loss, but James preferred to focus on the long-term positives.
“Footy’s not about chasing stats, it’s about the community and the playing group, but the players will be hurting right now after a great effort from them.”
The consistent Hannah Murdoch, Rachel Davine, Daylee Jenner and Kasey Squire stood out for Wests in what was a titanic contest to decide the 2024 premiers.
Battle lines drawn ahead of 2024 CAFL deciders
Hot starts, close games, and new rivalries cemented are all set to be a part of this weekend’s double grand final fixture in the Red Centre.
The 2024 CAFL grand final will take place at Traeger Park, Alice Springs on Saturday, with the top of both the men’s and the women’s going head to head for Central Australian footy’s biggest prize.
Pioneer secured their spot in the grand final after a thrilling last gasp win against South Alice Springs, and are now geared up to take on the reigning premiers in Federal.
It was a Kaleel Ross toe poke that sealed the deal with 15 seconds left on the clock, but the Eagles know they will need more than a moment of magic to claim the crown.
The likes of Marcus McDonald and Matt Campbell have been standouts in the side this season, as has captain Jackson Cole, who said Pioneer would treat the showdown as “just another game.”
“You don’t want to try and change anything up, because it’ll probably chuck you out of whack, I reckon, give you a bit of bad luck,” he said.
Cole called Federal the team’s “newest rivals” and is expecting a close game Saturday.
“Most of our games have been pretty close in the past probably three years, and the rivalry’s pretty strong,” he said.
“I think we’ve been the two best teams this year too, they were at the top of the ladder, and we beat him twice by only less than a goal.”
Federal have been imposing all season as they backed up their undefeated 2023 with another table topping year.
Abe Ankers was again stellar and almost locked down another best and fairest, with Daniel Gorry taking his game to new heights as well.
Federal captain Braydon Weily said Saturday’s performance would come down to the team focusing on controlling the ball.
“We need to start really hot,” he said.
“We know when pioneers get a run on, they’re really hard to stop.
“So if we can start hot and isolate their ball movement and their possessions, we should be okay.”
In the women’s, the Rovers will be taking on the Wests, each hoping to replicate past successes after a strong return to form.
West Alice Springs have enjoyed a significant rise with the return of Caitlin Couch, while Jessica Harnischfeger won the Margaret Liddle Medal.
West’s captain Rachel Devine said the plan is to “keep playing our brand of footy that we’ve been playing all year”.
But after a one-point loss in the semi-final, Devine’s hoping the West’s can get some revenge on the big day.
“If our semi against them is anything to go by, it’s going to be a close game,” she said.
They come up against Rovers, who have significant stars such as Lara Harding and Ebony Abbott-McCormack who spurred their side to the quick route of playing in the final.
Rovers co-captain Delsey Campbell said the grand final plan will see the team “stick to our structure” and not go away from what has worked so far.
“We’re just going to take things quarter by quarter,” Campbell said.
“We know what we need to do, we just need to make sure we execute this weekend.”
The CAFL women’s grand final will kick off at 2pm, with the men’s game kicking off afterwards at 4pm.
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