Country champ rises on contest’s biggest stage

Beth Beckett did no harm to her chances of playing in the WAFLW next season, on the back of a stellar women’s country football championships carnival for the SWFL. After being a consistent performer throughout the round-robin stage, the tireless utility was awarded best on ground in the SWFL’s decisive 4.7 (31) to 0.1 (1) grand final win over the Great Southern on Friday. While Beckett admits she would love the opportunity to one day play at the next level, staying with Busselton in the SWFL women’s competition is an equally attractive proposition. “If the opportunity came, I would definitely be open to it,” Beckett said. “I think there is only a certain amount of time for me to explore those options, being in the later age of many players in the competition. “It would be really cool to go play at that level and see what I could do there. “I believe I have shown I can play at that level I’ve been in, so it would be awesome to try it if it came my way. “Otherwise? I love Busso and the girls here.” Beckett, a working mother of two, took her game to another level this season after being utilised in a number of defensive and forward roles throughout another memorable season for the Magpies. Were these positional switches planned by the Magpies coaching staff? Or did the silky midfielder want to try something different? “I enjoy the midfield,” Beckett said. “To me, the midfield is my first touch and you do not get left out of it (the play) for very long. “You get a tackle or a touch pretty instantly, so it kind of gets your mind straight on the game. “So playing forward or back was sometimes a bit hard, because sometimes the touches did not come your way and you could get a bit lost. “But sometimes we needed someone to sit on the half back line and bring a bit of run, say if Isabella Hancock or someone else wasn’t there. “The same for the forward line if we needed a link-up player. It ended up being either me, Mia Dronow or Rennie Meadmore who would go there. “It is enjoyable to play wherever, so I am happy to do what the coaches want me to do.”