UGSFL 2023: Captain James Laurino leads from the front to claim George Warren Medal in grand final victory

James Laurino led from the front to claim the George Warren Medal in his side’s grand final victory win in front of a huge crowd at Matera Oval on Sunday. The former South Fremantle midfielder was prolific in the engine room from siren to siren, providing grunt work and plenty of clearances to go with class and poise by hand and foot. Laurino lauded his Katanning Wanderers teammates’ efforts throughout the season in their quest to win the club’s third flag in six years. “With the guys that we’ve got down here at the moment, like Haiden (Schloithe) and Kade and Tim (Stewart) along with the local boys that have all come back, we thought that we just have to win this one,” Laurino said. “We might not get the chance to play again together, so I suppose we just had to make the most of it while we are all here.” Laurino praised Williams’ fight, particularly in the third term where they booted four unanswered goals to wrestle back the lead. “They’re such a well-drilled side and they’ve been here plenty of times before,” he said. “Their leaders stood up and they know what they need to do to win grand finals. “That’s why they’ve got into the grand final from third and it’s credit to them and how they got back in the game. “We just had to get the work and make sure that we gave them the respect that they deserved and we probably didn’t for parts of that third quarter and that’s where they got on top of us. “Our boys just had to grit their teeth and I suppose that is what we asked of them at three-quarter time and they did it, which is great.“ The 30-year-old said past grand final losses inspired his team to ensure they weren’t on the wrong side of the result again. “I think for a fair chunk of the year we knew that we were the benchmark and so that was a pretty big driving factor to make sure that didn’t happen again.” This year also marks the centenary celebrations for Katanning and Laurino said it had made the win even sweeter. “Given we are celebrating 100 years, it makes the win a little bit more special,” he said. Tigers coach Mark Pinney announced his retirement on the back of the win and Laurino said his side’s success was a huge testament to the work he has done. “He’s coached all but two of the years that I’ve been here and he’s been really good,” Laurino said. “He’s just such a great motivator of people and when it comes down to it, all he wants is for us boys to succeed. “He’s just so passionate and I think it shows through in the way that he coaches.”