Cable Beach rise to strong Towns challenge to book spot in West Kimberley women’s football grand final

Cable Beach has held off a spirited Towns outfit with a 28-point win to book their spot in the West Kimberley Football League women’s grand final. The 10.5 (65) to 6.1 (37) scoreline did not tell the story of the game on Saturday morning however — Towns looked a real threat of causing a boilover for much of the game but were unable to stay with the minor premiers for two key passages of the game. Towns hit the scoreboard first through Sian Vinicombe and looked hungry right from the get-go. The underdogs were clearly the dominant side on the field — their midfield gave Beach no breathing room and contested every ball with a high degree of physicality. Beach responded by committing more numbers to the ball but Towns’ defenders managed to hold on to go into the break up two goals to one. Towns’ defence was tested even more after the break — Beach had five scoring shots in a row, aided by some sloppy kicks out of goal. That pressure eventually resulted in a major to goalsneak Lani Pigram, followed by another goal to put the Greenbacks further ahead. Starved of possession, Towns rallied. Mary Dann soccered a loose ball behind Beach’s defence through for a much-needed goal to go into the main break down 3.1 (19) to 3.4 (22). Beach jumped fast again on the restart to slot an early major. Towns were far from done and dusted though. With a vocal crowd behind her Leanne Gubbins stood up for an excellent snap around her body out the back of the pack. Vinicombe then held a strong chest mark on the right pocket and made no mistake with the kick to sensationally put Towns back in front. Tested for arguably the first time this season, Beach rose to the occasion. Katherine Dann proved way too strong for the Towns’ defence and silky forward Sienna Carstairs managed to lose her markers time and time again to provide an easy option to pass to. Towns’ defence fell apart late in the term, evidenced by a late goal in which two Beach players found themselves unmarked right in front of goal. Having opened the door for Beach, the Towns girls needed a huge final quarter and early signs looked promising. Vinicombe snatched a critical mark which she then kicked through to Blaire Groenenberg to set up a shot. That opportunity was squandered but the ball eventually found its way to Tegan Brooks who kept the upset alive for Towns. The revival would end here though. The heat and high-tempo game was clearly taking its toll on the Towns girls and two more forays forward which could have put Towns in the lead were unsuccessful in large part to fatigue-caused errors. An unmarked Groenenberg was screaming for the ball in front of goal but her teammates were unable to pick the ball up off the ground. Several tackles missed their mark in the ensuing play as Cable Beach shut down what could have been a decisive passage of play. From there it was left to Carstairs to seal the game and the first grand final spot. She booted two more goals to take her season tally to 33, and Katherine Dann finished it off to end the game 10.5 (65) to 6.1 (37) in favour of Cable Beach. For the minor premiers, it means a chance to sit back and take a breather. For Towns, a silver lining in the knowledge that with a little more poise they can beat the unbeatable team.