Country championships: Seniors coach Seth White says side full of motivation after shock 2023 defeat

New South West country championships seniors coach Seth White says his side are fully motivated after a shock loss to Avon in the final of last year’s carnival. The South West came into the game as hot favourites after a 20-point win over the same opponents in the group stage but were stunned by an Avon side which won the championships for the first time since 2002 by jumping out to an early 35-point lead and holding on for a 12-point win. White, who has taken over from 2022 championships-winning coach Chris Kinninmont, said he had observed a high level of hunger and drive within the group. “We’re really keen to atone for what happened last year,” he said. “We pride ourselves on being the best comp (in WA) outside the WAFL. “Hopefully we’ve picked a squad that can get the job done up there.” White said he had tried to strike a balance between veterans and youth in his line-up, but every player in the squad had earned their place with strong South West Football League form. “We’ve leant on our experience a fair bit. To have blokes like Shaun Crane, Jace Cormack, guys like that, has been really helpful,” he said. “I think we’ve got five blokes over 30, and even with them in there our average age is only about 24, so it’s still a very young side as well, which is exciting. “There was a couple of boys who could’ve played colts but they were keen to play league. Their attitude’s been super.” A two-time SWFL premiership player and long-time coach with Collie, White said he had enjoyed the challenges which came with taking on the role. “It’s been really good getting around to all the clubs and watching a heap of footy,” he said. “We named the squad on who we thought were the best players in the comp, knowing that some of them were unavailable but we still wanted to make sure they were noted. From there, we probably got it down to 40 and we’ve picked what we needed and what we thought would best suit us up there. “There were a few who weren’t really interested from the start, and a lot who were really interested, so we focused on the ones that were really keen. “We’ve got a squad together we’re really happy with.” Two-time premiership-winning coach Matt Jamieson will serve as White’s assistant as the South West aim to to win the championships for the eighth time in their last 11 attempts. South West country championships senior fixtures Friday, Sullivan Logistics Stadium: v Peel at 1pm, v Upper Great Southern at 3pm Saturday, Fremantle Community Bank Oval: v Goldfields at 2pm, v Avon at 4pm Sunday, Sullivan Logistics Stadium: Championships final at 1.30pm