OFA 2024: Lake Grace-Pingrup advance through to third straight league grand final with win over Gnowangerup

Lake Grace-Pingrup booked themselves a third consecutive Ongerup Football Association grand final appearance after defeating minor premiers Gnowangerup in the second semifinal on Saturday. The Bombers led at every break against the Bulldogs, who were made to rue inaccurate goal kicking, to secure an impressive 13-point win at Boxwood and advance straight through to the decider in a fortnight. Bombers star forward and dual reigning leading goal kicker Jackson Callope booted four goals to steer his side to the 12.8 (80) to 9.13 (67) victory. After trailing by 14 points at quarter-time, the Bulldogs hit back in the second but squandered numerous chances in front of goal, kicking 3.5 in the quarter to reduce the lead to just three points at the long break. The Bombers punished the Bulldogs for their missed opportunities, kicking four of the next five goals in the premiership quarter, and took a commanding 21-point lead into the last stanza. The minor premiers made a late charge in the final quarter but again failed to make the most of their chances in the front half with 4.5 in the last, while at the other end the Bombers kicked three majors to close out the game. Regan Smith, Luke Bairstow, Tyson Prater and Ben Watson were pivotal in the victory, while Harris Regan finished with three vital goals. The Bulldogs were best served by Seamus Hitsert, Ben Bungey, Mac Crichton (two goals) and Brayden Webber, while 2024 Les Ganzer medallist Lewis Davis finished with two goals. The Bombers did the triple over their opponents, with their reserves and juniors each defeating the Bulldogs in their respective finals. On Saturday the Bombers’ junior team beat the Bulldogs 12.5 (77) to 7.3 (45) to progress to the grand final, and on Sunday in the reserves, the Bombers also downed the same opponents. Jerramungup advanced to the reserves grand final with a 13.6 (84) to 5.7 (37) win over Boxwood Hill in the second semifinal on Saturday. Zaine Osterhage, Austin Brown (two goals), Charlie Mckinlay and Tristen Wisewould starred in the win.