Kimberley Makes Stunning Country Championships Debut Wednesday, October 5, 2022 - 3:49 PM - by Mark Readings

The Rio Tinto Women’s Division of the Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Championships has been hailed a success after two days of competitive football at Lane Group Stadium in Mandurah. 

South West made it a Premiership three peat, winning the Grand Final against Kimberley by 19 points 4.3(27) to 1.2(8) 

Despite the ongoing success of South West, the performance of Kimberley to reach the Grand Final in its first appearance at the Championships proved to be a revelation. 

The official launch of the event took place last Thursday, with several prominent local football identities presenting and speaking on the night. 

These included, WAFC Commissioner, Michelle Fyfe; AFL’s Female Community Football Manager, Ella Squires; EM Country Football, Affiliates & Facilities, Tom Bottrell; Manager Country Football North, Kane Benson; Steve Wright from Nutrien Ag Solutions; and EM Game Development, Troy Kirkham. 

Bottrell has lauded the growth of the competition. 

“The 2023 Rio Tinto Womens Country Championships was a fantastic 2 days of football, with 8 regional leagues being represented. 

With 2022 being the third year of these championships, it’s clear that the quality of competition has grown year-on-year, along with an increase from five to eight teams over that time. 

As part of the Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Championships, we are appreciative that Rio Tinto has come onboard to partner us on the women’s division and are excited to see how this division continues to develop,” Bottrell said.