Bush & Burbs: Swan Districts legend Tony Notte in touching distance of flag just months after WAFL retirement

The West Australian’s sports reporters take a look at what’s happening in the country and amateur leagues around WA in this weekly column. Swan Districts legend Tony Notte is within touching distance of a South West Football League premiership only months after entering the competition. After calling time on his 323-game WAFL career in June, Notte was cleared to Busselton, where he had been training midweek before commuting to the city to represent Swans in recent years. His Magpies will come up against reigning premiers South Bunbury in the powerhouse league’s season decider at Bunbury’s Hands Oval on Saturday. The clash will be the second between the sides, who also met in the second semifinal, within the span of two weeks. In that game, Notte was swung forward from defence in the late stages and slotted a goal to give his side the lead, only for Tiger Tyson Lane to respond with a major which saw them go down by three points. The Magpies avoided a straight sets exit by launching a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Bunbury by 16 points in Sunday’s preliminary final. The women’s season decider will see all-conquering Bunbury, the reigning premiers who are yet to lose a game in 2025, come up against Donnybrook, who have made a fairy-tale run from fourth on the ladder to their first grand final. Where there’s a mill there’s a way A club in the State’s South West representing a town of less than 400 people managed to claim a premiership on Saturday. Deanmill — based in a timber town just outside of Manjimup with a population listed at 327 in the 2021 census — proved too good for Southerners in the Lower South West Football League grand final at Manjimup Recreation Ground, winning by 38 points. The flag was the club’s first since 2015 and their 18th in total. Ahead by 13 points at the main break in wet conditions, the Hawks stacked on seven of the first nine goals in the second half to make a certainty of the result. Deanmill’s side featured West Coast WAFL vice-captain Harley Sparks and his twin brother Cooper, who were both juniors at the club. Prolific full-forward Jordan Strahan, who joined the Hawks ahead of this season after goal-laden stints in the South West Football League and Goldfields Football League, slotted four majors in the decider to take his tally for the year to 84. Pemberton-based Southerners won their way through from the last finals place to the season decider by notching a 16-point elimination final victory over Bridgetown before stunning minor premiers Kojonup in the preliminary final, which they won by 10 points. That’s the Railway Railways have sealed their third Great Southern Football League premiership in five years. The league triumph was the third of a memorable day, coming after the colts and reserves had also won flags, but it was probably the hardest-earned after a contest with the Sharks that was brutal in its intensity from start to finish. Railways forward Hayden Parker needed three goals to seal a century for the season, but was well held to just one major for a tally of 98. - Cameron Newbold