Football
21 August, 2025
Do or die for Demons and Cougars
Laharum and Kaniva Leeor United will take to North Park in Stawell this Sunday as the two sides battle to progress to the second week of seniors football final in the Horsham District Football Netball League.
Each team have had different journeys to the finals but have demonstrated that they can match it with the top three sides.
Laharum finished the regular season with 10 wins and six losses, and with an injury-riddled back half of the season, the Demons were at risk of missing a finals spot.
But a hard-fought 66-37 round 15 win over the Swifts served as a pivotal point in the team’s final push, with last week’s decisive win over Rupanyup securing their fourth-placed finish.
Laharum co-coach Robbie Miller says a second-straight finals appearance is a reward for the hard work the side has put in in recent years.
“It's a good reward for this group again to play finals two years in a row,” Miller said.
“The majority of this group went through the dark times of not winning a game throughout a season.”
After recording four wins in 2024, Kaniva Leeor have been one of the big improvers in 2025, recording 10 wins and posting a 7-2 record in their final nine games of the season.
After a solid start, the midseason recruitment of Tyler Roos and Joshua Clayton has elevated the Cougars even further.
Jonno Hicks, co-coach of Kaniva Leeor, says playing finals will be a great opportunity for the young and improving side.
“It's really exciting for our group,’ Hicks said.
“They're put in a lot of hard work and obviously we've been one of the teams that struggled the last couple of years.
“So to put the season together that we have, and especially the second half of the year, picking up Tyler Roos and Josh Clayton has been huge for the group, but we've improved across the board as well.
“We’re still a young team with a lot of upside to go and the opportunity to play in a final, it will be a big experience for the team and hopefully something they enjoy.
Hicks identified the close 94-90 win over Kalkee in round six as a moment that ignited the playing group.
“The first win we had against Kalkee, we had a lot of players out of our side, quite a few injuries and a couple of guys missing with concussion protocol,” Hicks said.
That win really galvanised the group.
“That demonstrated the effort we bring each week, which has been important," he said.
“They're a group that shows a lot of care for each other and they work really hard for each other.”
The two sides only met once this year back in round five, where Laharum handed Kaniva Leeor their biggest loss of the season (128-46).
While their strong finish to the season gives the Cougars confidence heading in to Sunday, Hicks is aware of the challenge in facing Laharum.
“They’re a really good football team and have been for a couple of years,” Hicks said.
“Their defensive side is fantastic and they really got a hold of us earlier in the year so they’re a quality side and we’re well aware of that.
“I think the intensity goes up in the finals but we’ll do what we’ve done all year: we’re going to go out and play our style and hopefully it stacks up.”
After struggling with injuries, Laharum head into Sunday close to full strength.
Miller is aware of Kaniva Leeor’s improvement from their last clash and is expecting an intense game.
“They've got some quality footballers,” Miller said.
“They’ve got a couple of recruits coming in of a higher standard; they've got goal-kicking power.
“You can't afford to take any opposition lightly, particularly come finals series.
“They'll be out to get the win as well so they'll throw everything at it as it is ‘do or die’, so we'll be doing the same.”
Like Kaniva, Laharum will focus on their own game plan.
“We’ll stick to the way we want to play; we'll stick to the way we want to move the ball,” Miller said.
“Our defensive structures are very sound.
“We've just got a couple of small things we want to try to tee up through training this week.”
A key player to watch for Laharum will be midfield on-baller Daniel Easson, who has been impactful all season long for the Demons.
Youngster Chase Whelan, who was the leading goalkicker at the School Sport Australia Football Championships, looms as a potential game-changer up forward for the Demons, but the 15-year-old has to pick whether to play seniors during the finals or for his under 17s team, where he has been a standout as well.
For Kaniva, forward Jacob Eats will be integral on Sunday with his marking and goalkicking ability, while ruckman Hamish Bennett will be sure to continue his strong season as he matches against Laharum’s Shannon Argall.
