Eagles fly over Tigers to grand final

Looma Eagles booked their place in this Saturday’s West Kimberley Football League grand final after beating Derby Tigers 11.11 (77) to 9.8 (62) last weekend at Haynes Oval.

The community side will now face reigning premiers Cable Beach to decide who is crowned 2013’s top team.

The Eagles and Tigers put on a fantastic display of attacking and free-running football in the preliminary final, with the game going right down to the wire.

Derby had been put to the sword a week earlier by Cable Beach in the semifinals, but looked intent on making amends in the early exchanges.

Ominously for Looma, former West Coast Eagles star Adam Hunter looked in the mood to play and kicked three majors in the first term for Derby.

Trent Audis was also on the mark for the Tigers in the opening quarter, while Lewis Broome, and Liam and Jefferson Pindan replied for Looma. Derby took a 4.2 (28) to 3.3 (21) lead into the first break.

Derby got the first goal of the second quarter when half-back Robbie Simmons won the ball well in the midfield and kicked forward for the Tigers to extend their lead. Hunter kicked his fourth major soon after.

However, the Eagles’ midfield started to take control of proceedings, with the customary speed and skill that has dazzled spectators all season on show once more.

Vincent Skinner closed the deficit with a goal half-way through the quarter, while sharpshooter forward Deromitt Wilson also got off the mark. The game went into half-time with Derby in the ascendancy by one point, leading 5.6 (36) to 5.5 (35).

Despite Clint Matthews, Wade Wungadin and Hunter all kicking majors for Derby in the third quarter, Looma started to dominate the personal battles and had the best of the 20-minute period.

Agile ruckman Zephaniah Skinner dominated, with captain Winstan Pindan and Lyle Buck crucial to the Eagles keeping the bulk of possession.

Wilson kicked two more goals for Looma in the third quarter, while Broome saw an outside of the boot effort ricochet off a Derby goalpost.

Looma went into three-quarter time a goal to the good, 9.7 (61) to 8.7 (55), with the game evenly poised.

It was the Eagles who came out of the blocks quicker in the final 20 minutes, effectively winning the game with two early majors.

Wilson had missed two efforts on goal in the first five minutes, before splitting the uprights with an accurate effort soon after. However, the Looma forward was subsequently yellow carded for an over-zealous celebration.

Derby’s fate was sealed when Hunter missed a kick at goal with less than five minutes to play, while Looma ran down the clock. An army of travelling Eagles fans stormed the oval at the final siren, with Tigers players dejected after defeat.

Looma showed a maturity that has been missing in close games at times earlier in the campaign, and enter the grand final as a team in form and full of confidence.

The likes of Zephaniah Skinner, Buck, Wilson, Broome and Jefferson Pindan will be a real handful for Cable Beach to contain, in what should be an enthralling clash.

Looma club representative Joe Grande was delighted with the effort the Eagles players displayed in the win over Derby.

“This is the first time that we have been in the grand final since moving to the West Kimberley Football League,” he said.

“It was fantastic to have so much support present and the players were determined to win — it was a great team effort. Cable Beach will be a tough opponent, but we feel that we will be more than a match for them.”

The grand final between Cable Beach and Looma Eagles starts at 2pm at Haynes Oval this Saturday.