Goals, grit and a splash of pink: NPFL round six delivers big

West Australian

a day ago

It was another action-packed weekend of footy in the North Pilbara Football League, as round six saw fierce battles, passionate crowds and a community united for a cause.
Port Hedland's Colin Matheson Reserve came alive on June 7 as the Hedland Rovers put on a show in front of a vibrant home crowd for Pink Day, drawing more than 300 spectators and raising over $12,500 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
The women's match kicked off the weekend, with the Karratha Kats dominating against the Hedland Rovers, 6.1 (37) to 2.1 (13).
The Rovers swamped the Kats in the reserves, 16.7 (103) to 5.2 (32), and 13.12 (90) to 9.10 (64) in the League.
'It was a thrilling day on and off the field, with both the reserves and league team claiming victory; reserves with a commanding 71-point win and league winning by 26 points,' Port Hedland Rovers president Kristel Keyser said.
'The women's team also put on a strong performance in their closest game of the season against Kats, going down by just 24 points after a hard-fought contest.'
Over at Bulgarra Reserve, the Karratha Falcons brought a festival feel to footy with their first 'Falcons Football Frenzy' — an all-day showcase of games across junior and senior divisions.
In the women's game, the Dampier Sharks shrugged off an early challenge from the Falcons to dominate 4.8 (32) to 1.7 (13).
'The Falcons came out hard and fast, catching us slightly on the back foot early on,' Dampier Sharks women's coach Matt Burgess said.
'But after conceding the first goal, we found that extra bounce and momentum we needed to lift.
'It was a massive team effort that brought about a few exciting firsts — most notably Maddison Kelly, who kicked her first goal for the Sharks on debut, a huge moment.'
The league and reserves matches went down to the wire, with the Falcons coming out on top against the Sharks 8.7 (55) to 7.10 (52) in the reserves, and the Sharks pulling through in the league to claim the win 11.4 (70) to 9.13 (67).
'It was a great contest throughout the game, with each team taking the lead at different times throughout,' Karratha Falcons League coach Dean McDonald said.
'Sharks took their opportunities in front of goals and we didn't, which hurt us with the final result.
'Unfortunately we lacked the urgency to man-up defensively in the final quarter. Full credit to the Sharks who played the game out well with possession football.'
At Wickham Town Oval, the Wickham Wolves notched a triple win against the South Hedland Swans, 6.11 (47) to 3.0 (18) in the women's, 17.10 (112) to 9.6 (60) in the reserves and 28.16 (184) to 4.4 (28) in the league.