PUKATJA Magpies are this year's Far North West Sports League premiers after turning a 14-point half-time deficit into a memorable 10-point win in the grand final on Saturday.
The courageous Magpies held off a determined Mimili to win the 2008 flag by 10 points, 10.4 (64) to 8.6 (54), in a game that went to the wire.
Pukatja is a 1400km road trip from Adelaide, with 200km of that on unsealed roads.
The community's team denied Mimili back-to-back premierships with the win, but they only just got there.
Mimili, led by the man voted best-on-ground, Troy Churchill, were 14 points up at half-time and were looking good to defend their 2007 premiership.
But Pukatja had other plans.
The Magpies burst out of the blocks in the third term. They booted 3.2 while keeping the Blues to two points and headed into the three-quarter-time break with a four-point lead.
Churchill kicked a clever goal early in the final quarter to wrest back the lead for Mimili before Frederick Minor, who kicked five goals in last week's preliminary final, booted his third to put the Magpies back in front.
Alwyn Andy extended the lead to 10 points in the frantic final minutes and another goal pushed that margin out to 16 points before Mimili's Atu Campbell put in a brave, last-ditch effort to save his team with a goal late in the term. But the siren sounded soon after to end a thrilling contest.
It was a brave win for Pukatja, who won the flag from fourth spot on the ladder.
Defending premiers Mimili finished second on the ladder after the minor round competition and won through to the grand final, and a week off, with a 77-point win over first-placed Amata in the second semi-final.
After sitting on top of the ladder for the entire season, Pukatja lost to Fregon in Round 7 which saw them slip to fourth place. But they defeated Murputja by a comfortable 83 points in the first semi-final before last week's heroics over Amata in the preliminary final.
Saturday's thrilling win capped off a fine season for the boys from Pukatja community.
* The FNWSL is managed by the SANFL with support from the Federal Government and Adelaide Football Club.
2008 FNWSL Grand Final
Pukatja 10.4 (64) def. Mimili 8.6 (54)
Best-on-Ground:
Troy Churchill (Mimili, 3 votes), Derek Lewis (Pukatja, 2), Fredrick Minor (Pukatja, 1)
Goals:
Pukatja: Fredrick Minor 3, James Lewis 3, Alwyn Andy 2, William Edward 1, James Dunn 1.
Mimili:
Troy Churchill 2, Evan Smith 2, Atu Campbell 1, Eddie Edwards 1, Bradley Churchill 1, John Campbell 1.
Umpires:
Nigel Ken (Fregon), Jeremy Henry (Indulkana), Brian Gillman (Adelaide), Brynn Bridges (Adelaide).
Information, scores provided by:
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
SANFL.com.au
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Last Modified on 27/08/2008 23:52