SWFL men’s: How South Bunbury bounced back from grand final heartbreak in 2022 to build their premiership list

Standing on the dais after his side’s grand final victory which completed an unbeaten 2024 season, South Bunbury captain Kevin Chitty remarked it was a “pretty awesome experience from where we were a couple of years ago”. The majority of Chitty’s teammates on the day had also been part of their heartbreaking four-point loss to Augusta-Margaret River in 2022’s season decider, but their additions since played a huge part in driving them to their invincible campaign. Chitty, Shaun Crane, Tom Gorter, Jace Cormack, Kade Wallrodt, Ben Horsman, Rocco Versace, Cole Sawyer, Bodhi Nordahl, Ethan Nordahl, Blake Piggott and Craig Hutcheson are the 12 Tigers who featured in both grand finals. It is a number which would have been one greater had Jay Crossman not suffered a knee injury which saw him miss this year’s premiership. But after following up their 2022 season with a 12-point loss to Carey Park in 2023’s preliminary final, the club added five fearsome recruits who immediately stamped themselves as some of the league’s leading players. The silky Richie Bourne — who Burgess said had moved to the region from the Goldfields-Esperance area for work and had not been actively recruited by the club — immediately stood out with his class and ability to cause damage forward of centre. Lachlan Riley was lured back from Swan Districts and Mitch Bain, the winner of the Prendergrast Medal for the fairest and best player in the WAFL reserves competition, joined him. Both ends of the ground were stiffened up by full-forward Blaine Johnson, a seven-game Carlton player and former South Fremantle star who kicked 67 goals in his 20 appearances for the year, and rebounding defender Tom Gallaway. As well as the external additions, homegrown young talent in the form of Pike Medal winner Tyson Lane, back-to-back league rising star award winners Kade Szyszka and William Pedley and dasher Jack Gallagher have also added plenty to the side. In the interim period between their 2022 agony and 2024 ecstasy, the Tigers have also seen some talented players both come and go. Burgess’ arrival at the start of the 2022 season was greeted by a recruiting drive which saw former Hayward Medal winners Cormack and Jesse Crichton, league stalwart Chris Atthowe and former WAFL ruckman Tim Sutherland come through the door. In 2023, the club replaced departing full-forward Jordan Strahan — who moved to the Goldfields Football League — by pulling off a huge coup, with Leigh Kohlmann returning to the club after some time away which included twice leading Swan Districts in goal-kicking. He promptly became the first ever goal-kicking centurion in the Tigers’ history, slotting 110 majors in the 2023 season, but was lured back for one more crack at the WAFL.