Familiar foe Waaia and Katamatite return to Picola District Football League decider
Two different home and away records. Two different coaches.
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Yet this Saturday in the Picola District League, the same two teams are left standing to compete for the senior football premiership.
Welcome back to the big dance, Waaia and Katamatite.
Both teams harbour new men at the helm, but not new to the premiership scene.
Waaia is led this year by Jesse Trower, while former Port Adelaide footballer Tom Clurey leads the reigning premier Tigers pack, and senses hunger is returning to the yellow and black playing group.
“It’s been a challenge going from being really hungry to having that success,” Clurey said.
“Last year was pure excitement for everyone, we were riding the high and giving it a red-hot crack.
“It can be easy to be complacent and think it’s just going to happen again, and that worried me a little bit at times during the season, but this last month has shown the group’s got a real hunger about them again.
“Our reserves are in the grand final for the first time too, so the entire playing list is energised this week.”
For Waaia, grand final week has become the norm.
If any players in country footy can actually regulate their nervous systems and treat the grand final like the old phrase ‘it’s just another game’, it would be Jesse Trower’s Bombers.
Waaia gun Dylan Cornick’s relaxed state ahead of the club’s final training session of the year was indicative of such.
"We’ll go in full force and hopefully try beat them this time, it’ll be good to do so, but if not, it’s not the end of the world I guess,“ Cornick said.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a chip on the shoulder for Waaia after losing the 2025 decider.
“It is always in the back of your mind,” he said.
“We got one back during the year, but that means nothing.
“It’s the grand final now and that’s where you want to get it done.”
While both clubs meet again in the grand final, it’s taken different types of seasons to get there compared to last.
Waaia dropped two games, plus a qualifying final, in 2026 compared to an unbeaten campaign to the big dance in 2025, while Clurey stated the Tigers have battled injuries and unavailability.
“It’s been a little bit different and a challenging year in terms of injuries and lots of people away for about two thirds of the year, but with that it’s given opportunity - we’ve had something like 47 players play seniors,” Clurey said.
“To get back to the grand final was our goal from the start, so to be there again, this time with the twos, is massive for the club.”
The usual grand final visitors can be expected to stand up for Waaia in yet another grand final appearance - Trower, Charlie Burrows, and Mitch Cleeland are a few household names.
Clurey gave an insight to the Tigers that can be expected to stand up when the lights shine brightest.
“Mitch Ward up forward, it’s his first year as captain and has been outstanding, his form’s been exceptional,” he said.
“One of the Melbourne boys Mitchell Coleman has been kicking plenty of goals too and Paddy Reardon is super on ball.”
With the ledger between the two sides squared this season - Waaia winning by 28 points in round 15, and Katamatite forcing the Bombers through the scenic route to the grand final in the PDL’s top-eight system with a three-point qualifying final win - both clubs have taken lessons out of the previous encounters to implement on the biggest day in September.
“They gave us a bit of touching up in round 15 but we learnt a bit from that game, we had players coming back from injury so we were gelling still as a unit and we played far from our best but were still in the fight,” Clurey said.
“So when we played that first final against them with a bit more harmony in the team, we got over the line by a couple of points.”
For Cornick, conversion by foot sprung to mind.
“It’s probably our inaccuracy that let us down big time in the first final,” Cornick said.
“Both teams played well to their strengths, but they capitalised and we didn’t.
“Both sides are so strong, we know anyone can win on their day.”
If this Saturday is anything like the match three weeks ago, then straps yourselves in.
We’re up for a scintillating finish to the PDL football season.