Townsite Eagles cap perfect season with big finals win

A dominant grand final display has capped off a dominant year for Tom Price’s Townsite Eagles, romping home to 122-point win over the Tigers at Clem Thompson Oval on Saturday night.

The Eagles have been untouchable in season 2018 of the Fortescue National Football League, racking up an imposing 1882 to 584 for and against tally. Every other team was in the negative as a result of the Eagles’ performance this year.

Big forward Nikkalus Woods got the Eagles off the mark in the first minute and the favourites quickly asserted themselves on the game. They booted five goals to one in the first team and stretched the lead out to 8.9 (57) to 1.8 (14) by the main break.

The Tigers put in a solid second quarter but couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard, recording just the five behinds.

Eagles forwards Rhys Cooyou and Liam Hansen clicked into gear on the other side of half time. Both slotted two majors to push the game beyond any doubt by the final change.

As has been the case several times the year, the Eagles ran home in the final quarter, almost doubling their goal count to 23.13 (151) to 3.11 (29).

A goal to Tiger Eric King in the seventh minute of the final quarter was followed by a barrage down the other end. Joseph Bakker and Shaun Robbins found the big posts before Drew Shadboult kicked three in a row.

Shadboult ended the night with five goals, followed by Cooyou’s four and Hansen’s three.

King, Jaden Parker and Sam Murphy were the goalscorers for the Tigers.

Despite bagging just the one goal in the final, Woods finished head and shoulders above the pack with 79 goals for the season.

Tiger Adam Guthrie slotted 45 in 10 games to finish second, followed by Paraburdoo’s Simon Ponter on 41.