The CBH Colts Country Championship division one title has returned to the Mid West after 27 years after Great Northern went undefeated and beat South West by 44 points in Friday’s grand final.

It was a flawless campaign from the boys in blue, who had not seen country championship glory at colts level since their maiden win in 1999.

Great Northern set the tone early after going undefeated on day one on Thursday, then storming ahead early to seal the 10.6 (66) to 3.4 (22) win in the title decider at Scotch College on Friday.

Rhama Evans capped off a sensational tournament after being named joint Ken Baxter medalist for the best and fairest player in division one, and best on ground in the grand final.

His work rate was unmatched across the tournament, gathering plenty of the ball in the grand final and finishing with a goal despite South West paying close attention to him during the middle stages of the decider.

Evans, Leon Jones Jr and Eli Grigsby were all named in the all-star side, with Gerard Marquis named coach after taking his side to victory.

Great Northern were switched on from the first centre clearance in the grand final, sending the ball to Nathaniel Lewis bagged major in the opening minute, leaving South West stunned.

Shortly after, Sheldon Nelly pounced on a ball that spilled out the back of a goal square marking contest, with South West already under the pump in three minutes of play.

Great Northern continued on the charge as Jones Jr clunked a strong contested mark and bagged a third goal seven minutes into the opening term.

In desperate need to stem the bleeding, South West slowed play and controlled possession while their back line tightened up and seized several of Great Northern’s inside 50s.

Eventually, Marquis’ side found a way to break the deadlock through Lucas Ronan who nailed a spectacular goal to take his side to a 4.2 (27) to 0.1 (1) lead at the first break.

With the breeze in their favour in the second term, South West worked their way back into the contest, but Great Northern made it difficult to find space to break away.

Eventually, South West found their first through Josh Fry who caught captain James Simmons holding the ball in their forward 50.

The tight contest continued, but eventually Great Northern got the ball back into Jones Jr’s hands who took another contested mark and kicked another goal.

South West found a reply through Taj Houlahan who sidestepped Great Northern’s defenders to see the scoreboard to 5.2 (32) to 2.2 (14) at half time.

Once play resumed, Great Northern continued carving its way to victory with Lewis putting the burners on to kick the term’s opening goal from just outside 50.

South West pressed hard and made the Mid West side earn their next goal, which once again came through the Brigades colt, Lewis.

A tight defensive effort led by captain James Simmons ensured South West couldn’t hit the score board, which read 7.4 (46) to 2.2 (14) at three quarter time.

Simmons was courageous in defence all day and read play well to take several solid intercept marks to limit South West’s chances. Arlo Mosiejuk was also dynamic off half back and set up rebounding attacking plays well.

In the final term, Evans was lurking around the forward 50 and finally found his way on the scorers’ list with a thumping kick from the 50 metre arc, with Jones Jr adding his third goal of the day shortly after.

South West found a late consolation goal through Rhys Gardiner, but Darcy Giltrow had the last laugh to seal the 10.6 (66) to 3.4 (22) result.

It was truly a team effort from the colts champions, with several players having their moments.

Ronan was present and attacked the ball with intent, while Grigsby was smart with his ball use and Rex Heberle looked strong on the wing. Ruck Jake Criddle was excellent in the ruck contest, giving his midfielders first use.

Lewis finished on three goals, as did Jones Jr who played various roles around the ground all tournament.

On day one, Great Northern opened their campaign with a 30-point win over Regional Districts, before defeating 2025 champions Peel and runners-up South West each by four points.