Reserves
Kalangadoo def. Hatherleigh
For the second year in a row, Kalangadoo and Hatherleigh met in the grand final in both senior grades.
The Eagles B Grade team has won the past four premierships with the 2022 result going their way by the wafer-thin margin of just two points.
Hatherleigh has won the B Grade premiership a total of seven times since its first in 1964.
Kalangadoo first won a B Grade flag in 1951 and has since won a further four.
Its most recent grand final win at this level was 41 years ago.
Such a scenario promised a “battle royale” and so it turned out to be.
The result was not known until deep in the last term and the Magpies achieved a third win over the Eagles in the space of a month.
The Eagles took a 12-point lead into quarter time and this was overtaken by the Magpies and never surrendered.
The SE Voice trophy for best-on-ground was presented to Jacob Simmonds by MSEFL life member and journalist “Fred” Smith.
Simmonds became just the second Kalangadoo player to win The SE Voice trophy and he followed the breakthrough success of Chris Mules the previous year.
Regaining the J.L. Dwyer Shield was no mean feat with Chris Mules ably supported by his elder brother Ben and younger brother Jon.
The Magpies fielded two Mail Medallists in Ben Mules and Brett Lindner while 2022 Kalangadoo A Grade non-playing premiership coach Kevin Joyce was a playing member of the winning B Grade outfit.
Another Kalangadoo player to savour the win was defender Adam Blom who last won a flag in a colts competition well over 20 years ago.
Senior Colts
Robe def. Port MacDonnell
The senior colts clash was a true case of “rags to riches” for the Robe Football Club.
Their team had entered round 18 in fifth place and only a narrow win at Nangwarry earned them a place in the major round.
Minor premiers Tantanoola were bundled out of the major round with consecutive losses and so the flag race was on between the two seaside clubs in the MSEFL.
Coming into Saturday, Robe had won five senior colts grand finals while Port MacDonnell had accumulated eight such honours since its first flag in 1962.
It is a rare for a club to snag a premiership after finishing the home-and-away season in fourth place but Robe players were desperate to avenge their 15-point loss to Hatherleigh in the 2022 grand final.
The addition of a number of players who are at boarding school in Adelaide lifted the playing stocks of the Roosters.
The visitors took a 26-point lead into quarter time and this was increased markedly in the following two terms.
Facing a 58-point deficit at the final change, the Demons ran out the game well and outscored the Roosters.
Otherwise, Port MacDonnell could not counter the twin targets of Max Robertson (seven goals) and Daniel Numan (six).
The Allan Jenkin Memorial Trophy for best-on-ground went to Robertson and it was presented by the award namesake’s grandson and Kalangadoo footballer Nick Jenkin.
The two other Robe players to win this accolade were Ethan Cornish (2021) and Dr Sam Clements (2012).
The 58-point margin was the greatest of the four matches played on Saturday and it earned Robe possession of the Stevens Memorial Shield until September, 2024.
Junior Colts
Glencoe def. Port MacDonnell
The A.G. Medhurst Shield will spend at least the next 12 months at the clubrooms of the Glencoe Football Club after the youngest Murphies lowered the colours of the Port MacDonnell Demons in the opening game of grand final day.
The seasiders had the vital home ground advantage in the perfect weather conditions and excellent playing surface as they sought their fifth premiership in this grade of the Mid South East Football League since their first in 1991.
Meanwhile, Glencoe had only one premiership pennant in this grade and that was in 2005.
Indeed, the Murphies had not won a grand final in any grade since 2010 and this period of 13 years was a record for this club.
Port MacDonnell had come into the game as red-hot favourite having secured the minor premiership in 2023 with 15 wins and one loss.
In their head-to-head clashes this season, the Demons and the Murphies won the matches on their home grounds by just over 20 points.
After a goalless opening term, the first six-pointer of the game was recorded by Port MacDonnell’s Jett Lewis at the eight-minute mark of the second term.
The Demons took a four-point lead into the long break.
It was soon overtaken as Glencoe joint vice-captain Sam Hasse booted two goals in the third term while one came in reply from Tyler Neale.
The sole score in the final term was a behind to the visitors and they defended effectively.
The final siren sounded with Glencoe holding a 10-point advantage.
The best-on-ground accolade went to Glencoe co-captain Kallan Price and he received the John Seebohm Medal from the donor’s sister Kathy Webber.
He became the first Glencoe player to win the trophy since Zeke Courbois in that winning grand final in 2005.
Price was also the winner of the Mansell Medal as the best and fairest in the junior colts.
