Swans swoop late to catch Sharks out

A gallant Dampier Sharks were left to rue a late fade-out as South Hedland Swans swooped down in the final moments to win their round 5 North Pilbara Football League clash.

The Swans’ home game resulted in a final score of 10.10 (70) to 9.5 (59) as Sharks’ excellent game structure and communication continued to put pressure on the Swans throughout the game.

Despite a lighting issue causing half-time to be called early and the final two quarters being 30 minutes each rather than the typical 25 minutes, neither team let the struggles get them down, with swift hands from the Sharks turning the Swans temporarily cross-eyed.

After half-time, with scores at 2.6 to 2.1 in favour of the Swans, the Sharks made them second-guess their game, pounding out four goals to take the lead during the longer third quarter.

With six serious injuries sustained during the game, it wasn’t until Jack Coppin’s fourth-quarter goal that the Swans secured the win.

Leading goalscorers were Coppin with four, followed by Sharks’ Harrison Weeding and Barry Harting, both with three stellar goals. South Hedland Swans president Barry Taylor said he was proud of the players’ efforts to overcome the injuries and lighting issues.

“It was a courageous win by the boys to come back from a difficult third quarter,” he said.

“Jack Coppin’s game in the forward line and Trevor Dhu as running backman really kept our side in the game.

“We’ve got a lot of players to come back, which is the pleasing thing going into next week, and a number of senior players to return.

Despite the win, Wickham Wolves’ incredible performance pulled the Swans down to third on the ladder, only four points above the Sharks.

Next week is a Hedland Derby at the Swans’ nest, while the Sharks battle it out against the up-and-coming Wickham Wolves at Windy Ridge.