COVID season brings highs and lows and other memorable moments

In what was a strange year for sport, the SWFL season eventually got the green light to play on past COVID, and here is a look at how the year played out.

Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault and the Harvey Bulls were gifted with a season, however the Waroona Demons were not so lucky.

The Peel League contenders had their season wiped from the calendar and opted to not participate in the “hybrid” competition offered to league teams.

The Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault men’s team entered the race as flag favourites, but had a couple of shock losses which damaged their confidence and saw them booted out of the finals series.

Talented Lion Brendan Tingey won the Hayward Medal by two votes and said he was likely to stay at the club for a little longer.

HBL’s club champion David Newman announced his retirement after 229 games at the club.

The Harvey Bulls women’s team had a spectacular run.

Led by 2020 runner-up Nola Marino medallist Doma Fedele, the team looked unaffected by a string of core athletes departing for Donnybrook — including last year’s Nola Marino joint-medallist Fleur Parker. The Bulls also imported a talented quintet of Collie stars after the Eagles struggled to get enough women to put on the blue and black guernsey.

The most controversial match within the season occurred in round five when Eaton Boomers player Summer Ryder was videoed hitting a Harvey Bulls player. Ryder was hit with a lengthy suspension.

While the Bulls women were serious premiership contenders up until the very end, the men’s team failed to surpass any other teams on the ladder. They had a couple of strong performances early on but could not bank the four points once this season.

The HBL women’s team finished in the bottom half of the ladder, however the tight-knit squad appeared to finish first in club culture and camaraderie.