Fenner’s arrival and the emergence of young forward Josh Hutchinson have turned the Demons, who have boasted one the league’s stingiest defences in the past two years, into a more potent attacking threat.
They showed their potential in a semi-final win against Noradjuha-
Quantong two weeks ago, with Fenner kicking eight goals while defenders Todd Heynen, Patrick MacDonough and Brett Ervin helped hold the Bombers to their lowest score of the year.
Playing coach Robbie Miller said his side had been thrilled to earn a week off before the grand final and would try to replicate its semi-final performance on Saturday.
“We want to try to take away their outside game,” he said.
“We pride ourselves on contested football, so if we’re winning it at the coalface and winning the stoppage game, that’ll go a long way.
“But we also need to have pressure on the exterior as well. It’s quite a few things to take in, because they’re a quality side.
“We need to be on our toes in all facets of the game, defensively first and then taking care of the football and making sure our forwards are getting good looks as well.”
The Bombers are also confident after quickly returning to form in a 9.18 (72) to 5.7 (37) win against Kaniva-
Leeor United in Saturday’s preliminary final.
With a strong wind favouring the eastern end of Horsham City Oval, the Bombers kicked 4.6 to no score in the first quarter and managed a goal against the run of play in the second term to keep their noses in front at the long break.
Despite some third-term inaccuracy, another strong defensive effort in the final term saw them run out comfortable winners.
Coach Damian Cameron said his side was ‘pumped’ to play in a third straight grand final.
He said the return of talented utility Dylan Shelley, who was absent from the team’s earlier finals loss to Laharum, was a boost.
“He can play any position on the ground and he goes about it the right way, so it’s nice to have him in there,” Cameron said.
“It’s just getting the decision right about which end to plonk him at, and he did well at both ends on the weekend.”
Cameron said his team would need to capitalise on its chances if it hoped to reverse the result from its semi-final loss.
“We had a lot of inside 50s and couldn’t score. They did a really good job of stopping us from hitting the scoreboard,” he said.
“Fenner kicking eight goals out of their 10 was huge as well. He’s a great player, so you’ve obviously got to look at how to nullify him. Their midfield had their fair share of the footy as well.”
Leading Laharum’s midfield are Miller and Daniel Easson, with Shannon Argall swapping in the ruck with MacDonough and Monty Wynne and Reuben Launder adding depth. The Bombers also have a talented midfield group, with Declan Phyland claiming the Dellar Medal as the league’s best and fairest on Monday night and the likes of James Hallett, James Gregg, Lee Dale, Riley Dunlop, Dylan Shelley and Wade Francis capable of running through the middle or lining up elsewhere, while Jack Vague is one of the league’s best ruckmen.
Noradjuha-Quantong will need to curb the influence of Fenner, with Lachlan Phyland likely to be his primary defender, while the likes of Nigel Kelly will be required to lend support.
Noradjuha-Quantong’s forward setup, featuring Judah Hobbs, Brock Orval and at times Dylan Shelley, will also test a strong Laharum defence.
Cameron said the Bombers were ready to produce their best in a quest for an elusive senior premiership.
“It hasn’t really been spoken about that much, but you know it’s in the back of everyone’s head. The hunger is there,” he said.
“It comes down to one game and you’ve got to get it right, so you can’t dwell on the last two grand final losses too much. But obviously it builds that hunger each time.
“The group doesn’t seem to be feeling any pressure, which is a good start.
“Sometimes when you feel that pressure it can really affect your performance, but that doesn’t seem to be there, so it’s a really good feeling at the moment.”
The entire September 9, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
