GSFLW 2025: Mt Barker coach Sheridan Kowald reflects on ‘phenomenal’ season after back-to-back premierships

Mt Barker claimed back-to-back titles in the Great Southern Football League Women’s competition with a dominant 37-point win over Denmark Walpole in Friday night’s grand final at Collingwood Park. The Bulls produced a fierce display from the outset, kicking the only two goals of the first half before a three-goal blitz in a rampant third term set up the premiership triumph in front of thousands of spectators. Ruck star Zoe Keley was brilliant in the decider while Bulls midfielders Sophie Richards, Saige Askevold and Libby Morris also had a big say in the result. The Bulls had too many options in attack with Tajah Griffiths and Mikayla Balloch both kicking two majors as they celebrated flag success, 6.4 (40) to 0.3 (3), singing their team song on the ground with delighted supporters immediately after the final siren. Premiership coach Sheridan Kowald said the team had worked hard all season to push through for a second grand final appearance. “The girls have worked so hard this year, and I really do think they deserve the win,” she said. “Look what they put on tonight, it was the best game of year, and I’m just so proud of that.” The Bulls have enjoyed a wonderful season, undefeated in all but two games. One of these losses was in the qualifying final against the Magpies, and Kowald said the ‘”lapse” in that match motivated the team to fight harder in the grand final rematch. “We came out absolutely firing at the start of the year, they set the bar really hard to start with, and then trying to keep the girls to that is sometimes harder,” she said. “We had a bit of a lapse towards the end of the season, and I think that’s hard when you’re just winning, winning, winning, but it brings the girls back down to earth a little bit, and I think that’s the push we needed. Key forward Griffiths got things moving for the Bulls as they led the Magpies by eight points at the first change. Gritty defensive play almost kept both sides scoreless in the second quarter, but Mikayla Balloch managed a goal from off the ground for the Bulls midway through the second term, widening the margin to 15 points at half-time. The match defining moment came in the third term as the Bulls marched towards premiership glory with three straight goals thanks to vice-captain Kaitlin Eades, Keley and another from Griffiths in the dying minutes as the margin ballooned to 33 points. The Magpies fought hard to get themselves back into the contest, peppering their forward half in the last but they could only manage two behinds and Balloch kicked the sealer to spark the Bulls’ celebrations. Keley won the best-on-ground medal in the grand final and was well supported by Richards, Morris, Askevold and Eades. The Magpies were best served by Erika Tharratt, Grace Dempster, Esme MacDonald and Ashlee Kerr.

GSFLW 2025: Mt Barker coach Sheridan Kowald reflects on ‘phenomenal’ season after back-to-back premierships

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