Sharks win against inaccurate Rovers

The Dampier Sharks gained a valuable win on the road last weekend to pip the Port Hedland Rovers to the post in last weekend's North Pilbara Football League action.

Announcing themselves as genuine premiership contenders, the Sharks maintained their place atop the league ladder by capitalising on the Rovers' inaccurate kicking for goal to win 11.8 (74) to 8.18 (66).

Rovers coach Greg Mastrangelo said his team did everything but win the game.

"The guys played a really good hard brand of footy, we just missed some opportunities we should have taken and the result is disappointing," he said.

"The boys are not disappointed with their effort, just the result.

"We hit the post about six times - a couple of those go the other way and the result could be different."

The loss comes as a bitter blow to the Rovers, who cling onto their place in the top four by percentage alone.

The table-topping Sharks, meanwhile, have set themselves up for a strong second half of the season as they sit one game clear of the impressive South Hedland Swans in second.

The loss came despite the Rovers having every chance to win the game.

The two sides had been neck-and-neck throughout the first half as both teams tackled and pressured their opponents, with the Sharks holding a three-point lead at the long break.

The visitors bounced out of the blocks in the third term to post two goals and extend their lead before the hometown Rovers showed great character to fight back, locking the ball into their forward-50 and peppering their goal line.

Yet despite their dominance, the Rovers booted eight behinds for the quarter to take a three-point lead into the long break, with the scoreboard reading a wasteful 7.14 for the Rovers compared to 8.5 for the Sharks.

Three weeks earlier the Rovers had found themselves in an almost identical position against the Karratha Kats as they dominated play but let themselves down with inaccurate kicking.

On that occasion they were able to rescue themselves with a goal seconds before the siren, but against the polished Sharks, there would be no such heroics.

Zac Langdon led the way for the Sharks, booting four goals up forward, while David Walley chipped in with two.

Ben Stevenson was the sole multiple goalscorer for the Rovers with two.

Mastrangelo did not single out individual players, but instead praised the team's effort.

"It was a pretty even team performance, a lot of players stood up … so there are good signs moving forward," he said.

In the reserves, the Sharks won a low-scoring encounter 5.6 (36) to the Rovers' 4.5 (29).