Football
22 July, 2025
Pimpinio outlast Laharum
Pimpinio’s men’s senior football side upped the celebration of the club’s 20-year premiership reunion by defeating Laharum on Saturday in round 14 of the Horsham District Football Netball League.
The final score was Pimpinio 13.11 (89) to Laharum 8.7 (55).
Aided by a strong westerly wind, Pimpinio got their special day off to a great start through a Nick Groves opening goal before building a 26-0 lead at the first break.
But Laharum hit right back in the second quarter, led by four goals from Phil Butsch to make it 33-33, before a free kick gifted Pimpinio a one goal lead just before half-time.
The third quarter saw Pimpinio regain momentum of the game, kicking four in the term amidst plenty of opportunities while keeping the Demons scoreless, the Tigers leading 70-33 at the final break.
Despite an early goal to Laharum in the fourth, Pimpinio were able to limit Laharum’s offence, while Groves produced multiple displays of individual brilliance to kick three goals in the final period to secure the 34-point victory.
Along with six goals to Groves, Pimpinio were led by a brilliant performance from Matthew Rosier, while 2005 premiership player Daniel Baker was critical in the Tigers’ defensive half.
For Laharum, Butsch was the best player for the losing side, with Todd Heynen also playing well from the back.
Guy Smith, coach of Pimpinio, said he was very pleased with his side’s performance in what he declared was a must-win game.
“It was an eight-point game for us because we need to cement either third or second spot as the year goes on,” Smith said.
“We knew that Laharum were a bit underdone in regard to having personnel missing and stuff like that so we needed to take advantage of it.
“It brought the playing group back with a bit of a pep in their step heading towards finals.
“I'm proud of where they're heading at the moment and I think they're starting to play for each other, which is really good.”
With the club holding a reunion for their 2005 premiership team, Smith was happy to commemorate the occasion with a win, especially for Baker.
“Obviously Daniel Baker is part of this team now and he was part of the team back then,” Smith said.
“We were pretty adamant that we wanted to get over the line for him as well.
“It's great to celebrate past successes for the club, and I think the whole playing group, the committee, everyone’s just embraced it.”