In a radical move, instead of the tradition of giving the winner of the Western Derby a winning trophy, the loser of next week’s match will receive the prize of a wooden spoon.
The decision was made after both WA teams found themselves at bottom of the ladder after round 2 of the 2025 season.
West Coast put up an admittedly valiant effort in Brisbane to fall short while Flagmantle had the win snatched from their hands with a poorly timed final siren.
A spokesperson for the Western Derby told The Times,
“Winning the trophy is one thing but obviously what’s at the forefront of both team’s mind is who will be at the very bottom of the ladder after the match. So we thought awarding the losing team a novelty wooden spoon would help spice things up”
No doubt it will. With many punters believing the match will reach demolition derby levels of aggression to make sure each respective team isn’t left with the indignity of being bottom of the ladder in round 3.
We spoke to a West Coast fan who told The Times,
“Oh yeah, Freo’s grand final, at least someone is going to get smashed this year like it should be. I honestly haven’t felt alive since the demolition derby, I reckon it could reinvigorate my bedroom game too, I’ve never made love like I did after that spiteful match”
Similarly, a Flagmantle fan told The Times,
“They keep saying it’s our grand final but who are the jokes now!?! HA HA! They are! We have to beat them or we’ll go back to being the joke and we’ve dwelled in that dark corner for too long. We can’t go back. There will be blood”
True.
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