West Eagles make grand final

PORT Moresby Esi Loan AFL minor premiers Bismark Maritime West Eagles booked an early grand-final spot with a 14-point win over the Dockers in a closely-contested qualifying final at the Colts Oval on Sunday.
The game began on a fiery note with the Eagles drawing the first six-pointer against the wind through tough centre-half-forward Dunstall Kase.
That was followed by another six-pointer by captain Jeffery Namete before opposing skipper Desmond Kaumu goaled to put the Dockers on the board.
The Dockers had more scoring opportunities but of all the shots they took, they notched only four goals and four behinds.
The Eagles on the other hand had fewer scoring chances but were more accurate, nailing five goals and one behind to put their noses in front by three points at quarter time, 5.1 (31) to 4.4 (28). The Eagles had the wind on the backs in the second quarter but came up against stiff opposition from the Dockers defenders led by fullback Peter Lavong and flankers James Kembu and Sebastian Gelu.
Play seesawed and the Eagles snapped two goals and three behinds from Daniby Kase and Namete while the Dockers sailed in three goals and a behind to go into a one-point halftime lead, 46-47.
The Eagles led by five points in the third quarter (65-60) and it was still anybody’s game when play resumed for the final quarter.
The Dockers put up strong resistance against the wind, allowed minimal scoring chances for the Eagles with Kaumu, Archie Mai Jr and Ferdinand Musi playing the lead role.
Despite their tireless efforts, they only managed to score a goal and a behind while the Eagles scored two goals and four behinds to win the match.