,Wolves hunt down Kats in big win

A final-quarter fire stoked the Wickham Wolves’ finals charge as they cruised home to a 45-point win over the Karratha Kats on a cold night in Wickham at the weekend.

The Wolves and Kats both turned up without their radars switched on and, by the final break, the scorecard read a dismal seven goals, 22 behinds combined.

It took until the fourth term for the favourites to finally click into gear, doubling their goal tally to end the night 10.17 (77) to 3.14 (32) victors.

The Kats had the run of the ball to start the game, but the Wolves’ defence was frustrating, winning the bulk of contested possessions inside their own 50.

The theme continued through the night as the Kats started each of the first three quarters on the front foot but failed to make an impact on the scoreboard.

Before the last quarter, the Wolves only managed one period of consistent forward pressure.

The home side had the Kats pinned down at the northern end of the ground for seven minutes to finish the first half but, like the Kats, their efforts were mostly fruitless.

The visitors’ defence proved a tough nut to crack though and several kicks on goal were either tapped or rushed behind, resulting in a half-time scoreline of 3.11 (39) to 1.3 (9) in favour of the Wolves.

Kendall Taylor was a star for the Wolves, winning most of his one-on-ones and coming out on top under the high ball on several occasions, despite his small stature.

Tyson Nicholas top scored for the Wolves, slotting three majors.

Danny Wolfenden and Landon Punch each bagged a double.

In the reserves game, a second- quarter blowout helped the Wolves to a 28-point win. The scores were level at quarter-time but a big second term saw the Wolves push out to 7.8 (50) to 3.3 (21) by half- time.

The rest of the game was evenly contested, with the Kats unable to reel the scoreline back in and the Wolves kept from pushing further ahead.