Cavendish defeats Dartmoor in South West District league grand final to win first senior football premiership 29 years

The Bloods hadn't won a flag in 29 years and verged on folding as a club four years ago, but with their 15.9 (99) to 3.6 (24) victory over the Giants their drought was finally broken.

Cavendish coach Clinton Thomas was delighted by the result and said it brought a "sense of relief".

"I'm not yet at the stage where I want to enjoy," Thomas told The Standard following the medal presentations.

"The enjoyment is coming from feeling that weight off the shoulders because it's been two COVID years of interruption but it's been a four-year build with those two COVID years. So we're really excited and just so appreciative of where the club's at."

Thomas didn't believe the scoreboard reflected the intensity of the match and said that Dartmoor were "bringing it all day". The Bloods mentor added that it was his side's ability to execute its game-plan that proved the difference.

"We had a very well-planned out game-style, in the sense of playing tempo footy in the back half, green-light footy in the front half," he said.

Cavendish's Will Luhrs was awarded the best-on-ground medal for his dominant display in a back-line that helped restrict the Giants to just three majors. Thomas praised his defender but also lauded the work of his five other defenders, who enabled Luhrs to carry out his intercepting role.

League best and fairest winner Sam Gibson also earned recognition from his coach for his outstanding eight-goal performance.

When asked about the tremendous support from fans Cavendish had received, Thomas highlighted the entire club's resurgence.

"I said this all along, the biggest joy that's come out of the last four years has been just how the club has bounced back," he said. "It was just like a sleeping giant that just needed a bit of accelerant thrown into it."

Cavendish president and Thomas' dad, Bobby, was overjoyed by the scenes.

"(I'm) on top of the world really. No very, very ecstatic and very happy. Very proud," he said. "To come back from the death so to speak, it's been a magnificent team effort."

Meanwhile, in the reserves Coleraine triumphed 12.11 (83) to Heywood's 8.3 (51), after leading by just four points at half-time.

Maroon Jordan Plunkett took best-on-ground honours, while teammate Alistair Lewis snagged three goals.

Coleraine coach Adam Ward said his side earned the win.

"We knew it was going to be a tough fight and Heywood gave it to us all day but at the end we made it and took what we wanted," he said.

He attributed the win to his side's "hard contested footy", as well as its "run, carry and spread".

"I think that's what really opened it up in that last half," he said.

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