WAFL Grand Final

WEST Perth is back on top of the WAFL world winning a first premiership in nine years after eight straight finals appearances overcoming Claremont in a ...

Claremont got the best possible start to the last quarter when Jack Buller took a strong mark and kicked truly from a tight angle. Neither team was able to quite get that next crucial goal until in the dying stages Dobson kicked it out of the air for the Falcons. Jack Buller kicked just the one goal but was a dominant presence with his contested marking and had 20 touches and seven marks. The first two came in the space of a minute through third gamer Corey Rundle. He kicked truly after the siren and the Falcons went into quarter-time on top by 15 points. Claremont needed to respond and just before three quarter-time were able to. It's a remarkable addition to the legacy of West Perth coach Darren Harris as well. He finished with 20 possessions, six tackles and four inside-50 entries. Having been a premiership captain and Simpson Medal winner at the Falcons in 1995, he then coached West Perth to the flag in 2003 and now is a dual premiership winning coach in his first season back at the helm of the Falcons since 2005. It was a four-point ball game midway through the fourth quarter and in a frantic finish, the sealer came at the 24-minute mark for West Perth from Mitch Dobson and the Falcons went on to win 10.9 (69) to 8.9 (57). The Falcons kept an inaccurate Claremont goalless up until the 15-minute mark of the second quarter and then threatened to blow the Grand Final wide open with four of the first five goals of the second half to open up a 27-point advantage. The Tigers weren’t about to go down without a fight and the last two goals of the third quarter, and first two of the fourth brought them right back into the contest.