Former South Bunbury spearhead Leigh Kohlmann resumes WAFL career with six-goal haul for Swan Districts

Former South Bunbury spearhead Leigh Kohlmann resumed his WAFL career with a six-goal haul for Swan Districts at the weekend. The 31-year-old, who booted 110 goals for the Tigers in the South West Football League last year, was unstoppable in his first State league appearance since 2020 as the Black Ducks registered a 64-point win over West Coast. Kohlmann came into the contest having booted 38 goals in his 22 career WAFL games, finishing both the 2019 and 2020 seasons as Swan Districts’ leading goal-kicker. Bunbury pair Aidan Clarke (23 disposals) and Nathan Blakely (13 disposals, 19 hit outs) were the other South West products to feature for the winners, while last year’s Hayward Medal winner Harley Sparks made his debut for the Eagles in the defeat, registering 20 disposals. Two South West big men battled in the ruck as East Perth defeated South Fremantle by 39 points, with Busselton’s Scott Jones (32 hit outs, one goal) making a successful return for the Royals after a 2023 campaign cruelled by a broken leg and Eaton’s Josh Branchi winning 36 hit outs for the Bulldogs. Branchi — who won Baldivis’ best and fairest in the Perth Football League last year — was playing his first WAFL game in more than six years.