GSFLW 2025: Coach proud of efforts despite Denmark-Walpole falling short in bid for maiden premiership

Denmark-Walpole coach Glen Burton was proud of his players’ season overall but admits they were outgunned by a fierce Mt Barker side in Friday night’s Great Southern Football League Women’s grand final. The Magpies were chasing their first GSFLW flag but fell short, losing by 37 points after failing to kick a major against a physical and relentless Bulls outfit. Burton said it was difficult to come back from a 31-point three quarter time deficit after the Bulls piled on three goals in a rampant third term. “They dug deep, and our girls dug deep, but just couldn’t quite bring it,” he said. “I’ve seen the girls come back, and they’ve come back quite convincingly, but it was a final straw for the girls (that third term). “But, they didn’t give up, they kept on going. “I can’t make excuses, it was just Mt Barker with a better team on the day.” The two out-of-town teams clashed in the qualifying final, and the Magpies emerged victorious, however the loss appeared to light a fire within the Bulls who came out determined to win the rematch. Burton said all his players “gave their best” in the contest and standouts included Erika Tharratt, who also celebrated her 50-game milestone, Grace Dempster, who made an impact in the second half when she was moved up into the midfield, and Esme MacDonald who moved into defence later in the game. “We’ve had our star ruck, this is her first year playing football, she’s never played football before,” Burton said. “We’ve got a few girls like that who have come through and the development that they’ve made is absolutely fantastic. “The way the youth girls are developing up as well, we’ve got a really good youth girls side. “If we can build on that over the next couple of years, we should be a very strong force to be reckoned with.”