Black Ducks claim Rogers Cup premiership in golden-point epic

Swan Districts were crowned HART Sport Rogers Cup premiers after an epic golden-point victory over minor premiers East Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Sunday.

The Black Ducks were down by 13 points in the final term before storming back with the final two goals to level the scores at 33 apiece, forcing the game into a golden point situation.

State 16s representative Khalia Fawcett then kicked the winning point from a free kick three minutes into the extended time to send the Swan Districts supporters into raptures.

East Fremantle forward-ruck Avuya Nomlatyu won the HART Sport Rogers Cup best-on-ground medal in a losing cause with five votes, two clear of Swan Districts pair Micaela Henry and Keira Fawcett.

Nomlatyu was outstanding up forward while also pinch-hitting in the ruck.

Henry, the younger sister of Dhara Kerr Medal favourite Jaime who is featuring in the WAFLW grand final, found plenty of the footy, while Fawcett was lively.

East Fremantle did all of the attacking in the opening term but were a little wayward in front of the sticks, kicking 2.6 to nothing with State 18s representative Nomlatyu dangerous with one major and a couple of big marks inside 50.

Swan Districts finally got on the board early in the second term through Lara Sherborne, who was the main focal point for her team in attack.

But East Fremantle managed to respond before half-time to take a 17-point buffer into the main break.

Swan Districts came out firing to start the second half, booting back-to-back majors to make it a six-point margin with Sherborne kicking her third from the pocket.

The Sharks, who had a lot more scoring shots than their opponents but finished with an inaccurate 4.9, looked like running away with the match in the last before a spirited fightback from the underdogs on the way to a famous victory.

Sherborne finished with a game-high three majors for the victors, while Adi Griffith chimed in with two.

Remarkably, East Fremantle only lost four games for the season, all against Swan Districts including both finals.