Mingenew Football Club reserves show off their strength

A group of burly blokes from Mingenew have earned themselves the unofficial title of the strongest group of men in the Mid West after taking out the Redmac Tractor Pull at this year’s McIntosh & Son Mingenew Midwest Expo.

The Mingenew Football Club reserves entered one of four teams in this year’s highly coveted event, snatching the title from last year’s winners and Expo naming rights sponsors McIntosh & Son.

The football players faced stiff but unarguably uneven competition from youngsters from Mingenew Primary School, and two teams of Year 11 and 12 students from WA College of Agriculture — Morawa, winning $1000 and plenty of ribbing from their mates for their efforts.

Teams were required to hold on to a thick rope and drag a CASE IH Puma 125 tractor about 15m along the Expo site’s Morawa Street.

Crowds gathered to cheer on the heats on the first day of Expo.

Redmac dealer principal Brett Young, of Three Springs, said it was tough this year because the tractor weighed about six tonnes.

Normally, competitors drag a much lighter, vintage orange McCormick Orchard but that machine was “missing a rear tyre”.

“I think the competitors might need to train a bit next year,” Mr Young laughed.

“We did surprise them by giving them the much heavier Puma 125. We will have a different, 1962 tractor next year, which will be a bit lighter.”

“We should see a bit more speed then.”