SWFL men’s: Donnybrook move up to fourth with 12-point win over Carey Park, Busselton smash Dunsborough

Donnybrook moved up to fourth on the South West Football League ladder with a 12-point win over Carey Park at Boyanup Oval on Sunday. Augusta-Margaret River’s loss on Saturday allowed the Dons a chance to steal hosting rights for the elimination final and they took full advantage in a 16.3 (99) to 13.9 (87) victory. The Dons led by 36 points at the final interval but the Panthers threw everything they had at their last quarter of the season, reducing their deficit with a five-goal to one run. Young star forward Cooper Clarke-Dehring kicked a season-high seven goals in the win, with Aidan Hare (three goals), captain Ben Howlett and Beau Luzi (both two) also hitting the scoreboard on multiple occasions. Sunday’s other contest saw Busselton close out their season with a 106-point thrashing of Dunsborough at Bovell Park. The reigning premiers kept the Sharks goalless for the entire first half in a 20.11 (131) to 3.7 (25) domination, closing out their campaign with a strong performance despite being no chance of making the finals. Jed Kemp and Dylan Paterson both came up with five goals for the Magpies as midfielder Jozef Parkinson capped off a strong debut season with a best-afield display. On Saturday, Collie Eagles snapped their 14-game losing streak in fine style with a 96-point win over Harvey Bulls at Harvey Recreation Ground. The ninth-placed Bulls came into the clash sitting ahead of the last-placed Eagles but were never in a one-sided contest, suffering a heavy 16.13 (109) to 1.7 (13) defeat. Collie captain Talan Michael was brilliant in his 150th league appearance, slotting three goals, while spearhead Jayce Fontana booted five in a big win which saw them move into 10th spot, condemning Eaton to 11th place. The Bulls finished 2024 with a 4-14 win-loss record but struggled mightily in the second half of the season, winning only one of their final 10 games with an average losing margin of 91.7 points in their nine defeats.