Woosha Claims Bragging Rights Over Bluey

John Worsfold and Guy McKenna pitted themselves against each other in the coaches box for the first time, but it was Woosha who came out on top after the Eagles ground out a gritty 18 point win over newcomers Gold Coast.

The former champion Eagles, who were both captains of the club, walked out to the half back line together on 175 occasions but from opposing seats in the Subiaco grandstand, Worsfold’s side were able to do enough to record their sixth win of the season and keep touch with the top four.

West Coast were priced at the extraordinarily short quote of $1.02 to defeat the Suns at home, but while they got the four points, a spirited second half by Gold Coast prevented the Eagle from cashing on the percentage booster that other teams had enjoyed against the Suns in their debut season.

The Eagles made just one change to the side that were well beaten by Collingwood the week before, dropping Brad Ebert for Andrew Strijk. Ebert had struggled to adapt to a more prominent role across half-forward with the likes of Luke Shuey and Scott Selwood preferred through the middle, along with Matt Priddis and returning veteran Daniel Kerr.

Sam Butler failed to recover from an adductor issue, meaning that Brad Sheppard and Ashley Smith held their spots in defence. Andrew Embley was a wait-and-see proposition for much of the week, with the impending birth of his first child but suited up on match-day. However, Daniel Kerr was a late withdrawal for the second time in a month with a glute concern. Tom Swift was called up for his first senior appearance of the season.

The Suns made four changes to the side that were thumped by Geelong the week before. Zac Smith returned to partner Josh Fraser in the ruck against Naitanui and Cox, while Harley Bennell, Seb Tape and debutant Taylor Hine were also named.

Rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt was ruled out with suspension, while Brandon Matera missed out on a homecoming match against his father’s former side with a groin injury. Charlie Dixon and Matt Shaw were both omitted.

West Coast again started tall to stretch the Gold Coast defence, with Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling, Quinten Lynch and Dean Cox lining up in the Eagles forward 50. The Suns were short in defence, with Campbell Brown matching against Lynch, despite giving away 20cm in height.

Cox had an early influence up forward, setting up the Eagles first goal to Lynch, while kicking two himself in the opening quarter. When Mark LeCras slotted his second major at the 14 minute mark of the quarter, the Eagles led 6.1 to zero and a crushing win was on the cards.

But to the credit of the Suns, led by captain Gary Ablett in his 200^th AFL match, they levelled the contest and stuck with the Eagles to the end. With West Coast leading 10 goals to four during the second term, the Suns stacked their defence to frustrate the home side and eventually wore their way into the contest.

A four goal to one third quarter brought the visitors back within 12 points nearing three-quarter time, but the Eagles were able to keep the Suns at bay to the final siren.

John Worsfold was happy enough with the win, admiring the persistence of the Suns. “A great start and then a bit of a slog from there on in, but a slog where the players really continued to fight it out, work hard and come away with the win.”

“I think they’ve (Gold Coast) impressed most people in their season so far and they showed enough today to say they warrant the plaudits they’ve been getting for how they go about their football. They’re a young squad but the senior players are holding up well.”

It was through the efforts of Gary Ablett, who dragged his side into the game. The Suns captain finished with 32 disposals, 19 of which were contested, eight clearances, nine tackles and booted two goals. Scott Selwood was given the task of minding the Brownlow medallist but could do little but follow the little master around Subiaco Oval and watch a midfielder masterclass.

Michael Rischitelli collected 25 disposals and seven clearances for the match and Harley Bennell tallied 24 touches. Nathan Bock was solid in defence and had the better of Jack Darling with 21 disposals and nine marks, while Zac Smith was equally impressive with 21 touches, six clearances, 15 hit-outs and a goal playing in the ruck.

For all of the efforts of Ablett, the Eagles had their own midfield warrior in Matt Priddis. Priddis feasted of the tap advantage of Naitanui and Cox to gather 31 disposals, which included six clearances and eight tackles. Priddis regularly fed the ball out to the likes of Matt Rosa and Mark LeCras on the outside.

Cox again put in another shining performance, which elevated the Eagles ruckman into Brownlow conversation. Cox had 28 hit-outs, to go with 26 disposals, nine marks, seven clearances and two goals, as many started to speculate whether he could be the first ruckman to claim the prestigious award since Scott Wynd in 1992. After doing his damage on the scoreboard early, Cox stationed himself in the back half through the last quarter as Gold Coast kept pushing for an unlikely victory.

Behind Priddis, LeCras picked up 28 disposals and two goals as he roamed between midfield and the forward line. Matt Rosa (21) and Chris Masten (19) were proficient through the middle, while Shannon Hurn was the second-highest ball winner for the Eagles with 30 possessions, to go with 14 marks.

Hurn formed part of a second-string backline that was still missing Eric Mackenzie, Mitch Brown and Sam Butler, and while they had their shaky moments through the match, they mostly held their own. Will Schofield restricted Tom Lynch to just two goals and Ashley Smith rotated through the third tall in the Suns forward line, often giving away height but keeping a close check, which allowed Hurn to operate as the intercept defender and defensive distributor.

Worsfold praised his makeshift defence, acknowledging they had their moments. “I thought our backs… in the first half they let through a few easy goals. They could have defended a bit better, a couple of mistakes we made.”

“But then when we were really under the pump in the second half, I thought there were some outstanding efforts.”

Rising star nominees David Swallow and Jack Darling both found themselves in the book with Swallow charged for rough conduct on Scott Selwood and Darling reported for striking Campbell Brown. Scott Selwood was also expected to come under scrutiny for an off the ball incident involving Ablett, with Selwood later accepting a reprimand from the match review panel. Darling and Swallow were both freed for their incidents.

The win meant West Coast rose back up to sixth place after Essendon lost to the Demons by 33 points. The top four remained the same with all four teams claiming wins in Round 11. Geelong remained undefeated after they thrashed the Bulldogs, with Collingwood hot in pursuit following an equally comfortable win over St Kilda.

Hawthorn overturned an 18 point deficit at three-quarter time to defeat the Dockers by 22 points, courtesy of an eight goal final quarter. Carlton continued Port Adelaide’s miserable season with a ten goal win at Football Park. The Swans thrashed Brisbane to climb to fifth on the ladder, with the Eagles, Bombers and Dockers rounding out the top eight. Fremantle though were now just half a game in front of Melbourne and Richmond after losing four of their last five matches.

While the Eagles would have been happy to see order restored to be the leading WA side in the AFL competition, West Coast and Fremantle joined forces during the week as they presented to the WAFC and nine WAFL presidents the concept of having their own reserves sides.

Many AFL clubs had taken on having their own reserves side in their state’s second tier competitions, with the Eagles and Dockers believing they were giving up a competitive advantage by not following suit. The two AFL clubs suggested they could stimulate $1 million per season for the nine WAFL clubs through an annual payment of $600,000, plus extra home fixtures for each club, additional sponsorship opportunities and increasing the finals series to a top five.

West Coast and Fremantle were keen to have their own sides in the WAFL as soon as 2012, but were met ‘without enthusiasm’ by the nine WAFL clubs to the proposal, with Peel Thunder president John Ditchburn going a step further, calling their offer “dismal”.

Richmond confirmed their status as the premier team in the competition when they demolished GWS to claim their second flag in three years.

After their breakthrough triumph in 2017, the Tigers missed out last season when they suffered a shock loss to Collingwood in the preliminary final. But there was no doubt that Richmond were the standout side of 2019, particularly after the mid-season bye when they won 12 straight games en route to the premiership.

As Richmond sit on the verge of establishing their next dynasty, what were the key off-season moves in years gone by that transformed the Tigers from a club sitting in the doldrums to one of the powerhouses of the competition.

Dion Prestia

The former Gold Coast midfielder expressed a desire to return home at the end of the 2016 season, nominating the Tigers as his club of choice. In hindsight, the Tigers got Prestia in a steal.

Richmond gave up their first round pick (which became number seven overall) to the Suns, as well as their future second round in the 2017 draft. The Tigers secured Prestia with the swap of those two draft selections, while also receiving back a second round pick from the Suns, which would result in a second key player making his way to Punt Road.

Prestia was one of the lynchpins in the Tigers revival through the second half of the season and dominated the Grand Final early. Prestia had 11 first-quarter possessions before having to deal with Giants tagger Matt deBoer for the remainder of the game. Prestia finished with 22 disposals and three tackles and capped off a stellar season claiming the Tigers’ club champion award.

The Suns for their part used pick seven on Jack Scrimshaw who managed just four games in two seasons at the club, before joining the Hawks at the end of 2018.

Josh Caddy

The flow-on trade from the Prestia deal saw the Tigers give up pick 24, which they had acquired from Gold Coast, to Geelong in a trade that saw Caddy join the club. The half-forward/midfielder joined the Tigers for the second round selection, as well as Richmond’s fourth-round pick, which ultimately became pick 60.

Geelong parted ways with Caddy, while also giving the Tigers their third round draft selection, which Richmond would ultimately use on South Australian Jack Graham. Graham was famously a member of the 2017 breakthrough in just his fifth game of AFL, but missed out on the 2019 premiership after dislocating his shoulder in the preliminary final against the Cats.

However, his ability to go back onto the ground through the second half of that match (with reports that his shoulder continually popped out), and contribute to the Tigers’ second half comeback received special praise from coach Damien Hardwick.

Having made his way to the Tigers, Caddy (at his third club) would now be a two-time premiership winner, although his output in 2019 wasn’t as consistent as two seasons earlier.

The Cats for their part would use the picks they received from Richmond on two exciting prospects in Brandan Parfitt (pick 24) and Quinton Narkle (pick 60).

Toby Nankervis

The 2016 off-season proved to be one of the key periods in Richmond history, with ruckman Toby Nankervis switching across from the Swans for the Tigers third round selection (number 45 overall). Nankervis had struggled to cement the number one ruck spot with Sydney, while the Tigers were in desperate need to fill the role.

Ivan Maric had held the role the previous few seasons, but could manage just three games during 2016 as he fell out of favour to Shaun Hampson. Hampson, however, remained an injury risk with Richmond keen to boost their ruck stocks. The trade would prove to be a masterstroke, with Hampson missing the entire 2017 season with a back injury, while back-up ruckman Ben Griffiths would appear in only the first two games of 2017 before concussion ended his season.

Having just arrived at the club, Nankervis was thrown into the lead ruck position, often performing the role solely as Richmond experimented with a number of different options as his support. Like Prestia and Caddy, Nankervis is now a dual premiership player although the Tigers opted for two ruckmen in 2019, with Ivan Soldo teaming up with Nankervis.

Jack Riewoldt

The Tigers landed their spearhead and Coleman medal winner with the first pick of the 2006 draft which came about after Richmond got involved in a three-way trade involving the Dockers and the Magpies.

The Tigers originally held pick 8, but gave up their first round pick to drop five spots down the order to pick 13, as well as their third round pick (number 42 overall) to secure tall forward Graham Polak. The trade of Polak enabled the Dockers to acquire the top ten pick they needed to bring in Chris Tarrant from the Magpies, while also sending Paul Medhurst the other way. A smaller aspect of the trade saw the Tigers and Magpies swap positions in the fourth round of the draft, Richmond sending pick 63 (which they received from Fremantle) to Collingwood for pick 60.

The Magpies used pick 8 on Ben Reid, but the Tigers were the winners from the early draft picks, selecting Riewoldt who would go on to lead the Tigers goal kicking in nine seasons, winning the Coleman medal on three occasions. Pick 60 wouldn’t be as successful, selecting Carl Peterson who failed to play a game at the Tigers in one season on the list.

The post-script to the three-way trade saw the Tigers eventually end up with one of their finest players. Richmond’s third round selection – number 42 overall – was sent to the Dockers as part of the trade that acquired Graham Polak. That selection was then packaged along with pick 47 by Fremantle in a trade with Essendon, that saw hard man Dean Solomon join the Dockers.

Essendon would go on to use the Tigers original pick on Bachar Houli, who would later walk out on the Bombers after just 26 games in four seasons. Despite the pleas of incoming coach James Hird, Houli nominated for the pre-season draft, frustrated by a lack of opportunity, with Punt Road his destination of choice. Richmond selected Houli with the third pick of the draft, virtually costing the Tigers nothing.

Daniel Rioli

The Tigers small forward fleet has been integral to their two flags and Daniel Rioli has been a key member, alongside the likes of Jason Castagna, Shai Bolton and Dan Butler. However, Rioli only made it to the Tigers after two failed academy bids. The Tigers held pick 13 in the first round of the 2015 draft and with their first attempt, bid to select Matthew Kennedy, who was a member of the Giants academy.

GWS matched the selection, but undeterred had another crack at an academy listed player, this time targeting Eric Hipwood who was linked with the Lions. Predictably, Brisbane matched the Tigers bid with Richmond then settling on Rioli with their third use of the draft pick.

And the rest…

Nick Vlaustin

Selected with the Tigers first pick in the 2012 National Draft, which was linked to their 12th placed finish. Richmond’s first selection drops down to number nine overall, with Melbourne and the Bulldogs receiving concession picks for losing uncontracted players Tom Scully and Callan Ward to GWS.

Dylan Grimes

The Tigers held over a draft selection following the 2009 National Draft, ultimately using their first pick in the pre-season draft (which was number two overall) on Dylan Grimes. The Demons had pick one of the pre-season draft, selecting ex-Brisbane defender Joel Macdonald.

Dustin Martin

After a disastrous 2009 season which had seen the Tigers plummet to second last on the ladder, Richmond had pick three in draft which was used on Dustin Martin. Melbourne were granted a priority selection for winning under five games for a second season running using their first two picks on Tom Scully and Jack Trengove. The Tigers struck gold with pick three in picking the dual Norm Smith and Brownlow medallist.

Brandon Ellis

The Tigers first pick at the 2011 National draft, after they finished 13th. With GWS monopolising the draft with 11 of the first 14 picks, Richmond’s first selection slid down to number 15 overall.

Trent Cotchin

Selected with the number two pick at the 2007 draft after Richmond collected the wooden spoon. The Tigers were bumped by the Blues who were granted a priority pick. Cotchin and close friend Matthew Kruezer were always expected to go 1-2 in the draft and it was up to Carlton to determine the final order. The Blues went with ruckman Kruezer, leaving Richmond to select Cotchin – a two-time premiership captain and Brownlow medallist.

Shane Edwards

Edwards was picked with Richmond’s second selection at the 2006 draft, linked to their final ladder position.

Jason Castagna

A steal at the 2015 rookie draft, Castagna was selected with the Tigers second choice, number 29 overall.

David Astbury

Selected with the Tigers third pick at the 2009 National Draft, number 35 overall.

Jayden Short

Another rookie selection at the 2015 rookie draft, Short was chosen with the Tigers first pick, number 11 overall.

Tom Lynch

One of the cheapest acquisitions in the modern era, Lynch walked to the Tigers as a free agent at the end of 2018, after eight seasons at the Gold Coast Suns. The only cost for Richmond was the loss of a second round compensation pick they had received when Reece Conca exercised his free agency rights to join the Dockers – small pittance for a key forward of Lynch’s calibre.

Kane Lambert

Another gem of the 2015 rookie draft for the Tigers, with Lambert arriving with pick 46.

Shai Bolton

The Tigers received a bonus compensation pick in the 2016 National Draft, after Ty Vickery opted to continue his career at Hawthorn. The move didn’t work for Vickery, managing just six games in one season on Hawthorn’s retiring at 27 years of age, citing a lack of passion for the game. Richmond, however, were able to draft small forward Shai Bolton with the second round selection.

Nathan Broad

A mature age recruit, selected with the Tigers fourth round pick, linked to their eighth placed finish at the end of 2015, number 67 overall.

Ivan Soldo

Another member of what can only be regarded as the finest batch of rookie selections for one club in one draft, Soldo was the final player taken by Richmond in the 2015 rookie draft at number 68 overall.

Liam Baker

The second year player was the Tigers first pick at the 2018 rookie draft – number 18 overall, after Richmond had claimed the previous year’s flag.

Marlion Pickett

One of the more remarkable stories of recent draft history. The Tigers secured a mid-season selection following the selfless retirement of Shaun Grigg, which would be the 13th selection overall with Richmond sitting fourth on the ladder after round 10. The Tigers chose Pickett, despite the South Fremantle player breaking a finger a week before the draft, that was set to rule him out for much of the year. Pickett did return to the field late in the season, with his best-afield performance in the Tigers VFL premiership enough for Richmond’s match committee to reward the mature age recruit with an historic debut in the Tiger’s 2019 flag.

West Coast cruised through the second half of their match against St Kilda, recording their 11^th win of the season with a 79 point victory at the WACA.

The Saints surprisingly stuck with the home side for much of the first half but twelve goals to two in favour of the Eagles after half-time resulted in the Eagles biggest win of the year.

Both sides were missing their key focal points, with Peter Sumich missing once again for the Eagles, while Tony Lockett and Stewart Loewe were both sidelined with injury at St Kilda.

After missing six of the previous seven games with recurring hamstring injuries, Sumich was available for selection but the West Coast match committee opted to bring the full forward back via the WAFL. With an eye towards the crunch match against reigning premiers Essendon in nine days time, Sumich lined up with South Fremantle – his first game with the Bulldogs since 1989 – to get some match conditioning under his belt before returning to the senior side.

The Eagles ultimately made two changes to the side that defeated Geelong the previous week. Paul Symmons was dropped after making his debut the week before, with Shane Bond returning to the line-up having recovered from a hamstring strain. West Coast captain John Worsfold, who was initially named despite limping off with a groin complaint against the Cats, was unsurprisingly a late withdrawal. His spot is taken by Brett Spinks.

The Saints make three changes to the side that drew with the Crows. Craig Davenport is recalled to the side after booting seven goals in the reserves, while Dean Greig comes in after serving a one week suspension. Brett Bowey is the third inclusion with Matthew Lappin, Kristin Bardsley and Shane Wakelin all going out of the side.

As had been the growing trend of recent weeks, Alves’ forward set up structured around how to dilute the influence of centre half back Glen Jakovich. Mid-sized forward David Grant was assigned the task of dragging Jakovich out of the play with Grant roaming up the field for much of the first half.

The Saints came with an obvious plan to run and move the ball quickly to prevent the defensive Eagles from setting up behind the ball. Tim Pekin and Damen Shaw gave plenty of drive of half-back and with Robert Harvey and Nathan Burke controlling the middle, the energetic Saints provided plenty of early concern.

At quarter time, Burke and Harvey had combined for 21 disposals, as well as kicking a goal each to lead St Kilda to a seven point advantage. Don Pyke and Drew Banfield were sent to the Saints playmakers at the start of the second quarter, but while Pyke was able to restrict Burke to just nine touches for the rest of the match, Harvey continued to rack up the possessions.

Peter Matera sprang to life in the opening minutes of the second term, twice setting up Ashley McIntosh for goals, but the Saints continued to show their dare.

Pekin and Shaw relentlessly attacked off half-back, with both venturing high enough up the ground to hit the scoreboard as St Kilda responded with three goals in a row. With three minutes remaining in the half, scores were level, but Michael Brennan had the Eagles back in front when he followed Craig Davenport into the Eagles forward line.

From the next centre bounce, Brennan was once again involved, charging off the back of the square and releasing Peter Wilson out of the middle who found Brett Spinks on the halftime siren. Spinks converted the set shot and the Eagles had a 12 point lead at the main break.

After half-time, the game was merely a procession.  

The game was played completely on the Eagles’ terms with Dean Kemp controlling the middle of the ground, combining with David Hart who switched into the centre from the back pocket. Peter Wilson played freely around the ground and Pyke worked offensively off Burke.

The Saints on the other hand found many of their early winners were shut out of the game. The run dried up off half-back as Chris Lewis and Brett Heady got busy, while in the Saints forward line, the makeshift forward line of Craig Davenport, Craig O’Brien and Peter Everitt failed to function.

Davenport was well beaten by Brennan, while Jason Ball was used in defence on Everitt to allow McIntosh to stay forward. McIntosh, in turn, was the Eagles best forward on the night, booting three goals. Brett Heady also booted three second-half goals when he came off the bench in the third term.

Despite the presence of rain, the Eagles produced some of their most scintillating football of the season, kicking six goals to one in the third quarter, before repeating the dose in the final term.

The thrashing left first-year Saints coach Stan Alves in no doubt as to who the best team in the competition was. “I said Carlton were the best team after they beat us by 80 points two weeks ago but this side sort of jumped up tonight.”

While he praised the performance of the Eagles, Alves also lamented a lack of options up forward, with key targets Tony Lockett and Stewart Loewe injured. “The figures showed that we scored a goal every six times we went over the 50m line. The Eagles goaled every three times they went into that zone – that’s the difference.”

While Alves pondered the efficiency of the Eagles forward line, his counterpart was keenly focused on the defensive side of things.

“I’m not interested in what we kick, I am interested in what they kick,” Malthouse declared.

It may not have mattered to Malthouse, but West Coast booted their second highest score of the season – one point shy of their total in round 4 against Fitzroy – with the Eagles coach just happy his side got going after a poor start.

Dean Kemp finished with the most possessions for West Coast with 22 with Chris Mainwaring and Peter Wilson the next best with 21. Wilson also booted two goals, as did David Hynes and Tony Evans as multiple goal scorers along with McIntosh and Heady.

Most of the Saints dropped off in the second half, but one man who didn’t was Robert Harvey, who was arguably the visitors’ only four quarter performer. Harvey had the better of three opponents – Banfield, Craig Turley and Guy McKenna – to finish with 31 disposals. Danny Frawley and Jamie Shanahan stood strong in defence, keeping Hynes and Spinks relatively quiet, while Nicky Winmar had 21 touches off the wing.

Malthouse admitted post-match that he used the game against the Saints as a precursor to the following weeks game, which would see West Coast host reigning premiers Essendon.

“I was happy in the end because we were able to get most of our runners to play midfield at some stage so we could put them under the pump a bit.”

“I think it is important when you play Essendon that you have as many runners up as possible.”

Essendon set up a tantalising match-up when they defeated North Melbourne in an entertaining clash at the MCG. The Bombers jumped to a four goal lead at quarter time and then held off the Kangaroos for the rest of the afternoon to join them on eight wins. A poor percentage meant that the Bombers stayed in sixth spot, behind Collingwood who recorded a 20 point win over Sydney and the Kangaroos who occupied fourth position.

Carlton burst the Bears’ bubble when they thrashed Brisbane by 104 points to remain one win behind West Coast. The Bears had been giant-killers in recent weeks, but were no match for the Blues with the loss seemingly ending their finals hopes. Geelong were another team who seemed shot for 1994 when they fell to a six goal loss to Hawthorn, who moved up to third on the ladder.

The Cats dropped to 11^th, replaced in the top eight by Richmond who scored an upset win over Adelaide at Football Park. The Tigers joined the Bulldogs – who had the bye – on seven wins, one game ahead of Melbourne who recorded an easy win over Fitzroy.

For the seventh consecutive season, the AFL Grand Final will feature a Victorian-based side against an ‘interstate’ side and the collective desire to keep the premiership cup in Victoria has once again been raised.

In a recent piece, with little relevant basis or historical understanding of the game, it was declared that all Victorians should set aside their ‘Collingwoodaphobe’ and barrack against West Coast for the pride of the state and of the game itself.

Here is why Victorians should actually embrace the Eagles and hope they can take away their fourth premiership.

You Actually Wouldn’t Hear From West Coast Fans

Unlike Collingwood fans who primarily reside in Victoria, being on the other side of the country means that Victorians won’t have to deal with who won the flag on a day to day basis. Instead Eagles’ fans will be far more occupied reminding the Dockers supporters who they work with, go to school with or live down the street from that West Coast have a fourth flag while the cupboard at Fremantle remains bare.

A West Coast premiership means Victorians can feel safe in that they won’t have to walk down Smith Street and be reminded by the black and white army that they are premiers once again. In fact, such is the Victorian ignorance of everything west of the border, that many football fans will quickly forget that West Coast even claimed the 2018 flag and will only hear the reigning premiers tag on the odd occasion we venture to the MCG next season, which will most likely be twice, tops!

West Coast Helped Victorian Clubs Stay Alive

It is a bit of a stretch to claim that West Coast should be despised for being an ‘expansion club’, when the real reason the club was formed was to inject much needed funds into an ailing competition. The majority of the 12 clubs during the 1980’s were on the brink of extinction. Fitzroy met their demise in 1996, but before that they, along with Footscray, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond and even the beloved Hawthorn faced serious financial despair.

Unlike the introduction of Gold Coast and GWS Giants, where the AFL hopes to expand the competition into non-AFL strongholds, West Coast were established on the back of a strong history of state football in Western Australia. State of Origin matches through the 1970s and 1980s between the Vics and Sandgropers were some of the greatest games in living memory and only fuelled new rivalries at club level which first saved, then grew the game.

Bringing West Coast into the competition was the logical move to nationalise the game – not expand it – and the $4 million licence fee that the club were expected to stump up to join the league from 1987 went a fair way into padding up the coffers of the struggling Victorian sides.

A Couple Of Bad Years Is Not A ‘Questionable History’

The Eagles’ 2006 premiership has long been derided by opposition fans as tainted due to the drug culture that engulfed the club, tarnishing the reputation of many involved with West Coast at the time and creating a downward spiral for a number of premiership players including Ben Cousins, Daniel Chick and Chad Fletcher.

While no official positive tests or penalties were recorded, the internal and AFL investigations that took place led to changes in the fabric of the club and instigated many of the testing parameters that exist in the AFL environment today. A heightened focus in restoring the off-field culture brought about three years of on-field pain culminating in the clubs only wooden spoon in 2010

The West Coast Eagles of today are a far different brand from that of the mid-2000s with only Trevor Nisbett – who could survive an A-bomb, such is his ability to avoid culpability – a key figure who remains with the club. The fact is, the drug culture argument is no longer relevant.

Instead, if you were to judge a club by their off-field activities, the Collingwood rap sheet is far worse in recent years. Josh Thomas, who will take his place on Grand Final day, and Lachie Keeffe were both suspended for two years for testing positive to an illicit substance during the 2015 off-season, while Sam Murray is facing a potential four year ban for testing positive to an illicit substance on match-day earlier this season.

These incidents bookended the famous, or infamous, headline from the Herald Sun on the eve of the 2017 season reporting up to 11 Collingwood players were being investigated by ASADA for performance enhancing substances.

But as Bill Belichick once said, to live in the past is to die in the present and sport has proven across many decades to be the great forgiver. Tiger Woods is currently riding a wave of support in his building return in golf, South Africa were welcomed back into the world of cricket and the Russian soccer team and their people were celebrated at the World Cup, 18 months after the majority of their athletes were banned from the Rio Olympics. Muhammed Ali was the most hated person in America after being stripped of his boxing licence for being a draft dodger but is now celebrated as THE greatest of all time.

A few years of misconduct shouldn’t necessarily equate to a ‘questionable history’ and the Eagle players and administration of today shouldn’t be tarnished with the brush of those who did wrong in a previous generation.

West Coast Beat Richmond Too

Collingwood should be rightly applauded for their magnificent win over the Tigers in last week’s preliminary final, ending their run at back-to-back flags. However, the Magpies weren’t the only team to defeat Richmond this season. The Eagles accounted for Richmond in Round 9 to the tune of 46 points, knocking the Tigers out of top spot.

So if defeating Richmond is a reason to support a team, then the Eagles should also be considered in the argument. But not only did they defeat the Tigers, they also defeated Collingwood – twice! West Coast have long been questioned over their ability to win at the MCG, but ran out victors in the only home and away meeting between the two sides. The Eagles then followed up with a 16 point win in the opening week of the finals on the back of a final quarter surge.

If being anti-Richmond is a reason to support a team, then being anti-Collingwood should be just as compelling and the Eagles have three wins in 2018 over the two teams combined.

The Nathan Buckley Story Isn’t That Convincing

The narrative behind Collingwood claiming the 2018 flag is completion of a lengthy career with Collingwood for their coach Nathan Buckley. Twice as a player Buckley played on the grandest stage only to see his side go down in consecutive Grand Finals to Brisbane. While the former Collingwood captain claimed numerous individual awards – Rising Star, Brownlow, Norm Smith and multiple Copeland Trophies – the ultimate team prize proved elusive.

But things could have turned out so much differently for Buckley if he hadn’t reneged on a prior agreement to join North Melbourne. First drafted by the Brisbane Bears in 1993, Buckley agreed to spend one year in Queensland before joining the Kangaroos in 1994. However that all fell apart ahead of the next season with Buckley then choosing to join the Magpies. After a finals appearance in 1994, the Magpies would be irrelevant for a number of years, while North Melbourne would win two flags from three Grand Final appearances during the 1990’s and the Brisbane Lions would claim a historic three-peat in the early 2000’s. Ultimately, Buckley chose the third of two good options.

Further, Buckley was a key pillar in the poorly carried out succession plan, which saw Mick Malthouse outed after a 12 year stint that delivered one flag from four grand final appearances. The club had reached the pinnacle of the game a year earlier and had just lost the 2011 decider to Geelong when Buckley took over a squad that was seemingly set for a period of domination. Instead, the division between Malthouse and Buckley drained the squad and the Magpies slipped quickly into the bottom half of the ladder, where they have stayed for much of this decade. So is he really that great?

Conversely, Adam Simpson assumed the role of head coach at the Eagles following the departure of club legend John Worsfold, who had mentally burnt out of the role. Simpson guided the squad to a surprise Grand Final appearance in 2015 and once again has his side in the season decider despite many predicting the demise of both the coach and the club in 2018. Simpson may not have been at the club as Buckely has at Collingwood, but his commitment and connection with West Coast is second to none.

Both teams have had challenges this season and should be praised for reaching the final game of the year and Adam Simpson could rightfully claim to be as deserving to be standing on the premiership dais come the end of the game, as Nathan Buckley is.

Victorians may feel a sense of responsibility to support the Magpies and keep the premiership cup ‘home’ but unless you’re a diehard Collingwood fan, backing West Coast is surely the logical option.

In the 25th anniversary of West Coast’s first premiership, recount the round-by-round story of the Eagles historic 1992 season.

The Cats came to Perth and made away with the four points for the first time on the back of an Ablett-inspired performance.

Already revered in the competition as one of the superstars in the game, the Eagles crowd were treated to one of the finest individual displays in recent times.

Playing his 150^th game, Ablett tallied 36 disposals, eight marks and booted five goals as Geelong recorded a 24 point victory. Ablett was purely unstoppable as the Eagles match committee spent the majority of the game trying to find a match-up to quell his influence.

Guy McKenna had had the wood in recent times, but came into the game under an injury cloud and struggled to contain the star Cat. Ablett rotated between the midfield and half-forward and spent time opposed to a range of players. Chris Mainwaring, Craig Turley, Dean Laidley and John Worsfold all tried in vain to halt Ablett but to no avail.

While Ablett was the clear standout in the match, he had good support from fellow midfielders Paul Couch (26 disposals) and Mark Bairstow (22). Dean Kemp was once again the best for West Coast with 24 possessions, while Craig Turley and Chris Lewis both collected 23 with Lewis also about to boot two goals.

West Coast finished the game ahead in most of the key statistics, even finishing with more scoring shots, but an 11-goal quarter from the Cats proved to be the difference. In a fast start, the Eagles led by 7 points at the first change with five goals to four, before the visitors went rampant in the second term. The Cats had nearly 100 points on the board by half time, and stormed to a 38 point lead on the back of Ablett’s brilliance.

Cats coach Malcolm Blight was full of praise for Ablett as Geelong were able to level the ledger. “Gary, along with a lot of other good players, obviously was terrific. He’s enjoying his footy – I think that’s the key to him and most players.

“That terrific second quarter obviously set the game up for us.”

With temperatures soaring beyond 30 degrees on the sunny April afternoon, the Eagles were always going to struggle to overcome the deficit, and whilst they had the better of the game in the second half, the final margin of 24 points was as close as they could get.

The Eagles stuck with the same side that defeated the Saints a week earlier, with Peter Sumich and Brett Heady still unavailable through injury. Sumich had served his two week suspension to start the season and was set to return but an ankle injury suffered during the week at training left the full-forward on the sidelines. Heady was touch-and-go for the Geelong game, but ultimately was given one more week to recover from his hamstring injury a fortnight earlier against the Swans.

The Cats had opened their season with losses to the Hawthorn and Melbourne, but registered their first win of the season the previous week with a 126 point thumping of the hapless Tigers. Geelong still made two changes with Andrew Wills coming into the side, along with first-gamer Peter Riccardi. The Cats prime mover, Garry Hocking, was initially brought into the line-up after missing the Richmond win due to a hip complaint, but was a late withdrawal following a freak accident where a bin broke his ankle. His misfortune paved the way for Riccardi to make his AFL debut.

Bill Brownless and Damian Bourke were also left out of the Cats side, despite Bourke being best on ground for the VFL side the week before. Geelong coach Malcolm Blight opted for the mobile duo of Steven Handley and Barry Stoneham in the ruck, and the move paid dividends.

The Geelong combination proved too strong for Paul Harding and when the floodgates opened in the second term, the Eagles defence were helpless. Barry Stoneham in particular proved too strong both up forward and provided the strong target that West Coast were missing at the other end.

The Eagles forward line was barely functional, although their cause wasn’t helped by an underperforming midfield who crumbled under the Cats pressure. Chris Mainwaring and Peter Matera were both below their best on the wings while Dwayne Lamb also lacked impact through the middle of the ground.

David Hynes moved to full-forward after half-time and booted four second half goals, but Daniel Metropolis and Paul Peos both struggled to have an influence after being match-winners in Round 3. For Metropolis it was a giant fall from grace – after booting four goals in the opening quarter in his debut, Cats defender Steven Hocking clamped down on the rookie restricting him to just three kicks for the game.

While disappointed with his side’s performance Malthouse opted to look forward, with the Eagles set for a crucial month in their premiership aspirations. The Eagles were due to travel for their next three games, to the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Tasmania, and while the opposition were sides they would normally expect to beat, Brisbane, Richmond and Fitzroy had all shown good form in the early weeks of the season.

The Eagles were then to host the Bulldogs, who had started the season in fine form winning three of their first four games. “That month of football will probably determine where we finish – it’s as simple as that.”

Rookie Daniel Metropolis made a stunning AFL debut to lead West Coast to their first win of the season over St.Kilda. The Eagles first selection from the 1991 National Draft kicked six goals, including four in the opening term, as the Eagles secured a 33 point win.

Shocked by a three-point loss to the lowly Swans in Round 2, the Eagles made a raft of forced and unforced changes. With Peter Sumich still suspended and Brett Heady sidelined during the week, Karl Langdon and Paul Peos were brought in along with Metropolis to improve the forward line firepower, while Paul Harding made his club debut, replacing Dean Irving who was severely outpointed against the Swans.

Harding’s omission against the Swans was a surprise and his impact was instant as the Eagles midfield took full control of the stoppages. John Worsfold was a surprise starter in the centre square but it gave the Eagles a harder edge for the contest than they had against the Swans, winning the centre clearances 7-1 in the opening term.

While Malthouse had been willing to throw his side around in response to the poor performance the week before, the biggest shock came from the opposition when they selected Dale Kickett for his Saints debut. Kickett had been drafted by the Saints in the off-season, but had opted to stay in Western Australia to continue his career with Claremont.

The Saints though included him in their side to tackle West Coast, despite the fact Kickett hadn’t even stepped inside Moorabbin, let alone met any of his new teammates. Kickett ultimately played against the Eagles, who had delisted him after just one season at the end of 1990. Kickett was one of the Saints best with 21 disposals and two goals, but his return to AFL football paled in comparison to the arrival of Metropolis.

Metropolis had put his name forward for selection after a nine-goal haul in a practice match against Sydney in the pre-season, but no-one at the ground including Saints coach Ken Shelden or defender Craig Davenport could have anticipated his blazing start.

Metropolis booted his first goal 40 seconds into the game after a strong mark on the lead at the edge of the 50m arc. Before the quarter was done, the rookie had booted three more, with his first four kicks in the AFL all resulting in majors. Paul Peos had booted the Eagles fifth for the term, and West Coast had stormed to a 28 point quarter-time lead.

Questioned after the previous week’s loss, the match committee selections were all working in the Eagles favour. Andrew Lockyer returned to the line up to mind Saints superstar forward Tony Lockett and Dwayne Lamb finished as one of the leading ball-winners for the Eagles with 25. Lockett had booted ten goals in the opening two weeks of the season, and while he finished this game with four, his influence in the forward line was minimal.

Glen Jakovich contained Stewart Loewe, and with ruck Paul Harding dropping back to fill the space, St.Kilda struggled to score with their two main avenues well held. At the other end, Metropolis booted his fifth early in the 2^nd quarter, as historians started making comparisons to Essendon great John Coleman’s debut bag of 12.

Ken Sheldon finally made the change, moving Jayson Daniels onto Metropolis and switching Davenport onto Peos. Metropolis could only manage one more goal for the afternoon, but Peos stepped up during the second half, with the unlikely duo combining for 10 goals.

Sheldon’s moves stemmed the Eagles charge after quarter time, but many of the Eagles midfielders were winning the battle against their Saints opponents. Chris Lewis was displaying his best 1990 form despite the close checking tag of Stephen Newport, Craig Turley was finding plenty of the ball after a disappointing showing against Sydney and Dean Kemp was also prolific through the centre.

The Saints though managed to stay within reaching distance of West Coast, mainly on the back of the individual performances of Nicky Winmar across half-forward, and the miserly defence of Danny Frawley who was shutting down Karl Langdon.

Winmar, in his 100^th game, finished with two goals from 18 disposals and provided the highlight of the day for St.Kilda with a spectactular aerial mark over Chris Waterman.

The Saints had held West Coast after quarter time, and when they booted the opening goal of the final term, the margin was just 18 points. The Eagles finally broke the Saints defensive resistance with four quick goals, two of which were kicked by Chris Lewis after Mick Malthouse moved him to full forward.

The win levelled the Eagles season to 1-1 and snuck them back inside the top six ahead of a visit from the Cats.