Match Report: Swans, Falcons, and Wickham bow out as the grand finals shape up to be a Kats and Dampier affair

The North Pilbara Football League Grand Finals will be an all-Kats and Dampier affair as the Swans, Falcons and Wickham all lost in the preliminary finals. In the first match on Saturday, the Karratha Falcons took on Sharks in the women’s preliminary final and the Dampier players showed why they finished with 14 more points than their opponents. Two quick goals in the first quarter from Dampier’s Sarah Owens and Tanya Adams were a sign of things to come as they held the Falcons scoreless in the initial period. After a goalless second quarter, an amazing 35-metre right-foot banana from Jayda Viti in the third pushed the margin out to three goals. Another incredible solo effort in the fourth quarter by Viti saw her slice through multiple Falcons players and slot a 20-metre shot through the goal. The match ended with Dampier 4.3 (27) to the Falcons’ 0.1 (1) and the Sharks will now take on the Kats in the grand final. Sharks coach Shane McIntosh said he was proud of his team for being able to overcome the incredibly windy conditions and make it through to the grand final. “We played similar conditions last year where we got knocked out,” he said. “So I asked the girls for four quarters worth of hard footy and that’s exactly what they gave to us. “Next week we have to be clean with our structures, the Kats are undefeated so we will have to take it to them to win the grand final.” As the last remaining Hedland team in the competition, the Swans were unable to keep the dream alive as they ran into a very tidy Dampier Sharks outfit. It was a runaway first half for Dampier with goals from Mathew Taylor-Hawkins and some individual brilliance from Marcus O’Brien. A close-range left-foot banana from Shane McIntosh pushed the score out to 5.8 (38) to 0.2 (2) midway through the third quarter. Needing a big response, the Swans came back with a goal just before three-quarter time and then three straight in the fourth made it look like a comeback could be on. But another goal by McIntosh quickly ended that hope as the Sharks continued to pile on the pressure and came away with a 7.10 (52) to 4.3 (27) victory. It was a passionate contest on the sidelines as the Swans were the last remaining Hedland team in the competition. The South Hedland Swans coach declined to comment on the match. The League grand final will be a rematch of last year’s thrilling contest where Dampier defeated the Kats by a point to come away with the premiership. It was a back-and-forth preliminary-final match between the Kats and Wickham as a valiant fourth-quarter effort by the Wolves made it look like an upset could have been on the cards. Both teams traded barbs in the first quarter, with three goals a piece, including a great solo run from Karratha’s Daniel Farmer that saw him slot through a close-range goal. His effort was then outdone by Wickham’s Landon Punch who did an athletic one-handed pick-up and kicked a goal off the side of his boot. In the second half, ominous signs started to emerge for Wickham, as the Kats scored three goals, including a 60-metre set shot bomb from Jackson Ramsay. The Kats then extended the score in the third quarter and it looked like the match was all but over with the score at 11.6 (72) to 4.13 (37) heading into the final period. But with their season on the line, the Wolves nearly pulled off what would’ve been considered one of the best comebacks in NPFL history. A seven-goal to-two last quarter turned the rowdy Karratha crowd quiet and Kats coach Shane White said it was a great effort by Wickham to nearly pull off the incredible comeback victory as the match ended 13.8 (86) to 10.15 (75). “We had a fantastic third quarter but they came back because they had nothing to lose,” he said. “Their thought process was probably, ‘let’s just give this a crack’ and they got really close to us.” White said his team was looking forward to their chance at redemption against Dampier next week. “Even though it was disappointing to lose against Dampier last week we probably needed tonight’s game to build that connection,” he said. “We have got quite a few players who came back in over the last few weeks. “I think we have found a bit of a spark and belief that we can take into the finals.” The Dampier Sharks and Karratha Kats will match up in all three NPFL final games on Saturday, September 9, at Windy Ridge Oval.