The sun is set to make a grand appearance this Saturday as six teams from four different clubs battle it out for the right to call themselves Premiers in the last of the 2025 Budget Car and Truck Rental Grand Final weekends!

In three back-to-back matches, the A Grade Men, A Reserves Men, and the EGT Phil Scott Colts will take to the field at HIF Health Insurance Oval in what will be n epic weekend of finals footy.

We reached out to Curtin Uni Wesley (CUW) and North Beach to find out who their three A Grade men’s players to watch are, and to get their thoughts on the 2025 season for their teams and clubs. Here’s what they had to say!

Men’s A Grade: Curtin Uni Wesley vs North Beach

HIF Health Insurance Oval, 2:45PM, $20 Entry

It’s a battle between second and third on the ladder this year with both CUW and North Beach having won thirteen games throughout the season. The teams clashed twice in the regular season, each coming away with a win, and once again in finals which saw CUW win by a narrow four-point margin.

North Beach brings the strength of the division’s second leading goal scorer Alex Marklew to the field this Saturday whilst CUW brings the tenacity of three-time Perth Football League Men’s A Grade Best and Fairest winner Chris Leonard. With an array of highly skilled players on both sides and a tight margin in their most recent game, both teams are eager to come away with a victory after missing out on a chance at last season’s grand final.

CUW was forced to move to a new home ground this season with the redevelopment of their oval, adjusting their training program and routine with positivity under the guidance of first year (at CUW) Coach Nick Suban.

“Nick brings a wealth of experience from his time at Fremantle,” said CUW A Grade Manager Grant Edmunds. “Coaching the team to a grand final in his first year should not be underestimated.”

The team has grown to include several new and influential players, including several from CUW’s 2024 Colts teams. The invigoration of youth in the team, combined with the experience of the club’s senior players, has seen major enhancements in team dynamics and bonding.

“The club and all its members including past players has always vigorously supported all teams throughout the 2025 season, demonstrated by the large numbers that supported our C4 Reserves Men and Brett Jones Colts teams in their grand finals last week,” Edmunds continued. “A similar number of people expected to make the trip to Joondalup this Saturday.”

North Beach has built their season around embodying five core club values which have underpinned everything they’ve achieved so far: bold, empower, accountable, community, honesty (BEACH).

“Our A-Grade group has taken huge steps forward sharpening our system, embracing challenges, and holding each other to higher standards,” said North Beach A Grade Coach Dylan Eiffler. “Week by week we’ve proven our resilience, and this year we showed that North Beach belongs back at the top level.”

The team took part in a pre-season camp in York where across a weekend of activities, they built trust and committed themselves to leadership, culture and these values at North Beach.

“Culture is the foundation of everything at a footy club,” Eiffler continued. “For me, culture drives expectations and beliefs; expectations and beliefs drive behaviours; behaviours drive habits and standards; and ultimately, our habits and standards create the future.”

The combination of value embodiment and team bonding set the stage for North Beach in 2025. In addition to this, new recruits plus homegrown players who’d progressed through North Beach’s Colts program across the years have bolstered the A Grade team representing the club this Saturday.

Eiffler described the newcomers to the team as “individuals who brought great experience, professionalism, and character… a powerful combination of talent and connection” and recognised how integrated these members had become in the North Beach community.

“It’s a massive occasion for our club,” Eiffler said of North Beach’s back-to-back grand finals this weekend, “and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone who has contributed to this moment.”

Who to Watch

From CUW, Chris Leonard, George Wessles, and Captain Sam Dennis have been named as three players to watch this Saturday. Leonard took out the Perth Football League’s Men’s A Grade Best and Fairest at last week’s awards night, making it the third time he’s won the CJ Jamieson Medal.

“Chris brings a high degree of skill and composure into the team,” said Edmunds. “He has a great turn of pace and can be creative pushing forward but also can get back and help defence when needed.”

As captain, Dennis is known for being a highly skilled individual who leads from the front and is more than likely to be the player taking on the opposition’s most dangerous forward this Saturday. Wessels, who joined the CUW team this year after playing over 60 senior games with South Fremantle, has made a comeback after an early season injury and plays a leading role in the team’s midfield, sharing his vast array of knowledge and experience with the team.

From the North Beach bench, players Alex Marklew, Frank Anderson and Nic Wells have been named as three to keep an eye on.

Marklew, the division’s second leading goal scorer, is known for his “freakish goal sense and huge running capacity” according to Eiffler. Anderson, a Swan Districts Best and Fairest winner, is described as a bull in the midfield with a massive work rate and presence in the contest.

“Wells [is] the most underrated player in the comp,” said Eiffler. “A classy left-footed winger who consistently covers 13km a game, he provides plenty of drive.”

Catch the 2025 Budget Car and Truck Rental Men’s A Grade Grand Final match between CUW and North Beach after the Phil Scott Colts and Men’s A Reserves play at HIF Health Insurance Oval this Saturday. If you can’t make it down to the game in person, make sure to catch it live on Streamer or download the PlayHQ App for live score updates!

By Kristina Oldfield