19-05-2025
SWFL: Busselton continue strong start to season with 88-point win over Harvey Bulls
Busselton continued their strong start to the South West Football League season with an 88-point victory over Harvey Bulls at Harvey Recreation Ground on Saturday night.
A game between the second-placed visitors and the last-placed hosts shaped as a mismatch and played out in that fashion, with the Magpies dominating from siren to siren in a 18.13 (121) to 5.3 (33) victory.
After a promising start to the season in which they came within a goal of beating local rivals Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault in their season opener and lost to Collie by a point in round two, the Bulls have lost their last four games by an average of 89 points.
They sit alongside Eaton and Collie as teams with one win for the year, but have a significantly inferior percentage of just 37.46.
Dynamic forward Liam Creighton celebrated his 100th game for the Magpies with six goals. Mitchell Cameron, who also kicked six goals, was recognised as the best player afield, continuing a standout start to life at the club in which he has slotted 18 majors in his first five games.
Another off-season addition in Ryan Ekert came into the round as the competition's leading goal-kicker but was kept relatively quiet, managing only two.
Debutant Jake Chapman was one of few bright spots for the Bulls and was his side's only multiple goal-kicker, with two.
The hosts did start the game in fine fashion, winning the first clearance to create an early chance for Hugh Menzies, who kicked truly for the game's first goal inside the opening minute.
But the Magpies largely bossed proceedings from there, taking a 25-point lead into the first break, which would have been larger but for inaccuracy in front of goal.
Having started the game with five goals from their first 12 scoring shots, Busselton were able to reverse the trend over the remaining three quarters, needing only 20 chances to stack on another 13 majors.
