TOWNS - Goal Scorers: Will Scott, B Francis, Chris Newchurch, Darryl Ralph, Glen Dixon (1)

Best Players: Lindsay Dean, Paul Ewens, Darryl Ralph, Will Scott, Warwick Ellery

CABLE BEACH - Goal Scorers: Simon Docherty (2) Rob Wilson, Donald Heslington, Kevin Bynder (1)

Best Players: Simon Docherty, Trent Bin Omar, Drew Marshall, Warren Matsumoto, Matty Hill

Report: The breeze was flukey and looked to be troubling both teams so they kept the ball low to the ground. This created constant packs and life within them was tough! The first 10 mins saw the ball constantly changing between each end. Finally Cable Beach Donald Heslington caught a wayward pass and goaled creating the first score of the match. The tackling was solid and the masseurs would be working overtime after the game. Towns scores soon after through Will Scott but this was quickly answered by Chris Newchurch (Cable Beach). In the 2^nd qtr a couple of points were scored early on but this only caused both coaches to become very vocal in urging their players on. Towns B Francis goaled from a free kick much to the disgust of opposition coach Mick Rice! Towns kept applying ferocious tackling and it seemed to be having the right effect on the Cable Beach boys as they were slowing down at the ball. Towns were paid for their hard work with a goal from Glen Dixon but Cable Beach Kevin Bynder goaled on the siren to keep in touch.

The 2^nd half saw Cable Beach improving with a quick goal from Simon Docherty getting them to within 1 kick of Towns. But to their dismay Towns replied immediately. Both teams lifted and it was tough going again. That man Docherty goaled once more and it was getting tight. Towns newcomer Chris Newchurch took Mark of the Day on the wing late in the qtr but his team was unable to make anything from it and we went to the final break with Cable Beach 5 points down. Both sides knew they could take this and it was a hot start to the last 20 mins. Towns looked a little more committed to getting the ball and although they unsuccessfully peppered the goals, they also (more importantly) kept Cable Beach off the scoreboard. Towns stretched to a 2 goal lead half way through the qtr and decided to defend their way to victory. Cable Beach goaled late to be within 1 kick. They had been in this position for most of the second half but time ran down and they saw this one slip away.

BOMBERS – Goal Scorers: Stephen Cox (5) Brendan Cox (2) Lawrence McKenzie, Francis lane, James Watkins (1)

Best Players: Stephen Cox, Ben Roe, Phillip Roe, Brendan Cox, Eric Cox

SAINTS - Goal Scorers: Tyrone Garstone (4) Aaron Woodley, Dominic Sampi (2) Cornell Tollentino, Eric Sibosado (1)

Best Players: Tyrone Garstone, David Matsuda, Matt Seers, Brad Tolentino, Dominic Sampi

Report: The first qtr was a little boring with very little happening. Both teams were even and the only highlight was the on-field pumping up of the flat football that had also lost interest towards the end. The spectators were queuing up to get a refund. The 2^nd qtr saw Saints slowly creating a lead by adding numerous points that should have been goals. Donald Sampi (Saints) created a bit of magic by ducking & weaving through the pack and finally goaling to give his team a 2-goal buffer. Bombers Jamie Watkins took Mark of the Day in the forward zone but was unable to goal. Saints outscored Bombers 3.4 to 1.1 and the game looked all over as spectators retired to the hot dog stand.

Bombers came out in the 2^nd half renewed and got 2 quick goals through Brendan Cox & James Watkins to be within 3 points and back in the contest. Bombers Stephen Cox showed his class with a mark, long striding run and a goal to finish it 15 minutes into the qtr. He repeated this passage with another goal seconds later. Bombers were looking good. That Cox boy punched the air as he secured his 3^rd goal in as many minutes astounding the opposition. The unthinkable happened when Stephen threaded his way through a pack and goaled with a banana kick! The crowd went wild! It was his 4^th straight and Bombers were now up by 16 points. Saints were shell shocked and coaching staff Valli & Watson instructed them to "keep their heads and don’t panic…" Bombers were pumped and back on the field ready to take this one! Saints scored first through Cornell Tolentino and were asked to launch a mighty comeback. Bombers teamwork through the centre corridor was superb and Coach Brad White gave a sigh of relief when Lawrence McKenzie goaled. Bombers Chubby Lane arched his back in a run and got a handy goal. The feeling was that Bombers were going to take this one until Saints Dominic Sampi pulled one back to make it look more interesting. Saints needed a hero and Tyrone Garstone stuck up his hand and got his second goal for the qtr. It was 4 points the difference with 7 minutes to go and when Saints Garstone goaled with a long bomb the crowd was on its feet. Saints were up by 2 points and Bombers saw this game stolen from them when the siren ended a great 2^nd half of football.

EMUS – Goal Scorers: Chris Nelson (3) Marcus Nanudie, Mark Lay Lay, Joseph Shadforth, Michael Hunter (1)

Best Players: Wayne Edgar, Brett Clements, Chris Nelson, Marcus Nanudie, Patrick Grant, John Nanudie

BULLS - Goal Scorers: Marcus Ritchie, Kane Howell (2) Steve Valli, Justin Sharman, Brendan Bernhardt (1)

Best Players: Brendan Bernhardt, Clint Hutchinson, Marcus Ritchie, Kane Howell, Kim Norton

Report: The whistle blew and the game started. It took 8 minutes of lackluster performance before Bulls skipper Marcus Ritchie got the first goal. The crowd went wild - Not!!! It seemed a little sad that this was to be the final game for these two teams and it was looking like being a fizzler. But the supporter camps started to get involved with most wishing the hapless Emus to get their first and only win for the season. Unfortunately though, Bull had most of the play and were well up at the change of ends. The 2^nd qtr saw Emus youngsters like Sean Bin Swani & Josh Crispan put in some effort and we saw the tide slowly turning as their team started to tick the scoreboard over. Emus accuracy with kicking still lets them down but there were glimpses of improvement from some players from early on in the season. Bulls, on the other hand, had several opportunities to score but failed to goal. In the dying seconds Bulls Kane Howell did score to undo all of Emus hard work.

Play was again a seesawing affair in the 3^rd qtr but youngster Mark Lay Lay got first blood with a goal renewing Emus spirit. In a blistering example of Emus potential we saw Michael Hunter goal from a centre break seconds later. However Bulls regrouped and skipper Ritchie got one goal back stretching their buffer. The teamwork the Bulls showed last week was a little scarce today and another flat spot saw Emus score a late goal on the siren. Emus Chris Nelson got a goal at the start of the final qtr and the scores closed. A string of perfect passes from Emus Gordie King to Chris Farrell to Michael Hunter to a pack in the goal square saw Chris nelson break free and goal. The team and the crowd went wild. Tension was high as the scores were now very close. Emus went a lithe flat and Bull seized the opportunity and looked like they would sneak home. Bulls Brendan Bernhardt sealed the contest with a goal and the courageous Emus went down again. Both teams will used this year to look at what may have been and to improve with new and young talent next year. These will be two vastly different teams next season so all the rest better watch out…

WKFA Football Record newsletter & entry fee always includes a chance to win a new football courtesy of SportsPower. This week we drew number 4389 but the prize went unclaimed.

The players, wives, sponsors and invited guests were all present at the awards night last night. A good turn out saw Troy Hynam host awards for the players. After dinner and the formal vote counting, all were relaxed and the dance floor was packed particularly with celebrating Bombers player and fans.

The main award was the Kevin Bullen Medal and this year the fairest and best player was Brendan Cox from the Bombers.

The highest goalkicker award this year went to Stephen Cox of the Bombers.

The Garnduwa Rising Star Award was presented to Waylon Pigram of the Saints. Other nominees in this category were:

• Joseph Dann – Cable Beach
• Fabian Pungana – Emus
• David Cox – Bombers
• Towns had no U18 nominees
• Bulls had no U18 nominees

The Brian Kane Medal for the Best Colt player went to Joseph Dann.

The Best Colt (U18) Award for the Kimberley Championships also went to Joseph Dann while the Best Senior Player in the Kimberley Championship went to Christian Lee.

Rod Mitchell Cable Beach 11

Leon Jacky Saints 11

Tyrone Garstone Saints 11

Aaron Dick Towns 10

Waylon Pigram Saints 9

Brendan Cox Bombers 8

Simon Docherty Cable Beach 8

Christian Lee Towns 8

Joe Dann Beach 7

Mick Hick Bulls 7

Semi Finals Preview

These sides met in last years first semi and few who were there will ever forget Towns thrilling last minute victory when Billy Hutton pulled down a speccy in the goal square and kicked the winning goal. Today’s game promises to be just as exciting.

Saints have been the best side in the competition all year and will go into this match as deserved favourites. They showed great composure in their come from behind win against a fired up Bombers last week and can take great confidence from their hard earned victory over Towns a fortnight ago. Towns have earnt the double chance and an opportunity today to go straight into the Grand Final in a fortnight after a nail biting victory over Cable Beach in the last round. Towns victory came as a result of their sheer willingness to get numbers to the ball at every contest and frustrate the more open brand of football that Cable Beach prefer to play. They will no doubt employ the same tactics against Saints this weekend and try to worry the fleet footed Saints out of the contest. The problem for Towns is their forward line. Guts and determination don’t kick goals and since Bobby Dudley’s hamstring injury, they have lacked focus up forward. Glenn Dixon and Lindsay Dean are probably their best chances in this regard and, with a couple of return games under his belt, Aaron Dick may well prove dangerous with any possessions forward of the centre. Finals football is tougher than the home and away rounds and, whatever the result today, the young Saints brigade will benefit from the experience. Saints edge in this contest is that they have individuals in the form of Gavin Mitchell and Tyrone Garstone who are capable of lifting a notch and kicking goals when they need to be kicked. They only need a couple of opportunities and they are capable of hurting the Towns. It should be a game of high intensity and expect another nail biter.

Three weeks ago the boys from Cable Beach handed Bombers their most savage thrashing of the season whilst playing a very attractive style of football. But a lot has changed since then. Instead of kicking on and taking that form into subsequent games, Cable Beach has seemed flat and uninspired. They struggled to beat the Emus and then last week failed to match the desire of Towns in the last quarter when the game was up for grabs. It reflects a side that is high on ability and short on confidence. Their game plan tends to fall apart when the breaks don’t go their way and they will need to be stronger in this area if they are to take their finals campaign beyond today. On the other hand Bombers played themselves into some good form last week during their one point loss to Saints. After half time the Bombers heeded coach Brad Whites advice and instead of chasing, they got hold of the ball and made good use of it. Stephen Cox was the key kicking four goals in ten minutes to set his team alight. The Bombers are a dangerous side and kick goals in bursts like no other side in this competition. They also have midfielders of the calibre of Bullen medallist Brendan Cox and Ben Roe who are capable of matching it with Simon Docherty and Matt Hill. The two Garnduwa rising star nominees in Joseph Dann and David Cox may well end up playing on each other and their respective contributions may be crucial to their side’s chances. In Cable Beach’s favour is that both teams play free running football and the Beach will find this more to their liking than the strong physical pressure they were put under last week. They also match up well in their forward line with Vernon Dann and Terence Jack providing a speed and height problem for the Bombers.

SAINTS - Goal Scorers: Gavin Mitchell (3) Jaymie Hall, Cornell Tollentino, Lloyd Pigram, Tyrone Garstone (1)

Best Players: Jaymie Hall, Brad Tollentino, Cornell Tollentino, Lloyd Pigram, Ben McKenzie

TOWNS - Goal Scorers: Glen Dixon, Paul D’Souza, Billy Hutton (1)

Best Players: Paul Ewens, Warwick Ellery, David King, Darryl Ralph, Paul D’Souza

Report: It was a tentative start from both teams but Towns were first to score through Lloyd Pigram. Saints peppered the goals but the goals were elusive for most of the qtr. The hot conditions were going to test fitness as the day wore on. It was a high-pressure game from both sides as players tested each other out. Bobby Duddley (Towns) looked hesitant and was still not fully recovered from his hamstring injury. The physio worked on him at the 1^st qtr break. The ball was transferred from end to end in the next term with defenses working hard. Saints ball disposal has looked great recently but today it was painfully ordinary. The contest became a scrappy affair until luck intervened through a pass to Saints Cornell Tollentino who goaled at the 10- minute mark. Towns pushed back by the defense of players like Ben McKenzie were standing strong. McKenzie broke out of the back line several times to push Saints into attack. Towns Andrew Blackley dragged down Mark of the Day in the centre corridor to retaliate and push his boys back into attack. Teammate Warwick Ellery played another of his dependable games.

The 3^rd qtr was to be vital and the scores were only 1 point in favour of Saints. It was another scrappy start with Saints unsuccessfully blazing away at the goals. Towns got the first major through Glen Dixon. The hero from last week was Saints Tyrone Garstone. He was there again when it counted goaling to undo Towns good work. The patchy play continued until Saints "loose man" strategy allowed Jaymie Hall to goal. Towns Greg Lee worked hard and when he threw himself into the path of a Saints pass he saved a certain score. A very determined effort from him but the effect of the resulting turnover was a point where a goal was desperately needed. Saints were up 2.2 and their bench was looking pretty relaxed. The final session saw Saints defense lift and the crowd sensed it was all going to be a little for Towns to get back into this. Gavin Mitchell (Saints) had been quiet but he lifted his team with a goal and their finals berth looked secure! Tyrone Garstone also lifted and took a great mark but couldn’t convert. It was still a great tussle between the two sides but when Mitchell showed excellent judgement and goaled again it was all over for Towns. Towns bench was talking in terms of getting a few face-saving goals and Billy Hutton got the first. Tensions frayed as Saints Francis Bodey was red-carded and sent from the ground. The match was winding down until Towns discovered that Saints may have replaced Bodey and were now playing 1 extra man. Towns captain requested that the umpires carry out a head count and it then transpired that this was the case. It was decided at the Tribunal that Saints should be awarded the game due to the confusion in the signalling of the cards.

CABLE BEACH – Goal Scorers: Damien Parriman (2) Simon Docherty, Donald Heslington, Vernon Dann, Mick Carter (1)

Best Players: Trent Bin Omar, Damien Parriman, Joe Dann, Michael Carter,

BOMBERS - Goal Scorers: Stephen Cox (4) Patrick Cox, Terry Cox (3) Pablo Lane,

Fabian Pungana (1)

Best Players: David Cox, Stephen Cox, Terry Cox, Patrick Cox, Baldy Cox

Report: The start was slow until Cable Beach made a mistake in defense allowing Bombers Stephen Cox to pounce and goal. A vocal Cable Beach bench urged the players on as they knew this was a do or die game. Play swayed the way of Beach and Damien Parriman scored a slick goal to edge his team ahead by a single point. Michael Carter returned to Cable Beach after some time away and celebrated with an early goal with 5 minutes to go in the first qtr. This was looking like it was going to be an interesting game! Bombers blasted back into the 2^nd qtr with 2 goals from the Cox camp and some strong defensive play. Damien Parriman got another goal for Cable Beach to stay with it. Bombers Brendon Cox went down and was stretchered off half way through the term. Teammate Brendan Cox was reliable and solid. Fabian Pungana (Bombers) goaled and it was one-way traffic for his team. Cable Beach had controlled play for most of the qtr but Bombers were adding to the scoreboard. Simon Docherty (Cable Beach) dragged his team up by scoring a much-needed goal and grabbed back the lead with 2 minutes to go. Docherty teamed up with Donald Heslington but the result was only a point.

The 3^rd qtr saw Bombers making ball possession look like hard work until Stephen Cox got another of his solid goals. Cable Beach didn’t give up but their kicking was letting them down. Several times this season they have looked flat and lethargic and this was not an appropriate game to let it happen again! On the siren Vernon Dann got an important goal for Beach and they were (surprisingly!) only down by 2 points. The final 20 minutes of this important game saw Bombers David Cox roaming free and able to pass to Patrick Cox who marked on the goal square and converted. A few seconds later Patrick was awarded a free kick and stretched the lead to 14 points. Cable Beach went into attack half way through this term and one felt this was the final surge. The ball was in their forward zone but they were unable to use it properly and a turnover to the Bombers was the only result. Poor work by Cable Defense saw the ball out of bounds on the full and in the hands of Stephen Cox. Cox sank Goal of the Day from the pocket when the ball miraculously bounced through a huge pack of players untouched for a goal. The crowd began the "Bombers, Bombers…" chant realising their team was through to next week. Bombers hammered home a couple more goals and a despondent Cable Beach also knew it was all over for another year.

Next weeks Preliminary Final will be between Towns and Bombers and will commence at 2.30pm.