Karratha Kats cling on in a nailbiting victory over Hedland Blazers

The Karratha Kats continued their undefeated steak with a victory over the Hedland Blazers by the slimmest of margins at Kevin Scott Oval on Saturday in round 13 of North Pilbara women’s football. It was a low-scoring contest in what was a finals-like atmosphere between the two evenly-poised sides, as the Kats headed home with a 3.5 (23) to 3.3 (21) win. The home side started strong when Heidi Thompson booted the first major of the afternoon. The Kats clawed back in the second term with back-to-back majors to take the lead heading into the major break. It was always going to be a challenging feat for the Blazers, coming up against the 11-0 Kats and they had their work cut out for them. A goal against the run of play from Hellena Djiagween fired up the Hedland side as they toiled against the ladder leaders. Heidi Thompson slotted one through the big sticks yet again, to put the full forward’s goal tally at an impressive 17 for the year. With Karratha only leading by two points in the fourth quarter, the back and forth footy had the crowd riding every bump. The Blazers had opportunities to take the lead but could not get past an elite Kats’ defence. A scrambling smother from defender Courtney Godden in the dying stages of the final quarter prevented an attack on goal and gave the home fans hope. It was not enough however, as the Kats continued to avoid defeat for 2021. At Wickham oval it was a much more one-sided affair as the Karratha Falcons comprehensively overcame the Wickham Wolves 5.8 (38) to 0. Kim Powell booted three goals for the Falcons and Jasmyn Ihanimo chipped in with two majors. The travelling side’s impenetrable defence was too much for the Wolves who could not get any flow in attack. The Falcons sit comfortably at second on the table with seven wins for the season while the Wolves remain last with only one win for 2021. Wickham will face a tough test next week, coming up against the undefeated Karratha Kats.