Nicky Winmar, Kirby Bentley Rewind!!!!
It was another successful year for Subiaco District at the 2020 Nicky Winmar and Kirby Bentley Cup carnivals. Teams from all across WA made their way down to UWA Sports Park for what was 2 days of exciting football showcasing some of the best young Aboriginal male and female participants.
Saturday showcased the Kirby Bentley Cup teams. Subiaco Started the day with a solid win over Midwest. Kyshanti Ryan was in fine form leading the team from the midfield. East Perth proved to be a tough opponent; Subiaco started off slow and got caught with too much to do late on and went down to the Royals. Game 3 saw the girls bounce back with a narrow win over Perth District. Kyshanti Ryan again demonstrating her ability and dominating the game from half back.
Unfortunately, the team missed out on finals through percentage, however coach Lisa Cockie commented. “It was a great day for the girls, they all had a lot of fun and were thrilled to get a chance to play footy.”
Despite not retaining their 2019 title, the girls definitely showed their ability and represented the Lions District with fierce competitiveness.
Sunday’s Nicky Winmar Carnival saw the 2 top cats align to take on the rest. Subiaco and Claremont Districts combined forces and were never in doubt. Lance Collard was in red hot form all day as his performances led the team in an undefeated tournament. After defeating Swans District, East Fremantle and Midlands, the Subi/Claremont boys came up against a formidable team for the semi finals in Perth District. What was by far the standout game of the day, Subi-Claremont took the lead early, however Perth hit the front midway through the second half. When it looked like Perth would run away with the game, the boys rallied up and finished strong to win the game by 9 points.
The final saw us take on MidWest who just didn’t have enough left in the tank to run with the back to back 2018/2019 finalists, Subi-Claremont ran out victors to claim their 3rd NWC title in a row. Coach Kendall Blurton had this to say. “It was such an unreal experience to be able to coach such an awesome group of boys. They all played in great spirits, we emphasised fun and focussed on playing as a team and thankfully it worked for us.”
It is no secret that WA is rich with Aboriginal football talent. All we can say is keep your eyes out for this group of champions as the future is bright for these football superstars.