Katamatite is the Picola District League reserves football premier.
Photo by
Callum Farquhar
Katamatite’s senior side was not the only Tigers outfit creating history at Mathoura, with the reserves claiming the club’s first premiership in a Picola and Distict League grand final to remember.
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The Tigers completed a memorable afternoon with a 9.15 (69) to 5.5 (35) victory over Barooga, prevailing by 34 points after controlling much of the contest.
For Katamatite reserves coach Joey Wright, the significance went far beyond the 22 players who took the field.
“It’s a huge moment, it’s the first time that we’ve got through to the reserves grand final at Katamatite,” Wright said.
“So it’s a first win for the group.
“This is a massive group effort, massive squad effort. We had 13 players miss out today, it’s all for them, it’s all for the club. It’s an honour to win it.”
Katamatite established the early ascendancy despite failing to fully capitalise on its opportunities.
The Tigers kept Barooga scoreless in the opening quarter and generated five scoring shots themselves, but 2.3 left the door slightly ajar.
“Barooga came out hard at the start, our ruckman ‘Ruddy’ (Taiten Rudd) was really good,” Wright said.
“We kicked 15 points, so we probably struggled to consolidate and show composure in front of goals, but I think we had 25 scoring shots in the end, so that was really good.”
The Tigers’ pressure continued in the second term as they extended their advantage to 3.9 (27) to 0.1 (1) by half-time.
Barooga finally found some reward after the main break, kicking two goals in the third quarter, but Katamatite answered with three of its own to take a commanding 6.12 (48) to 2.3 (15) lead into the final change.
The Hawks produced their best attacking quarter in the fourth with three goals, but there was no denying the Tigers.
Katamatite kicked another three majors to close out the 9.15 (69) to 5.5 (35) victory and secure a piece of club history.
Jedd Wright led the premiership side’s attack with three goals, while Mark Mills kicked two and Callan Aldridge, Blake Humphries, Jonathan Andrew and Seb Conheady each contributed one.
The coach was particularly pleased with the work of his side across the ground.
“Rudd in the ruck put in a huge effort, Wade Demasi in the forward line and Lachlan Bray in the backline put in a solid effort — huge, huge effort,” Wright said.
And after breaking new ground in 2026, the Tigers have no intention of treating the premiership as the end point.
