IT was a big weekend in the South West Football League with wet weather around the region making for some interesting results.
Donnybrook upset Carey Park while South Bunbury claimed a narrow win away from home against Busselton.
Here are five things we learned from round five.
Augusta-Margaret River claimed a nail biting victory over Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault on the weekend, and they did so without the services of star player and co-coach Hamish Shepheard in the second half.
Shepheard was red carded for an incident in the second quarter.
However, we at Footy HQ were particularly impressed with the work of some of their less well-known players.
Cameron Melvin and Daniel Atkinson were both very impressive.
Melvin was opportunistic up forward while Atkinson dominated hitouts and took some outstanding marks in the wet.
Other sides will need to be wary of these underrated players as the season goes on.
Busselton received a reality check on the weekend while South Bunbury reminded the competition that they are not a forgotten side.
Admittedly, Busselton’s errant kicking and the wet weather could have played a part in this upset, but it served as a good reminder not to get ahead of ourselves.
For South Bunbury, the game showed that things aren’t nearly as bad as they’ve been made out to be down at Tigerland.
After an 0-3 start, the Tigers could easily have dropped their heads and let the season fall by the wayside.
Fortunately, they continued to give an effort and have now won their last two matches.
With games against Collie and Bunbury to come, the Tigers could easily have four straight wins under their belt.
Times are dark at the Kennel these days, as Bunbury’s run of monstrous defeats continues.
The Bulldogs have had 516 points scored against them in five games while they themselves have only posted 183.
That is an average score of 37 to 103 in their games.
Yes, the Bulldogs are young and it will take time for them to develop, but getting belted week in week out is terrible for any side – especially in terms of confidence.
They travel to play Harvey this week in another encounter that could get ugly for the young pups.
But hey, it could be worse – at least Bunbury is doing better than the Smythesdale Bulldogs.
The Bulls’ round four loss to Busselton may have shell-shocked them into a slump in earlier seasons, but the way they bounced back in round five was first class.
On the road, in wet and windy conditions, the Bulls took care of Collie without much hassle.
They had 10 more scoring shots than the Eagles and came away with a 53 point win.
The Bulls now maintain a 3-2 record and sit just outside of the top five on percentage.
They should win their game against the Bulldogs next week before travelling for a big game against Donnybrook in round eight.
Harvey’s started the season well and will be watched closely from now on.
In the words of the great former Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews; “if it bleeds, you can kill it.”
Carey Park copped a sudden reality check when they were beaten by Donnybrook on the weekend.
The unbeaten Panthers may have been set back by injuries and bad weather, but take nothing away from the Dons who produced a strong performance to claim a win.
The loss should serve as a solid reminder to Carey Park of how fierce the competition is.
They’ll need to bring their best against AMR this week.
