WA Country Football League announces abridged Nutrien Ag Country Championships with no league carnival

The West Australian Country Football League has announced that an abridged Nutrien Ag Country Championships are set to be held after the completion of the season, but no league tournament will take place. Instead it will be women and colts who take centre stage at the carnival, which will be held in Perth over two days. The shortened tournament will be played on Thursday, September 30 and Friday, October 1 — during the October school holidays — before the WA football season ends with the WAFL grand final that weekend. It comes after the championships, which were originally slated for early July, were cancelled due to the lingering restrictions from one of the State’s snap lockdowns. It would have been the second consecutive season without a country championships, after the 2020 edition was also scrapped. West Australian Football Commission executive manager of country football, affiliates and facilities Tom Bottrell said he was pleased the carnival could go ahead in this form, after the commission put the call out to competing leagues. “With country football back in full swing we have been eager to have the best players come together as part of the Nutrien Ag Country Football Championships,” he said. “Unfortunately we hit a road block in July but it’s great to have the women’s and colts come together in October. “All competing leagues were asked to express their interest to participate in an October edition of the Championships and we are rapt to have five women’s sides and six colts sides put their hands up to test themselves against the best in country WA.” The South West Football League named a women’s team ahead of the proposed July carnival, with South Bunbury’s Bethany Bond and Busselton’s Rennie Meadmore named as co-captains, South Bunbury’s Maxwell Jetta as head coach, and Bunbury’s Glenn Obal named as assistant coach.