Season 2008 finished in a thrilling and historical way with North Beach taking home its 5th successive flag against minor premiers North Fremantle. The 5th flag elevates North Beach past the 4 in a row that Wembley and Mt Lawley won in the 70’s and 80’s respectively and onto a level never seen by the Western Australian Amateur Football League. History had the match set up as a classic with North Beach having played in the past 9 Grand Finals and its only defeat from 9 attempts coming at the hands of North Fremantle 2003. Luckily for the thousands of spectators that flocked to Medibank Oval, the match didn’t disappoint.
In a see-sawing battle, it was North Beach who used all of its finals experience to jump North Fremantle in the first quarter and take a 10 point lead into the first change.
North Fremantle hit its straps in the second quarter, piling on 5 goals 4 to only 2 goals and recapturing the form which saw them top the home and away ladder with only 3 defeats. A little finals luck can go a long way, North Fremantle, and in particular Roland Hall, were full of running and confidence before the siren sounded and they could get a substantial lead, leaving North Beach in with a chance.
With the previous 4 Sandover Sheild’s, North Beach didn’t need a second invitation to capitalize on the luck. Led by Christopher Pearce, North Beach flexed all of its muscles in the premiership quarter, hammering through 5 goals to the shell shocked North Fremantle’s 1 goal 2. The teams went into the last break of the 2008 season only separated by a couple of kicks, giving both coaches plenty of ammunition for inspiration.
It was a nervous final quarter from players of both sides, the pressure turning the match into a scrappy contest with gettable misses at both ends of the field. North Beach only managed a single goal and despite North Fremantle kicking 2 goals, it wasn’t enough as North Beach and Norm Smith medal winning coach Billy Duckworth lifted their 5th flag in a row in front of admiring supporters. It was a brave effort from North Fremantle but missing three crucial shots in the last 5 minutes proved costly, going down by an eventual 7 points.
Best; North Beach: Christopher Pearce (BOG), Josh McGinnity, Kyle Riemann, Scott Ward, Anthony Ingham
North Fremantle: Roland Hall, Peter Thompsom, Michael McCann, Karl Pirrottina, Matthew Robertson
