The ‘West is Best’ statement is finally true in the AWIHL. The Perth Inferno have been crowned champions of Australia, winning the AWIHL and hoisting the John McKowen Memorial Trophy for the first time in 2025-26.
Six Seasons in the Making
It feels like this moment has been a matter of when not if ever since the Inferno joined the AWIHL in the 2018-19 season. They had been close in previous years, claiming silver in 2023-24 and bronze three times. But it has been the last three seasons that the Inferno have looked like breaking their duck.
The Inferno won their maiden trophy in 2023-24, when the Western Australians lifted the Gower Memorial Shield for finishing top of the league standings and claiming the AWIHL Premiership.
Now, Perth have finished in the top two in the regular season in each of the last three seasons. Winning consistency breeds success. And so, it came to pass this season that the Inferno turned that winning culture into trophy triumph. Doing the double and claiming both the John McHowen and the Gower Memorial trophies.
Keys to Success
The Inferno found success and achievement this season through a lot of hard work and improvements across the board compared to 2024-25. They had the best defence league wide, letting in the least goals, and had the second-best attack, scoring the second highest number of goals. Compared to last season they team had gone from 65 goals for and 60 against to 97 goals for and 52 against. A goal difference change from +5 to +45 and a per game goals scored average of 4.06 to 4.85.
Sara Sammons put in a career best scoring season to lead the AWIHL scoring charts with 50 points from 20 games. Sara’s production was next level this season. Almost doubling the points she posted last season. When you combine Sammons production with the top 10 returns by Michaelle Clark-Crumpton and Elizabeth Scala, there is little wonder the Inferno were posting vastly improved scoring numbers compared to last season.
At the other end, Sasha King continues to be a big piece of the jigsaw puzzle that makes the Inferno so consistent. Her exploits between the pipes have gained a following league wide. This season was her third in a row with a better than .900 save percentage and she led the league charts for both save percentage (.910) and goals against average (2.61).
Hurdles Overcome
It was not all smooth sailing for the Inferno in 2025-26. They had to overcome hurdles to secure a double-trophy season.
Firstly, they handled a changing landscape with an expanded league and additional games. The AWIHL added the Melbourne Ducks to the league this season. This increased the total games in the regular season from 40 to 60 and games per team from 16 to 20. Despite the heavier workload the Inferno thrived this season by increasing their win percentage by 22.5% compared to the previous season. The Inferno win rate increased from 62.5% to 85%.
Secondly, the Inferno had to deal with an unexpected change in head coach mid-season. Barry Jones, who was appointed at the start of the season, departed the Inferno in January 2026. It was an unusual departure with the team sitting first in the league standings after winning 8 of 10 games. Kai Zeller stepped up on an interim basis before Jones’ replacement, John F Kenndy was announced in late January.
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