Swans take down Rovers in North Pilbara Football League round one Hedland derby

Excitement was in the air as crowds flocked to Kevin Scott Oval on Friday night to witness the explosive start of the North Pilbara Football League for 2023 with the South Hedland Swans taking on the Port Hedland Rovers in the Hedland derby.

The game started with a bang as the Swans took an early lead.

However, they later missed two opportunities at goal late in the quarter, allowing the Rovers to kick a goal in the last 10 seconds of the term to even the score, 2.1 (13) to 2.1 (13).

The Swans returned to kick the first score of the second quarter with a behind but the Rovers claimed the first goal 10 minutes later, lighting a fire under the belly of the Swans who pulled out all the stops to take the next goal.

After a cut and thrust quarter the Swans kicked the last goal of the term with less than two minutes on the clock to regain the lead, 5.4 (34) to 5.2 (32).

The third quarter opened in spectacular fashion, with Swans’ forward Peter Stevens kicking two goals in less than a minute, after being fed from the centre.

The Rovers tried to catch up but missed several opportunities, letting the Swans put themselves in front, 8.7 (55) to 6.6 (42).

The Swans pounced into the final term, kicking the first two goals to give them a promising lead but the Rovers kicked the next three from the square after several high tackles from the Swans gave the Rovers the easy free kicks.

With just five minutes left on the clock, the Swans kicked the final goal of the match, securing a hard-fought victory, 11.9 (75) to 9.10 (64).

Reflecting on the win, Swans’ league team coach Steele Viti said there was still room for improvement despite the victory. ⁩

“It was a fast-paced game, the Rovers stuck with us until the end and we are very pleased with the win but there is still a lot to work on,” he said.

In the Karratha derby, the Kats had a dominant win over the Falcons, 18.13 (121) to 4.6 (30).

Meanwhile, the Wickham Wolves managed to defeat the Dampier Sharks in a close match on Saturday night, 15.6 (96) to 12.17 (89).

𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗨𝗘:

Swans 11.9 (75) def. Rovers 9.10 (64)

Wolves 15.6 (96) def. Sharks 12.17 (89)

Kats 18.13 (121) def. Falcons 4.6 (30)

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗦:

Swans 14.14 (98) def. Rovers 6.7 (43)

Sharks 18.17 (125) def. Wolves 3.5 (23)

Falcons 10.5 (65) def. Kats 9.7 (61)