Top End Taggers have been crowned the top team of the season after a thrilling win at the 2026 Weipa Touch Association grand final. Photo: Supplied.
Another record-breaking season for touch football in Weipa has come to a gripping close after a neck-and-neck grand final showdown.
The top two senior teams from Weipa Touch Association’s A-grade, B-grade and C-grade divisions clashed on 11 September at Andoom Oval in a bid to claim western Cape bragging rights.
In the A-grade battle, Top End Taggers and Coastal Crocs were locked at 11-all when the full-time siren sounded, sending the decision into a thrilling drop-off.
When teams returned to the paddock in extra time, it was Top End Taggers who emerged victorious over Coastal Crocs to hold the A-grade trophy aloft in front of a vocal group of fans.
While they narrowly toppled the competition to finish off the season, Weipa Touch Association (WTA) celebrated the increased interest and calibre of touch football in the region.
“We had 14 teams this year in the senior competition, so one extra team from last year,” WTA vice-president Jimmy Mann said.
“We expected them to be really close grand final matches. Last year was a little bit one-sided; there were a couple of teams that weren’t really reliable with players turning up.
“The overall skill level in Weipa has definitely grown; majority of the people who played were teams from last year, and players were a lot more consistent with rocking up and having full teams this year.”
Other results on the night included Cheers for Beers defeating Lacking Stamina 11-9 in the B-grade division, and Big Dig taking the win 5-3 after an encounter with Touchy Feely.
Mann said he was looking forward to another big year for Weipa Touch Association in 2027, adding that there may be some basic coaching sessions before the season to help new players get involved.
“I think those numbers will slowly keep building up more and more. We probably have the capacity to max out at about 18 teams, so we’ll keep pushing towards that,” he said.
