Looma Eagles claim inaugural flag

Broome's Haynes Oval was transformed into a sea of yellow and blue last Saturday as Looma Eagles won the West Kimberley Football League for the first time, beating defending champions Cable Beach by two points in an epic grand final.

A bitter tug-of-war ensued over 80 dramatic minutes of top-quality football, with the lead changing hands on countless occasions but Looma prevailed 14.12 (96) to 14.10 (94).

Defending champions Cable Beach were favourites ahead of the game as they looked for their third straight premiership.

The Broome-based side had chances to win it but were beaten by an extremely motivated opponent.

The first quarter started at a frenetic pace.

Looma forward Deromitt Wilson opened the scoring with a well-taken major before Kevin Bullen medallist Jo Dann replied for Beach.

The teams swapped goals, but Beach had momentum towards the end of the first stanza following a delay due to an injury to Eagles back Corin Greenwood.

Scott Clark and Sonny Dann kicked quick back-to-back goals towards the end of the 20 minutes, while a boomer from Looma midfield lynchpin Lyle Buck kept his side in touch.

Beach led 5.3 (33) to 4.0 (24) after the first quarter.

Sonny Dann and Clark added two more majors at the start of the second quarter to give Beach a 21-point lead.

Looma needed to stand up and be counted and it looked like they were out of luck, when the usually dependable Jamahl McCarthy missed a kickable effort.

With half-time approaching, eventual best on ground Wilson grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and brought Looma right back into contention with three back-to-back majors.

Beach looked to be going into the break in the lead but a spectacular mark by ex-Western Bulldogs ruckman Zephaniah Skinner allowed Buck to kick another long-range effort.

After this breathtaking period Beach looked rattled, the game went into half-time all level at 8.5 (53) apiece.

Liam Reimer kicked the first goal of the third quarter for a Beach side which refused to give up.

However, key midfield man Brett Claudius picked up a head injury soon after and was forced to watch the remainder of the game from the sidelines.

With Claudius off the park, Buck's influence increased further and Looma captain Winstan Pindan bossed the 50-50 battles.

Another speculative high mark from Skinner allowed Looma to hit Beach on the break soon after, with a swift attack ending with Wilson again on the mark.

Sonny Dann and Clark hit back for Beach and the score was 11.9 (75) to 11.8 (74) to Looma at three-quarter time, ensuring a tense finish.

Two early Looma goals by the mercurial Broome put them into the ascendancy, but Beach hit back with three of their own to put them a goal up with less than 10 minutes left.

Buck and Broome both missed the target agonisingly soon after, kicking behinds to cut Beach's lead to four points.

Looma's midfield put pressure on Beach, who struggled to get out of their own territory. With no Eagles reprieve, Jason Crusoe proved the hero with a close- range goal with less than five minutes to play, putting Looma two points ahead.

Beach launched everyone forward in search of a winner, while Looma fought for every ball and clung on for dear life.

With the final siren imminent, the ball fell to Jackson Leach who, under incredible pressure, kicked a long effort wide.

Looma's key men Pindan, Skinner, Broome, Buck and Wilson, who kicked seven majors, won the game for the Eagles, however the team effort by the victors was incredible.

Looma spokesman Joe Grande could barely contain his excitement as captain Winstan Pindan held the cup aloft.

"This victory means so much to the people that live in Looma and the communities, it is so uplifting and you can see how much it means here today," he said.

"All the hard work that the guys have put in has paid off and we had confidence that if we stuck to the plan we could win."

WKFL chief executive Graeme Gordon said this season's action had resulted in the most hard-fought tournament for a number of years.