Joel Pearson has led the Coota Blues strongly in 2026. Having made his debut as a 16 year old in 2008. Pearson knows what is needed to get the job done. He celebrated 250 games at the end of this season.
The Coota Blues will meet Murrumbateman in their Grand Final for 2026 after progressing through a nail-biting 7-point victory over the ADFA Rams at Stirling Oval, Canberra, last Saturday.
Final scores were Cootamundra 8 – 9 – 57 to ADFA 8 – 2 – 50.
In what was a game of two halves, the Blues dominated the first two terms, kicking 7 goals to zero to take a 46-point lead into the long break and looked to be in a very comfortable position.
Club Legend Joel Pearson was on top up forward, kicking two first-half goals and having a hand in a couple of others.
Andy Merritt, Jacob Tiernan and Shaun Regan were dominating for the Blues, while Tristan Beaumont-Gillett and Darion O’Toole were also giving the side great drive.
The second half was a stark contrast, as ADFA came out firing and, with their outstanding fitness levels, they started to dominate the game. They kicked 4 unanswered goals in the third term to give the Blues a 17-point lead going into the last quarter.
The final term followed a similar pattern, as the Blues simply could not get the game back on their terms. Three more ADFA goals saw the scores level with 9 minutes to play, and the Blues looked to be in massive trouble.
From this point, the Blues lifted, with Jay Pennay taking control in the middle, Shaun Regan and Jake Rodwell producing a number of crucial efforts, and Jacob Tiernan continuing to control play with a cool head.
Down back, Flynn Sierant, as he had done all day, took another critical intercept mark, driving the Blues forward.
A long-range bomb goal from Jay Pennay put the Blues in front with 6 minutes to go, and they controlled play for the remainder of the day, adding another point and holding the ball in their forward line until the final siren.
The Blues had plenty of excellent contributors across the board without any clear standouts. Jay Pennay was strong all day, as were Andy Merritt, Jacob Tiernan and Doug Arthur.
Down back, Flynn Sierant was very solid, with great support from Ethan Birks and Tristan Beaumont-Gillett. Angus Malmo played with his usual consistency, and Darion O’Toole was also a strong contributor.
Goals: Doug Arthur 4, Joel Pearson 2, Jay Pennay 1, Andrew Merritt 1.
Best Players: Jay Pennay, Andy Merritt, Shaun Regan, Darion O’Toole, Flynn Sierant, Doug Arthur and Ethan Birks.
The Blues now face Minor Premiers, the Murrumbateman Eagles, in the Grand Final at EPC Solar Park in Woden at 11:15am on Saturday.
The Club will be hoping for a massive support group to make the trip to cheer the boys on as they look to hopefully win the Club’s first Premiership since 2014.
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