OFA 2025: Lake Grace-Pingrup stage upset win to claim reserves flag, after-siren goal seals juniors’ victory

Lake Grace-Pingrup’s reserves team staged a grand final upset in the Ongerup Football Association, beating Gnowangerup on their home turf on September 6 by 18 points. The Bulldogs made a slow start that proved too great to come back from as the game progressed, unable to score a major as the Bombers notched four in the first term to hold a 25-point lead. The home side kept them in check in the second, kicking their first goal while the defence worked overtime to keep the Bombers from getting further in front. Despite the Bombers only kicking three behinds they still held a 21-point buffer at half-time. The Bombers booted another two majors to extend their advantage in the third, but the Bulldogs came out with a last-ditch effort in the final term, booting 2.3 as the Bombers went scoreless. However, their late surge was not enough to turn the tide, and the Bombers took home the 2025 flag in a 6.6 (42) to 3.6 (24) triumph. Bodhi Clifton was crucial in the Bombers’ forward line, booting four majors in a dazzling display, while teammates Jack and Jaycob Trevenen added one each in the premiership victory. Isaiah Hardy, Matthew Lamont and Mikael Philipps each scored a major for the home side. Clifton was named among the team’s best players, along with Ben Watson, Jonte Hatton, and Cameron Johnston, while Zach Walsh, Bayley Drew, Kane Hinkley, and Quillan Pritchard served the home team best in a losing affair. Gnowangerup enjoyed a comeback in the juniors, with a goal after the siren handing them the flag after a well-fought match against Lake Grace-Pingrup. The Bombers made the early running, keeping the Bulldogs scoreless through the first term, but the home side made up for it with a clinical second quarter, booting five majors and keeping the Bombers scoreless, flipping the script to give them a 22-point margin at half-time. However, the Bombers weren’t ready to give up, adding 2.5 to close the gap to five points heading into the final term. The Bombers got ahead and kept it that way until the dying minutes, when a mark near the Bulldogs’ goalposts just before the siren gave the Bulldogs the goal they needed to get them over the line, 6.2 (38) to 4.10 (34). Zander Jackson, Tyrell Ugle, Spencer Leigh Browne, and Verdun Hodgson served the premiers best, and Bryce Carruthers, Darcey Pelham, Charli Bell, and Max Stubberfield were standouts for the Bombers.