It’s been a long time since the South West Football League enjoyed a balanced season.
The last one came in 2012, which went an extra week after Busselton and Collie drew in the grand final.
Since then, the competition has been quite predictable.
Eaton has dominated with back-to-back flags to show for it and they’ve usually been joined by two other sides who have been powerful (Bunbury and South Bunbury last season).
But this year the playing field has evened right up.
Although Carey Park has taken the lead in premiership favouritism, they are still yet to prove anything.
Eaton, South Bunbury and Busselton will still contend in each game while sides like Collie and Donnybrook can expect improvement.
This should be the most balanced season of the SWFL we’ve seen for some time.
Each season, Busselton’s Daniel McGinlay is touted to make a dash at the Hayward medal.
Yet most years when reflecting on the count, although he poles well, McGinlay does not seem to make much impact at the top of the table.
Most sides have added talent this year that can challenge for the South West Football League’s top individual honour.
Carey Park’s Graham Jetta and Harvey’s Andrew McDougall will both feature heavily on the night.
However, the competition is on a more level playing field and McGinlay is in a side where not many players will take votes from him, but they can still post a fair amount of wins.
This could be the year McGinlay takes the prize.
The league saw a huge amount of head coaches replaced in the off-season with just three of the total ten coaches from 2014 going around again this season.
Carey Park’s John Baggetta, Bunbury’s Ryan Pitts and Busselton’s Greg Hodson are the only remaining coaches from last year.
This makes the coming season even more unpredictable as it is hard to know which new coach will be most effective at their new club.
I’m backing two coaches to have significant impact at their new homes – Paul Fimmano (Harvey Bulls) and Dave Lewis (Donnybrook).
The change may not necessarily transition into wins and losses, but there should be a notable change in attitude and how competitive these sides can be.
It should be interesting to watch the new coaches as the season unfolds.
A question that most South West Football League followers ponder at some point before the season, the men up front have changed considerably this season.
Jordan Adamson-Holmes (Bunbury), Marc Re (Bunbury), Aidan Park (Bunbury), Leigh Kelly (Eaton), Adam Hunter (South Bunbury), Brynn Francis (South Bunbury) and Greg Sanders (Harvey) have all left the league which leaves the leading goal kicker award wide open.
At first glance, we all look to Carey Park’s full forward Matthew Martin.
A goal kicking machine, Martin had a strong second half to last season and with what should be exemplary midfield delivery, he should benefit in 2015.
Jake Ferrier of Eaton is another we can expect plenty of goals from.
Ferrier is a strong mark and goal player who takes advantage of the competition’s smaller full backs.
Andrew McDougall (Harvey), Jeff Smith (Donnybrook) and Ashley Thornton (HBL) will all feature in the goal kickers tally as well.
After a season that saw all five of the “city-based” clubs (Eaton, Bunbury, South Bunbury, Busselton and Carey Park) gain a spot in the finals, 2015 could pose a different look come September.
Country based clubs have struggled in recent years but this season could see a breath of fresh air for them with many of their counterparts feeling the sting of player departures.
The Harvey Bulls appear to be much the same as last year in a competition that has evened out, meaning good things for them.
Collie also seems on par with their side from last year perhaps with slight improvement.
Donnybrook has picked up multiple new recruits this season and will look to their talent in the midfield to make a difference – they could be the most dangerous of the country clubs.
Augusta-Margaret River has also improved this season, but could find the even competition causing struggles for them at some point.
All in all, this year looks promising. Now it’s just a matter of sitting back and enjoying the ride.