Dayle Joseph admits Buccs’ prelim final ‘worst game in four years’ but reflects on outstanding season

Geraldton Buccaneers coach Dayle Joseph admits the side’s preliminary finals exit has been a tough pill to swallow but is proud of the team’s strong 2024 season.

The side came into last week’s clash as favourites to book a third straight grand final berth, but were forced to bow out at home after losing by nine points to the Willetton Tigers.

Joseph conceded it was a difficult result to deal with and was blunt in his assessment.

“It’s been a bit hard to accept to be honest, even still a few days down the track,” he said.

“We probably played our worst game in about three or four years, and we just played it at the wrong time.

“This time of year you don’t get a chance to rectify that, so we’ve got to live with it and move on as quick as we can.”

The Tigers stretched their lead to 31 points midway through the third period, but Joseph gave credit to his opponents, saying they made it tough for his side.

“Defensively they did a really good job, they were really physical with us,” he said.

“It was difficult for us to move off screens etc to get free for some of our shots.”

Joseph said missed opportunities cost the side.

“When we did set up some situations to free ourselves up, we fumbled the ball a couple of times, we slipped over, the ball dribbles off your foot when you’re trying to get things back on track,” he said.

“Things got away from us a bit and getting down 30 and trying to get back was a bit too much.

“I’m really proud of the way we fought it out; we didn’t give up all night and at all tines we still thought we could win it.”

Geraldton finished with a record of 20 wins and two losses in the home-and-away season — their best since 2001.

Joseph said he highlighted it had still been a positive year to the playing group post-match.

“I said after the game we’ve had a really successful season as a team with our record and some individuals stood out,” he said.

“We had new guys come into our team that made a difference, so we put it down to being a pretty successful season. We just couldn’t turn it into a championship one.”

The exits of 2023 championship stars Malik Meunier, Shaun Stewart and Isaac Gattorna could have been a disaster for the side, but the Buccaneers recruited well in Nik DeSantis, Josh Keyes and Josh Braun.

Joseph said the new-look side took little time to adjust, which was a credit to the players.

“We certainly had guys that were committed to the team, their teammates and the system,” he said.

“We were able to play with a deep team and everyone contributes.

“We worked really hard as a team; credit to our mature-aged players that have been around for a long time to help them fit into the system and make it work from day one.”

According to Joseph, the process for next year has already begun as the side aims to lock in players for 2025.

There will be at least one change to the squad, with Bob Griechen joining West Texas A&M for the upcoming college season.

Joseph wished the 18-year-old the best of luck, saying the team was behind him.

Questions remain about whether veterans Mat Wundenberg and Aaron Ralph will continue.

However, Joseph was confident most of the rest of the squad would be settled.

In terms of his own future, the three-time coach of the year said he would take time off before deciding on his role in 2025.

“It’s been five or six years since I’ve been doing it,” he said.

“I’m just going to enjoy the break for a little bit and see what happens from there.”