Who to Watch: A Grade Grand Finals 2024

The last day of the Perth Football League calendar is upon us, and the weather has joined the party with a fine, sunny day ahead. Five clubs will feature at Pentanet Stadium with a heap of local footy stars to look out for on Saturday 14th September 2024.

Toyota A Grade – Trinity Aquinas v Kingsway

After months of nail-biting finishes and what could be argued as the closest Toyota A Grade Men season in Perth Football League history, Trinity Aquinas are set to take on Kingsway to decide the 2024 Premiership. Pentanet Stadium will feature plenty of match winners on both sides who will be confident in taking home the Sandover Shield and BJ Giles Medal tomorrow afternoon.

For Kingsway, they’ll be led by their captain, Rowan Brookes, who is looking to finish the year with a flag after also leading the PFL’s representative state team to a victory over the VAFA earlier in the year. 2024 CJ Jamieson medallist, Jaxon McGowan will be seeing Saturday as an opportunity to add icing on the cake to what has been an unbelievable year for him.

The experience of Kyle Halligan up forward will be crucial for Kingsway in their search for a second A Grade flag in history after their maiden grand final triumph in 2021. Braydn Furmark is another player built for the big stage and will fancy his chances of becoming a dual BJ Giles Medallist after being awarded with best on ground honours back in 2021.

Trinity Aquinas enter the last match of the year as minor premiers and after having a week off after defeating Kingsway narrowly in the second semi final. Buoyed by the recent result they are looking to go one better than last year after falling agonisingly short at the final hurdle last year.

Michael Sinclair up forward has added a touch of class this season to an already strong side, kicking 51 goals up until this point. With no players featuring in the top ten in the Fairest & Best, the Boomers have been a side that have shared the load in 2024. Jack Green and Christian Eyres have both had consistent years in the midfield and once you add in the elusive Kendall Taylor and a roaming Ryan Vermeersch on the wing, they become an engine room that you simply do not want to come up against.

Continuing the theme of close grades, the Toyota A Reserves saw three teams at the top of the ladder with only percentage splitting them. Two of those sides in Curtin Uni Wesley and University have found themselves as the last two standing in Saturday’s Premiership decider.

Only two weeks ago in a wet and dour slog, University were slightly cleaner with the ball and won the second semi final 3.7 (25) over Curtin Uni Wesley 1.6 (12). Curtin will be looking to reverse that result and lean on their Round 15 performance that saw them run out 13-point winners. For the Tigers, they will be relying on strong showings from their stars in Dylan Biggs, Mitchell Rudrum and their captain Tim Goh.

For University, they hold a 2-1 record this season against Curtin, and will head into the Grand Final full of confidence. With the likes of Chaz Flint on field, the Uni side have high expectations. Patrick Donovan and Dwayne Lake polled well at the PFL Awards Night and form a group that’s going to be hard to stop.

There is no surprise that University and North Beach have reached the EGT Phil Scott Colts Grand Final. Both sides are littered with stars, with the two teams collecting 155 votes between them at the recent PFL Awards Night. Nicholas Emes of North Beach found himself tied for second, while Kalib Dempster-Park from University finished tied for fourth.

As runaway Minor Premiers, University have only dropped one match for the year, in a Round 15 loss to Curtin Uni Wesley. Since that hiccup, University has gone on to win four on the trot with only one result closer than a 62-point margin. It’s fair to say that the 62-point win against North Beach in their last outing has them as firm favourites for the Premiership. Sonny Arangio and Harry Burbury are strong performers and will be two to keep a close eye on.

For North Beach, they’re looking to reverse that recent 10 goal loss, and will be relying on Nicholas Emes to lead from the front. Their year started with a bang with a 121-point victory but found themselves just short in their two regular season matches to University. The team has had plenty of strong performances throughout the year and will be hoping last week’s 28 point win over Scarborough provides the form needed to challenge University. Others to watch on Saturday will be Mitchell Rowell and Tait Saunders who have been strong contributors throughout the season.

Pentanet Stadium
Toyota A Grade: Trinity Aquinas v Kingsway – 2:30pm
Toyota A Reserves: University v Curtin Uni Wesley – 12:15pm
EGT Phil Scott Colts: University v North Beach – 10:00am

All three games will be streamed live and free on streamer.com.au

You can also listen live on the SEN App or 91.3 SportFM.

Entry is $20 (Free for children 15 and under).

Online tickets are available: bit.ly/2024AGradeGFTickets