OFA 2023: Lake Grace-Pingrup secure minor premiership, Gnowangerup’s big win keeps top-two hopes alive

Lake Grace-Pingrup surged to a 34-point win against Boxwood Hill on Saturday to claim the minor premiership in the Ongerup Football Association.

At three-quarter-time scores were level at Boxwood Hill but a five-goal final-quarter blitz from Lake Grace-Pingrup while keeping the hosts scoreless set up the 9.13 (67) to 5.3 (33) victory.

The round 14 match was an arm-wrestle from bouncedown, with both teams struggling to gain any significant advantage.

Boxwood Hill took a three-point lead into the first change but were held scoreless in the second and they fell behind by two points at the main break.

Lake Grace-Pingrup were inaccurate in front of goal in the third, converting just one goal from six opportunities, which allowed Boxwood Hill to kick two majors of their own and level scores at the final change.

Lake Grace-Pingrup spearhead Jackson Callope was the visitors’ main avenue to goal finishing with three majors, taking his season tally to 38 and that played a major part in the win.

Captain Mitchell Smith (one goal), Mitchell O’Neill (one) and Ashton Gray were also key contributors as Lake Grace-Pingrup stitched up top spot and a finals double chance.

Rohan Vaux and Michael Swarbrick were the only multiple goal-kickers for the hosts.

Brett Crabtree, Hayden Richter and Samuel Collins battled hard for Boxwood Hill.

Meanwhile Gnowangerup powered to a 90-point victory over the winless Jerramungup in Gnowangerup on Saturday to keep their top-two hopes alive.

The Bulldogs booted 10 unanswered goals in the first half, waltzing to a 61-point lead at the main break to set up the 18.6 (114) to 3.6 (24) win.

The Eagles scored their first goal of the match in the third but conceded another seven to the Bulldogs.

Many of the Bulldogs’ forwards got a lick of the ice-cream with Tyler Caldwell kicking a game-high four goals and skipper Lewis Davies (three), James Dewar (three) and Tony-Kurt Champion (two) also getting among the action.

Thomas Hicks, Kalan Bailey and Alex Baum were the Eagles’ only goal-kickers.

The Bulldogs are four premiership points adrift of second-placed Boxwood Hill on the ladder heading into the final round of the season.