West Coast put in a sub-par performance against the Swans, but still came away with an important 15 point win that kept them in touch with the top two.
The Eagles led by just a point at three-quarter time, but four goals to two in the final term was enough to secure a fourth straight win and leave them just one game behind ladder-leading duo Essendon and Collingwood.
Twice, West Coast pushed their lead beyond twenty points, only to be reeled in by an inexperienced Swans outfit.
Following their 75 point thrashing by the Saints the week before, Sydney turned over a quarter of their side for the clash with West Coast.
Paul Kelly, Matthew Ryan, Troy Luff, Matt Lloyd and Mark Eustice were all dropped, as Sydney brought in a number of youngsters. Craig Nettlebeck and Chris O’Dwyer were both selected for their AFL debuts, while Darren Denneman was picked for just his fifth game of football. Robert Teal was selected for his first game of the season after battling injury for much of the year, with veteran Rod Carter also returning.
The Swans were then dealt a further blow when Darren McAsey was rubbed out for two weeks after being charged for striking on trial-by-video. McAsey received the two week ban after teams were initially submitted during the week, with his place taken by small forward Shane Fell.
The Eagles on the other hand were far more settled making just the one change, with Karl Langdon replacing out of form forward Stevan Jackson. Peter Melesso remained at full forward with Peter Sumich still out injured.
Both teams slugged it out in the early stages, before a burst from West Coast just before quarter time allowed them to hold a 20 point lead at the first change. Undeterred, Sydney plugged away through the second term with goals to Leon Higgins, Shane Fell and Steven Wright to close within two points before a late Craig Turley goal saw West Coast head to half time with an eight point lead.
West Coast opened the third term with the first three goals to reach a game high 26 point lead and looked set to ease to a comfortable victory. But Sydney again wrested control in the game. The Swans booted the last four goals of the quarter to reduce the margin to just a solitary behind with a quarter to play.
Eagles coach Mick Malthouse didn’t hide his displeasure at three quarter time, demanding an improved performance in the final quarter. West Coast responded, led by Chris Lewis and Chris Mainwaring, to claim a 15 point win and hold their spot in third place.
While happy with the win, Malthouse acknowledged his side were far from their best.
“We won it playing poor football, but I’m just happy to get out of this bloody joint with a win.”
“That was our flattest game of the year.”
Sydney coach Col Kinnear was equally disappointed after the match, believing his side had missed out on a golden chance to claim just their fourth win of the season.
“At the 15-minute mark of the final quarter, I don’t think we believed we could win. When we wanted a lift from some of the senior players, it wasn’t coming,” a dejected Kinnear said.
Indeed many of the Swans’ best players came from their younger crew.
Six-gamer Gareth John was arguably best on ground for the Swans, as he had the better of Dean Irving in the ruck. John picked up 24 touches and seven marks, to go with 14 hit-outs, and was virtually another midfielder for the Swans.
Leon Higgins tallied 22 touches and booted two goals, while in defence Craig Nettlebeck stood tall in his debut game, blanketing Eagles forward Karl Langdon. Langdon managed just five disposals for the game, although he did manage to goal twice.
“The kids were terrific. I am bitterly disappointed for them,” Kinnear said.
Dwayne Lamb was one of the best for West Coast in his match up against Greg Williams
The Eagles, on the other hand, had a far greater spread and key players stood up when it mattered.
Captain Steve Malaxos again led from the front, finishing with a game high 31 disposals and a goal, while Dwayne Lamb was effective for the Eagles, while attempting to minimise the damage inflicted by Swans centreman Greg Williams.
Williams still finished with 30 disposals, but was not as dominant as he has shown in 1990, with Lamb able to match him with 25 possessions and a goal. Chris Mainwaring (24 disposals) and Chris Lewis (23) both had important touches in the final term as West Coast again built ascendancy in the match.
Up forward Craig McGrath kicked three goals from 16 disposals and with Langdon and Jackson both largely ineffective, remained the one constant focal point for the Eagles.
The result allowed the Eagles to hold onto third spot as pressure for the double chance continued to come from the Demons and Hawks below them.
“It was more a battle of survival and we are delighted to come away with a win at this time of the year when we are fighting for our top-three position.”
While the Eagles had worked their way through a lethargic performance to still claim the four points, Malthouse reminded the rest of the competition that his side were still expecting to be a force come September.
“A good side wins those sorts of games and we are a good side.”
The one downside from the match was the two game suspension handed down to vice-captain John Worsfold. Worsfold had been cited for striking Williams, with the tribunal rubbing Worsfold out of the Eagles’ next two matches against Richmond and Melbourne.
The Eagles remained hot on the heels of Essendon and Collingwood who both recorded victories. The Bombers scraped past Geelong, booting six goals in the final term to overturn a 27 point three-quarter time deficit. Gary Ablett booted eight goals for the Cats, but it would be another disappointing result for the 1989 runner-ups.
Collingwood made far lighter work of their opponent, thrashing a toothless Saints team by 68 points. The Magpies showed they were on early, registering 12 scoring shots in the opening term, but only managing an inaccurate 3.9 for their effort. Collingwood controlled the game throughout, delivering the Saints their worst loss of the season.
Hawthorn and Melbourne also won, meaning the top five held their positions at the completion of the round. The Hawks defeated the Kangaroos by 18 points in the Friday night opener, while the Demons held off Brisbane to win by 13 points, despite only kicking one goal in the second half.
In the other crucial match-up of the round, sixth-placed Footscray hosted the eighth-placed Carlton at the Western Oval, with both sides harbouring hopes of sneaking into the top five. At quarter time, the home fans would have had September action firmly in their minds, as the Bulldogs led by 26 points having held the Blues scoreless.
But Carlton managed to flip the script in the final three quarters, booting 15 goals to five to run out easy 29 point winners. Simon Minton-Connell proved the difference between the two sides, kicking eight goals, with Footscray unable to find a reliable target up forward.
The win saw the Blues join the Bulldogs on 10 wins, taking over sixth place on percentage, but the Hawks benefitted most of the result to move one game clear of the pair in the final spot for finals action.
The Eagles may have wondered where their goals were going to come from in their clash with Carlton at Princes Park, but they need not have worried as they tallied their highest score of the season so far in a 31 point win over the Blues.
The Eagles started the game without their three leading goalscorers from the season – Peter Sumich, Brett Heady and Karl Langdon – but found the spread of contributors they required to post a winning score.
Eleven Eagles kicked majors, with Craig McGrath and Peter Wilson leading the way with three apiece.
In a high scoring encounter, both sides opened with five goals, and each side managed eight goals after half time, but it was a seven goal burst to the Eagles in the second quarter that steered them to their 12th win of the season.
The victory also marked the Eagles’ first win over Carlton at their home ground in the third clash between the two teams at the Blues’ home ground.
West Coast coach Mick Malthouse believed the win would do wonders for the confidence of his side. “There was just that lingering doubt in the back of their minds about whether we could win here. I would hope that we have turned that corner.”
The Eagles made two changes with full-forward Peter Sumich ruled out with a hamstring injury and Brad Gwilliam dropped after just one game back with the senior team. Despite the absence of Sumich, Stevan Jackson was surprisingly overlooked as his replacement, having served his one match ban.
Instead Peter Melesso was picked for his first senior game in 1990 after a consistent season with East Perth. Dean Kemp also returned after a fortnight sidelined with a hamstring strain.
The Blues also made two changes with important players Fraser Brown and Peter Dean included for dropped pair Simon Verbeek and Tim Rieniets.
Carlton had won four of their past five games to have them outside the top five on percentage, with the only blemish a nine-goal defeat to league leaders Collingwood. With Hawthorn and Melbourne expected to account for their opponents in Brisbane and Fitzroy, a win at home against West Coast was imperative to stay in touch.
Jackson would find his way into the Eagles side ahead of the opening bounce, when Karl Langdon was a late withdrawal due to illness.
With losses in their last four visits to Melbourne, a strong start from West Coast was required, and the two teams traded blows in the first quarter, booting five goals apiece. The Eagles controlled much of the early play, but Carlton were able to maximise their opportunities up forward.
But in the second quarter, it all turned the way of the visitors.
Stephen Malaxos was once again the catalyst, as West Coast got the upper hand in the stoppages. The Eagles captain teamed up with Craig Turley, in the centre as the Eagles continually surged the ball forward to hit the scoreboard.
Conversely, the Blues started to struggle under the Eagles man-on approach and were made to pay for costly mistakes down back.
The Eagles had customarily built their season on their rebound from defence and their ability to outgun the opposition, but West Coast employed a far tighter approach on their opponents, and the Blues cracked.
Malaxos put the Eagles two goals clear early in the term when he marked an errant kick out of the back pocket from Tom Alvin, before Melesso marked his return to senior football with a goal after Jon Dorotich dropped a defensive mark in the goal square.
Fraser Murphy twice responded with goals in the quarter, first after Melesso’s major, and then again after Dwayne Lamb goaled, but the Eagles finished with the final three goals in the term in what would be a match-winning break.
Craig McGrath ran onto a clever handball from Troy Ugle to boot the first, before Craig Turley goaled from a long range effort after some quick transition play by Chris Mainwaring and John Worsfold through the middle of the ground. Dwayne Lamb then added a second goal for the term after being found in space by Dean Kemp to put West Coast 33 points clear at the main break.
The Eagles applied the clamps through the second half as the margin hovered around the five goal mark for the rest of the game.
Dwayne Lamb claimed another victim for the year in his tagging role on Craig Bradley, restricting the Blues prime runner to 19 disposals. Lamb himself finished with 22 touches and two goal to be one of the Eagles’ best, with the centreline of West Coast getting the better of their counterparts.
David Hart ran with Andrew Phillips, Malaxos had the better of Adrian Gleeson and Craig Turley and Chris Mainwaring were too strong on the wings for Mil Hanna and David Glascott.
Guy McKenna led the Eagles possession winners with 28 from half back, with Turley the next best with 25 and two goals. Chris Lewis had 23 disposals through the centre, while Peter Wilson was ever-present with 20 possessions at half forward.
Craig McGrath appeared to relish being the focal point, producing the finest game of his short career with 22 touches and three goals.
In defence, Michael Brennan had the better of Simon Minton-Connell, although the Blues forward managed to boot three goals late.
Peter Wilson gets a handpass away despite the attention of Stephen Silvagni
Wayne Johnston was the clear best for Carlton with 32 touches in the middle of the ground, while Stephen Silvagni stood tough in defence in the first half before switching forward after half time. Stephen Kernahan booted four goals from 15 disposals and ten marks, in an intriguing battle with Phil Scott.
After the game, Alex Jesaulenko was upbeat about his sides’ hopes of still making finals, but the defeat to West Coast saw them complete the round in eighth spot, a game and percentage behind the Hawks.
Hawthorn held onto fifth spot after fighting their way past a tough Brisbane outfit. The Hawks early inaccuracy almost proved costly as the Bears raced to a 25 point lead at quarter time. Hawthorn booted 1.7 in the first term, before closing within 11 points at the main break as their kicking on goal improved slightly.
Nine goals to four after half time saw the Hawks home, with Footscray taking the Blues spot in sixth position when they held onto a valiant three point win over the top-of-the-table Magpies in one of the games of the season. Like the Hawks, Collingwood fell to an early deficit due to poor conversion, before just failing in their bid to steal the win.
At three quarter time, the Magpies still trailed by 26 points – despite having two more scoring shots – but they grabbed the lead late in the final quarter after rattling on five goals. However, Stephen Kolyniuk bobbed up for the match-winner for Footscray when he marked 45 metres out and audaciously ran around Graeme Wright on the mark to kick the decisive goal.
The result saw Collingwood lose top spot on the ladder, with Essendon moving back to the top following a thumping 79 point win over a dismal Richmond. Melbourne made it consecutive wins when they held off Fitzroy by 19 points to stay a game ahead of the Hawks and Bulldogs in fourth.
North Melbourne and St Kilda remained in the logjam for fifth spot with wins over Geelong and Sydney. John Longmire booted seven goals as North Melbourne held off the Cats in a high-scoring encounter, while the Saints were just glad to have their full forward playing again in a comfortable win over Sydney.
Tony Lockett returned for his first game in over two months, booting three goals. Stewart Loewe (five goals) and Nicky Winmar (four) were the major contributors for the Saints as they put the disappointment of consecutive narrow losses to West Coast and Carlton behind them in a 75 point thrashing of the Swans.
The Saints were two games behind the Hawks, but their superior percentage meant they were still a sneaky chance for finals with five rounds remaining in the season.
For West Coast, losses to Essendon and Collingwood in the previous two weeks had seen the Eagle close within a game of the pair, opening the chance they could still finish in the top two.
West Coast continued their winning ways in Perth, but it came at a cost with full-forward Peter Sumich suffering a concerning hamstring injury.
The Eagles recorded their 14th straight win at home, jumping out to a five goal lead at the first change before holding the Bulldogs at bay for the rest of the evening to run out 43 point winners.
Peter Sumich was the key difference in the first half, booting six of the Eagles’ seven goals for the half, but his night quickly soured when he was helped off by trainers early in the third term. While Sumich remained upbeat after the match that the injury wasn’t too serious, coach Mick Malthouse was more downcast.
“Peter (Sumich) says he’ll be right for next week, but that would mean a miracle cure,” Malthouse said.
“Injuries like that are generally two to four weeks, so we’ll have to get by without our major goal-scoring avenue.”
The Eagles made two changes to the side to tackle Footscray with Brad Gwilliam and Dean Turner coming into the line-up. Turner replaced Dean Kemp, who had originally been named as a replacement for Brett Heady but was forced to withdraw ahead of the opening bounce. Stevan Jackson was the other omission, serving a one week ban for striking Russell Jeffrey.
Footscray arrived in Perth on a three game winning streak, having broken into the top five the week before after their win over Sydney. The Bulldogs made just the one change with captain Doug Hawkins returning to the side, replacing Mark Williams.
After conceding nine goals in the opening quarter against the Saints a week earlier, it was a vastly different start for West Coast.
The Eagles held the Bulldogs goalless in the opening term, kicking five goals with the breeze to take an early advantage. Peter Sumich kicked the first four goals in the match, proving a handful for Footscray defender Adrian Campbell with Peter Wilson swooping on a loose ball to add a fifth late in the term.
Footscray got on the board with two majors early in the second term, but Sumich added his fifth and sixth goals for the game to keep West Coast four goals to the good at half-time. Bulldogs coach Terry Wheeler was forced to shuffle his defence in a bid to stop Sumich, but in the end it was Sumich’s left hamstring that halted the full-forward’s influence.
Not that Wheeler didn’t have other matters on his mind.
Malthouse was winning the tactical battle between the two coaches as West Coast smashed the Bulldogs through the midfield.
David Hart and Dwayne Lamb were both assigned negative roles restricting the influence of Tony McGuinness and Tony Liberatore. Stephen Malaxos was matched against former Hawthorn teammate Terry Wallace in the centre and he claimed the honours with Wallace dragged during the third term, remaining on the bench until the final siren.
Malaxos finished the game as one of the Eagles’ best with 35 disposals and a goal, but he was bettered for best afield honours by wingman Chris Mainwaring.
Mainwaring managed a personal best 45 disposals (20 kicks and 25 handpasses), falling just three possessions short of Malaxox’ club record 48 touches against the Saints in the final round of 1987.
The blonde Eagle provided the link between the Eagles defence and forward half, as West Coast regularly hurt the Bulldogs on the rebound. Without Sumich through the second half, the Eagles went small, with the goals shared amongst the midfield and half forwards.
Peter Sumich is helped off by trainers after damaging a hamstring
As well as Malaxos and Mainwaring, Chris Lewis (23 diposals) and Craig Turley (22) were both proficient through the middle and Guy McKenna provided the rebound with 20 touches. David Hart was able to get the better of McGuinness with 19 disposals and two second half goals.
Despite the attention of Dwayne Lamb, Tony Liberatore still managed to lead the Bulldogs’ ball winners with 29 touches. Brian Royal was arguably Footscray’s best with 23 touches and a goal, while Glenn Coleman had the better of Dean Irving around the ground to collect 27 disposals and eight marks.
Up forward, Chris Grant was providing a strong focal point for the Bulldogs. The 17 year old was too nimble for Michael Brennan but he wasted his chances on goal finishing with an inaccurate 2.5. Grant’s tally was symbolic of the Bulldogs night, with Terry Wheeler remaining positive about his sides’ finals hopes post-match.
“We blew a chance to consolidate our place in the top five, but I couldn’t question the endeavour of the players or the way they fought the game out.”
“With a bit more goal-shooting luck, we could have been five points behind at quarter-time, not five goals and that would have made a big difference.”
The defeat saw Footscray fall back out of the five as the rest of Round 16 played out. Hawthorn moved back into fifth position with a percentage boosting win over Richmond, courtesy of an 11 goal performance from Dermott Brereton.
Brereton himself outscored the Tigers by four points as Hawthorn controlled the contest from the outset to run out 91 point winners. The Hawks had yet to show their premiership winning form of 1989 on a consistent basis, but were doing enough to keep themselves in the finals hunt.
Carlton also moved past the Bulldogs when they beat an inaccurate St Kilda at Princes Park. The Saints had five more scoring shots, but still went down by 15 points to the frustration of coach Ken Sheldon. Nicky Winmar (4.5) and Ricky Nixon (0.4) were the main culprits on the scoreboard, with the defeat all but ending St Kilda’s finals hopes for 1990.
1989 Grand Finalists Geelong also appeared done for 1990 when they slumped to a 27 point loss to Fitzroy. The Cats led by five points at half-time, but ten goals to five after the major break saw the Lions home at Waverley Park. Paul Roos (six goals) and Richard Osborne (four) were the difference between the two sides.
The race for the final spot in the top five was effectively down to four clubs, with the Hawks, Blues and Bulldogs all sitting on nine wins and the Kangaroos still in the hunt, one win back, after they came from four goals down at quarter time to defeat the Brisbane Bears by 36 points.
At the head of the ladder, the Magpies moved one game clear after Melbourne produced a stunning resurgence against the Bombers. The Demons were staring down the barrel of a fourth straight defeat early in the final quarter at Windy Hill when Greg Anderson’s goal from the boundary stretched the Bombers lead out to 34 points.
Melbourne then produced a stunning flurry, booting seven goals in 17 minutes to secure a narrow win, and right their ailing season. Collingwood moved to the top of the ladder with a 24 point win over the Swans in an entertaining clash. The two sides combined for 40 goals in the match with Sydney defying their second-last position to take it right up to the Magpies.
Collingwood led by five goals at three quarter time, but on three occasions in the final term the Swans closed within five points. However the Magpies were able to settle and bank the four points.
The Eagles sat comfortably third on the ladder following the win over Footscray and with games to come against Carlton, Sydney and Richmond, hopes of a double-chance finish were well within their sights.
Early in the second quarter of the Eagle’s clash against St Kilda, most of the 20,000 strong crowd who had braved the inclement conditions sat in stunned silence.
An errant handball out of defence by Dwayne Lamb had gone straight to Saints wingman Robert Harvey, who swung the ball inboard to Nicky Winmar. Winmar strolled through the 50m arc and sent the ball through for the Saints 10th goal.
It was Friday the 13th and the Eagles were in their own horror story, trailing by 50 points.
Just over an hour later West Coast were celebrating one of their most famous wins, off the back of a Jekyll and Hyde performance from utility Troy Ugle.
Ugle had had the ignominy of being dragged to the bench late in the first term as opponent Craig Davenport ran riot in St Kilda’s fast start.
Davenport booted the opening three goals of the game and by the first break he had five to his name, and was on to his third opponent. After starting in the middle, Dwayne Lamb had been deployed to the back pocket, replacing David Hart who had switched into defence as Ugle’s replacement.
Davenport had ignited the Saints, who piled on seven goals before West Coast had scored. In fact, the Eagles had entered their forward 50 just once, with the Saints routinely winning the ball out of the middle through Frank Coghlan and Nathan Burke.
The Eagles finally hit the scoreboard when Peter Sumich received a free kick for being held, after the home side’s most productive passage of play for the evening. Nathan Burke responded with a clever goal from the boundary before Brett Heady added a second for West Coast. The rookie midfielder ran into an open goal after he snuck out the back of a marking contest, set up by Chris Mainwaring on the wing who won two decisive contests to send the ball forward.
However, Peter Russo was able to goal after the quarter time siren to record St Kilda’s ninth goal for the term, resulting in their best first quarter score in over a decade.
After the insipid performance against the Magpies the week before, this was not the start Mick Malthouse would have been hoping for.
The Eagles made four changes to the side that lost to Collingwood. Dean Kemp and Phil Narkle were both sidelined with injury, while Todd Breman and Murray Rance were dropped. Chris Mainwaring returned from a knee injury, Craig McGrath was back from suspension and Geoff Miles and Tony Begovich were also recalled.
The selection of Begovich was particularly surprising, with Begovich rising to the senior squad after a fortnight with the Claremont reserves team – bypassing the senior Claremont side to earn a spot in the Eagles squad. The inclusion of McGrath was also noteworthy, because with Stevan Jackson holding his place, the Eagles forward line was set to be top-heavy with McGrath, Jackson, Langdon and Sumich all forward of centre.
The Saints made three changes for the trip to Perth, with West Australian Nicky Winmar returning to the side, while Kain Taylor earned a recall and Greg Doyle was selected for his debut. Doyle was named at full forward with the Saints still without spearhead Tony Lockett.
St Kilda also lost half forward Ricky Nixon and midfielder Jim Krakouer to injury. Jody Arnol was dropped.
Despite the failed case example of the Hawks a fortnight earlier, the Saints opted to fly into Perth on the morning of the game. Hawthorn coughed up eight of the first nine goals against the Eagles, but it was the complete opposite for the Saints who burst out of the blocks.
Incessant rain leading up to the opening bounce had turned the WACA into a muddy quagmire – not dissimilar to the playing conditions normally expected at Moorabbin – and it was St Kilda who adapted quickest.
An all-in brawl ahead of the first bounce had players riled up early, but while West Coast were intent on attacking the man, the Saints maintained their focus on the ball. The result was a one-way stream of goals, with Davenport the recipient.
Davenport had the first of the match inside 30 seconds, and added two more before Coghlan floated forward to mark in front of Michael Brennan and Doyle to put through the Saints’ fourth. Davenport then chimed in with two more majors as West Coast struggled to get a hold of the contest.
When Phil Scott overran a bumbling ball inside the Saints forward 50, Stewart Loewe had slammed through the visitor’s seventh goal of the term with West Coast unable to get the ball past the halfway mark.
The Eagles were finally able to get onto the scoreboard through the goals to Sumich and Heady, but their first quarter performance was best summed up by a bizarre piece of play by Chris Lewis inside the final minute of the term.
With the Eagles attempting to the win the ball back on their half forward line close to the boundary, Lewis believed the ball had crossed the line ahead of the boundary umpire making the call. Lewis stopped the play and nonchalantly handpassed the ball directly over the line, only to give away a free kick for deliberate out of bounds.
The Saints ultimately managed a point from the free kick, but made the Eagles pay shortly after when Jayson Daniels won the ball back from the resultant kick-in and found Peter Russo at half forward to goal and take their quarter time lead to 44 points.
If the perplexity of Lewis’ error on the forward line wasn’t enough, there was further drama through the middle of the ground as St Kilda built their play leading up to Russo’s missed attempt. Centre half forward Stewart Loewe was felled behind play with the Saints medical team frantically running onto the field and calling for the stretcher.
With great relief to Saints fans, Loewe refused the stretcher and was able to join his teammates in their quarter time huddle, walking off under his own steam.
Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was expectedly displeased with his sides showing, chastising his players’ ‘disgraceful’ effort.
Malthouse may have hoped for an immediate response at the start of the second term, following his quarter time spray, but the Saints maintained their control on the game stretching out their lead to 50 points when Winmar slotted the opening goal of the quarter.
Troy Ugle had made the switch from the back pocket to the forward pocket, but that did little to change his fortunes when he gave away a free kick just as Craig McGrath was set to kick on goal.
With the game on the Saints’ terms, the Eagles needed a spark and they found it through firebrand Karl Langdon.
The enigmatic blonde kicked two goals and set up a third as West Coast worked their way into the game off the back of careless errors by the Saints. Jayson Daniels was the culprit on both of the goals to Langdon, first turning the ball over at half back to John Worsfold, who in turn found Langdon in space at the top of the 50m arc and then again moments later when an ambitious kick into the middle was picked off by Chris Lewis and resulted in a second major to Langdon.
Around the ground, West Coast were gaining the ascendancy. Dwayne Lamb continued to quell Craig Davenport, with the Saints suddenly looking short of options up forward. Despite the conditions, many of the Saints small forwards couldn’t find the ball, with John Worsfold and Guy McKenna providing plenty of rebound for the home side.
Through the middle Coghlan and Burke both drifted out of the game, while Nicky Winmar was being well contained by Craig Turley. Chris Mainwaring was providing the link up play on the opposite wing and ruckman Dean Irving was starting to wield an influence in the ruck, bringing the likes of Stephen Malaxos and Lewis into the game.
Stewart Loewe kicked a settler for the Saints after marking on the behind line, but the Eagles continued to push forward with Ugle hitting the scoreboard after another poor Saints error. A simple dropped mark by Damian Kitschke on the wing allowed Turley to gather the loose ball and find David Hart in space.
Hart kicked inside forward 50 looking for Peter Sumich, but Ugle was able to drift across the pack and mark, kicking his first goal in the match and heading into half time with a small hit of confidence.
The Eagles still trailed by five goals at the main break, but momentum in the game had noticeably shifted to the home side. Paul Harding was deployed as a loose man in defence for the Saints as West Coast continued to surge with the aid of the breeze.
A string of behinds in the dying minutes of half time prevented West Coast from being closer, but the Eagles coaching staff and players would have been immeasurably more pleased at their position in the game than quarter time.
Many of the Eagles’ playmakers had worked their way into the game through the second half of the quarter, although there were still concerns up forward with Jackson, McGrath and Sumich all lacking any significant impact.
Saints captain Danny Frawley was wearing Sumich like a glove, although there was concern for the skipper when he headed into the changerooms at half-time over a shoulder complaint.
The third quarter started very much as the second quarter had ended, even with West Coast now working back into the wind. The Eagles monopolised the early possession and were able to lock the ball in their forward half but failed to capitalise on the scoreboard.
Against the run of play, debutant Greg Doyle stepped up to kick a major, but the Eagles would not be deterred. Ugle bobbed up for his second goal of the game after a clever one-handed juggling mark before a tight battle ensued.
Both defences were on top as the game sat on a knife’s edge.
Robert Harvey and Stewart Loewe both failed to score for the Saints, while the Eagles also wasted opportunities at their end. Chris Lewis and Peter Wilson both missed gettable chances, while Craig Turley has a shot marked on the line.
The desperation in the game was no more evident than a sickening clash that saw Langdon forced off the ground after being crunched by Peter Sumich and Kain Taylor.
Eventually, it was the Eagles who broke through. After a period of sustained ball in their forward half, Tony Begovich marked a clearing defensive kick from the Saints, and sent the ball back to the top of the goal square where McGrath floated through to mark and convert the simple finish.
Stewart Loewe had one final chance for the term, after the three-quarter time siren, but his shot from 60m failed to make the distance, and the Eagles would turn for home just 19 points in arrears.
The start of the final term was played at a frenetic pace. The ball zipped up and down the WACA as both sides looked for the vital first goal. Bernie Harris was brought down twice close to goal, before Chris Mainwaring had a long shot that sailed out of bounds.
Peter Sumich would ultimately kick the all-important first goal.
The Eagles full forward was the recipient of a free kick against Frawley and duly slotted his second goal of the evening from the forward pocket. The goal kick-started a flurry of majors for the home side, with the Eagles kicking four goals in as many minutes to take the lead for the first time in the evening.
Stewart Loewe – now virtually the Saints only viable target forward of centre – restored the Saints lead after marking in the goal square, but West Coast continued to press. Ugle and Begovich both missed to tie the scores up, before Ugle had the final say on the contest.
The diminutive forward was proving a handful for Kain Taylor, kicking the next two goals. The first came after Stephen Malaxos was released from a clearance through clever work by David Hart, hitting Ugle in space. Shortly after, Chris Mainwaring’s long ball to the top of the goal square was marked by Ugle drifting in front of the pack.
Loewe kicked his fourth for the night to bring the Saints back within a goal, but Ugle’s fourth goal for the quarter, and sixth for the match had the game in West Coast’s keeping. Karl Langdon symbolically kicked the final goal of the game to complete the Eagle’s historic comeback, having miraculously returned to the field after having his face smashed in during the third term.
Troy Ugle proved the epitomy of the Eagles’ performance against St Kilda, well beaten early in the game before returning to ignite a famous West Coast win.
The storming final quarter had produced eight goals for the Eagles – as many as they had kicked in the first three quarters – to produce their 10th win of the season and position them two games inside the top five. For St Kilda, their eighth loss of the year had all but ended their finals hopes.
Shatteringly for the Saints, all eight losses in 1990 had been under 20 points. Coach Ken Sheldon wouldn’t give up on their finals hopes, despite falling two games behind the Bulldogs who had moved up to fifth spot. “We just have to win at least six out of the last remaining seven games if we want to play finals.”
Sheldon though dismissed the Saints’ decision to fly in on the day of the match had led to his sides fadeout. “We gave it our best shot and that just wasn’t good enough. We didn’t run out of legs. They just ran over the top of us.”
While Ugle and Langdon provided the finishing up forward, Chris Mainwaring provided the impetus through the middle as West Coast engineered their fightback. The Eagles’ defence created plenty of run through the likes of John Worsfold and Guy McKenna, while David Hart relished playing further up the ground to finish with 25 touches.
For St Kilda, Stewart Loewe was a one-man band by the end of the game, as he eclipsed Phil Scott. Malthouse persisted with Scott in defence throughout the contest, but he was no match for Loewe who tallied the impressive stats of 24 disposals, 18 marks and four goals.
Unfortunately for the Saints, most players drifted out of the game after quarter time. Craig Davenport disappeared after his opening quarter performance, spending time in defence towards the end of the game as St Kilda desperately clung to the lead.
Midifelder Robert Harvey toiled hard for 19 disposals and Nathan Burke finished with a game-high 29, but not many Saints stood up when the game was there to be won late.
The 68 point turnaround marked Mick Malthouse’s 150th game as a senior coach in style and sat West Coast a game clear of Melbourne in third spot.
The Demons lost their third straight match, falling to Geelong by 10 points at Kardinia Park. They were joined on 36 points by Footscray, who worked their way into the top five for the first time this season after coming from behind to beat Sydney by 16 points.
The Bulldogs pushed past Carlton and Hawthorn, who both suffered heavy losses to league leaders Collingwood and Essendon. The Blues could manage just one goal to half time, going down to the Magpies by 54 points, while 14 goals to five in the second half in favour of the Bombers saw Essendon coast to a 75 point win.
West Coast coach Mick Malthouse questioned his side’s mental toughness after a feeble 26 point defeat against the Magpies.
Malthouse bluntly declared after the match his side would be ‘wasting everyone’s time if they turned up in September’.
“On today’s performance, we have got to come to the realisation that we might just be filling up a place in the final five,” Malthouse said. “We’ve got to do some very hard thinking and a lot of hard work to overcome our deficiencies playing against top sides.”
After consecutive wins against Hawthorn and Fitzroy, the Eagles took an unchanged side to Victoria Park, and had an early win when they won the toss and kicked with a strong wind in the first quarter.
The Eagles booted the first four goals of the game, but didn’t do enough with the wind advantage, leading by just ten points at the first break. Peter Daicos booted both of Collingwood’s goals in the first term against the wind.
West Coast then managed to kick the opening goal of the second term, through David Hart, but the Magpies displayed their expertise in the conditions and at the ground, to kick the next six goals and take a 20 point lead into the main break.
Damien Monkhorst was proving the difference in the game as he took control in the ruck. Monkhorst dominated the Eagle pair of Dean Irving and Phil Scott, regularly giving his midfielders first use of the ball. Tony Shaw was the greatest recipient of Monkhorst’s dominance, picking up 13 disposals in the second term, as well as booting a goal.
Up forward, Daicos added three majors to the brace he booted in the first quarter, as he got the better of first Dwayne Lamb, and then Guy McKenna.
The half-time break may have stalled the Magpies’ run, but it did little to reinvigorate the Eagles when the two sides ran out to start the second half. Collingwood booted the first three goals into the wind to extend their lead out to 40 points, before the Eagles added some late respectability in the quarter.
The margin was still only 21 points at the final change, but West Coast had been out of the contest since early in the second term, with Collingwood coasting through the final term.
Daicos finished with six for the match taking his season tally to 57 – equal to Peter Sumich who could only kick one major on a dirty afternoon. Sumich battled against the tricky conditions and the close-checking efforts of Magpies full-back Ron McKeown.
Tony Shaw collected 42 disposals for the match, but wingman Darren Millane was arguably best on ground with 32 touches and three goals. One of Millane’s efforts was one of the goals of the year, when he accepted a sweeping handpass from Gavin Brown 50m from goal, only to be confronted by both Troy Ugle and Peter Wilson. Millane managed to evade both players and goal on the run, in an almost symbolic exhibition of the two sides on the day.
Graeme Wright picked up 25 touches on the other wing, Scott Russell chimed in with 21 and Monkhorst finished with 19 possessions and 10 marks, to go with 18 hit-outs.
The Eagles, on the other hand, had few winners.
Rookie Dean Kemp topped the ball winners with 29, while captain Steve Malaxos worked tirelessly through the middle to gather 26 disposals. Stevan Jackson booted three goals in his return to the side, while Craig Turley booted two as the visitors’ only other multiple goal scorer.
Malthouse acknowledged that too many players weren’t up for the challenge against one of the competition’s pacesetters.
“It was our worst loss of the year. We need to be tougher collectively.”
Despite the disappointing showing, the Eagles climbed one rung up the ladder, courtesy of the thumping handed out to Melbourne by the Kangaroos.
North Melbourne racked up the double century in their 127 point thrashing of the Demons, slicing 13% of their percentage and shunting them down to fourth. John Longmire was the chief destroyer for the Kangaroos booting a personal best 14 goals.
The Eagles and Demons sat two games behind Collingwood and Essendon, who easily defeated Fitzroy at Princes Park. The Bombers and Lions were tied at the main break, before the Bombers slammed on 16 goals to four after half-time to run out 83 point winners.
Hawthorn reclaimed their spot in the top five after they swept the Cats aside, with St Kilda dropping a crucial eight point match against Footscray. The result saw the Saints slide from fifth to eight, falling behind the Bulldogs and Blues, who were ten goal winners over Sydney.
Fitzroy made West Coast work, but the Eagles’ class rose to the top as they pulled away to a 37 point win at Subiaco Oval.
The Eagles led by just eight points at half-time against the lowly Lions, but a seven goal third quarter separated the two sides, consolidating the Eagles’ position inside the top five.
Peter Sumich booted six goals and Brett Heady four, while Dean Kemp put in the finest performance of his 12-game career to collect 35 disposals.
Sumich’s haul saw him move to the top of the Coleman medal, overtaking both Tony Lockett and Darren Bennett to lead the competition with 56. Lockett had been the pacesetter at the start of the season, booting 52 goals in the first eight games. But the Saints spearhead had been sidelined with a medial ligament injury since, allowing the likes of Sumich, Bennett and Kangaroos full forward John Longmire to make ground on the goalkickers list.
With the state-of-origin clash between Western Australia and Victoria taking place at the W.A.C.A. in the lead up to the Fitzroy clash, the Eagles had had a 16 day break following their win over the Hawks.
However, the gap between the two games hadn’t equalled a relaxing period for many of the players.
12 Eagles were selected for WA, with a further three – John Worsfold, Dwayne Lamb and Phil Scott – pulling out ahead of the match due to niggles lingering from the Hawthorn game.
Steve Malaxos captained the WA side, with key Eagles players Chris Mainwaring, David Hart, Chris Lewis and Peter Sumich partaking. Brett Heady was selected for his state debut after a stellar start to his first AFL season, while squad member Tony Evans (who had yet to join his Eagles teammates since being drafted the previous year) and under-19 sensation Glen Jakovich were also picked.
WA were favourites to beat the Victorian team, who had already been embarrassed by New South Wales and Tasmania in earlier state-of-origin matches, but the ‘Big V’ were able to restore some pride with a 37 point win.
Simon Madden claimed the Simpson medal with a dominant performance in the ruck, while Gary Ablett (six goals) and Paul Salmon (four) ably filled the positions that were normally reserved for injured pair Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall.
Eagles coach Mick Malthouse admitted the state-of-origin hadn’t been ideal for his club.
“It is a fact that interstate football affects the Eagles more than any other team in the competition.”
“While we are the only AFL side in WA, we will always provide a large proportion of players for the match,” Malthouse continued. “The disruption makes it extremely hard to prepare the side for a game during what is a vital part of the season.”
Malthouse suggested playing interstate matches as a pre-season carnival would be of greater benefit.
Following the interstate game, the Eagles had several players facing fitness tests to play the Lions.
Chris Mainwaring was the greatest concern, lining up for WA despite having scans on his knee. Guy McKenna (groin), Dwayne Lamb (achilles), Michael Brennan (groin), Karl Langdon (wrist) and Peter Wilson (groin) all needed to get through training, while Brett Heady suffered bruised ribs after being collected heavily front on by Simon Madden, while playing for WA.
When the teams were released, all were selected to play, with the suspended Craig McGrath the only change to the side that defeated the Hawks. Stevan Jackson – who had been dropped for the previous game after a poor run of form – was given the chance to reclaim his spot in the senior side as McGrath’s replacement at centre half forward.
Mainwaring would ultimately pull out ahead of the opening bounce, with Todd Breman coming into the side.
The Lions flew to Perth having found their best form ahead of the split round. Wins over Hawthorn and Sydney came either side of a competitive effort against the Kangaroos. And unlike West Coast, Fitzroy had enjoyed the benefit of a fully rested squad, with only ruckman John Ironmonger taking part in the mid-week interstate clash.
The Lions made two changes to the side that defeated the Swans in their last start by 45 points. Paul Broderick and Mark Trewella were both dropped in favour of Darren Kappler and David Strooper.
Interestingly, the Lions chose not to bring back full forward Richard Osborne, who had impressed in three consecutive reserves games in his comeback from a serious knee injury suffered the year before.
Regular defender Murray Rance started on the bench for the Eagles, with Phil Scott preferred at centre half back against Fitzroy superstar Paul Roos. At the other end, Alastair Lynch lined up at full back on Peter Sumich, while Kappler returned to the middle, opposed to Dean Kemp.
Despite half the side coming off just a five day break, there were no signs of sluggishness from the Eagles when they burst out of the blocks with the opening four goals, to establish a 21 point lead. Fitzroy soon closed down the contest and with Roos getting the better of Scott at half-forward, the Lions were able to work their way back into the game.
Fitzroy had almost 40 more disposals in the second quarter as they started to control the centre line. Matthew Dundas had 10 disposals on his own for the term up forward for the Lions, while Scott Clayton and Andrew Johnston had seven each as Fitzroy got on top through the middle.
Dale Kickett was relatively well held in the match, but his extraordinary checkside kick from the 50m arc helped Fitzroy bridge the Eagles lead back to eight points at the major break.
Twice during the third term Fitzroy drew within two points, but Troy Ugle sparked the Eagles up forward when he was switched from the back pocket. Ugle booted a goal and had a hand in four others as West Coast piled on seven for the quarter – five of which came in just nine minutes.
Leading by 39 points at the final change, the Eagles continued on with their momentum in the final term, but Wally Matera came off the bench to add three late goals and reduce the final margin.
The final quarter effort from Matera would prove costly for his former side. The Eagles were set to replace the Demons in third spot, but lost crucial percentage as Matera got off the chain, leaving West Coast sitting in fourth spot – just 0.07% behind the Demons.
In fact, just one more point would have been enough to elevate West Coast into the double chance positions.
Fitzroy coach Rod Austin conceded the Eagles’ burst in the third quarter was costly for his side. “We had done well to fight back, but we missed some opportunities – and that has been the story of the year as far as we’re concerned.”
Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was understandably pleased with the win, but quickly moved the focus post-match to the upcoming clash against the Magpies at Victoria Park.
“You haven’t played football until you’ve played at Victoria Park.”
Malthouse admitted that there was plenty to work on ahead of the Eagles match against the second-placed Magpies, but believed a lack of continuity had affected his sides’ preparations.
“… the past three weeks have been indifferent, in as much as we rarely trained together.” Happy to get the win and take the four points, Malthouse said his side ‘used the ball correctly after half-time.’
As well as Kemp’s 35 possession game through the middle, he was ably supported by captain Stephen Malaxos who tallied 32 touches. Chris Lewis finished with 27 possessions and Brett Heady recovered enough to pick up 25 rotating through the middle and half forward.
Paul Roos did all he could to keep the Lions’ in the contest with 19 disposals, 11 marks and 3.3 from centre half forward, but there were too few who could sustain the pressure on West Coast for the full four quarters. Michael Gale and Tony Woods each picked up 23 touches to lead the ball winners for the visitors, while former Eagle Wally Matera finished with four goals and Roos and Matthew Dundas three each.
The Eagles sat two games clear in fourth spot with nine wins after Hawthorn fell to the Bulldogs by 17 points at Waverley Park. The Hawks were replaced by the Saints in the top five, after David Grant booted five goals to engineer a 33 point win over a flat Melbourne.
Four teams sat behind the Eagles on seven wins as the race to qualify for the 1990 finals appeared to be down to one final spot. St Kilda, Hawthorn, Carlton and Footscray were all in the battle, with the Blues’ win over Geelong appearing to end the Cats finals’ hopes.
The Cats again paid dearly for woeful goal kicking, booting 13.26 in a 19 point loss. Ken Hinkley was the biggest culprit for Geelong finishing with 2.7, while Robert Scott managed just four behinds. The result followed similar matches earlier in the year when the Cats dropped points to Richmond and Sydney because of inaccurate kicking.
At the top, Essendon and Collingwood stayed a game ahead of the competition with routine wins over Brisbane and Richmond.
Malthouse believed his side was well placed heading into the second half of the season, but knew the Eagles’ greatest test would come the following week against one of the premiership favourites.
“We’ve had a good win under our belts and a good week of training in front of us before we go to Victoria Park.”
Mick Malthouse declared in the lead up that it would be the Eagles’ greatest test of character.
The Eagles, coming off two disappointing losses to North Melbourne and Essendon and with their hold of a top five place under threat from the swarm of sides clambering to break their way into finals contention, needing to win against the twice-defending premiers.
West Coast’s poor record in Victoria had once again become the conversation as many questioned the Eagles legitimacy in the premiership race. Poor form had also seen a number of changes in recent weeks, unsettling the Eagles line-up.
To further frustrate Malthouse, incessant rain during the week prevented the Eagles from running their main training session on the WACA, which was sitting under a deluge of water. Players and staff arrived at the ground only to find a square tarp across the middle of the cricket wicket, forcing a mad dash back to Subiaco Oval.
However, by the time players had battled peak hour traffic to reach the other side of the city, the session was lost.
“We feel like lepers,” Malthouse said.
“That’s the sort of treatment we expect when we go to Melbourne and what Melbourne teams should cop when they come here.”
“It’s the same argument we had with them last time… Our whole preparation has been messed up.”
Like West Coast, Hawthorn had hit a mid-season stumble. After winning four of their first five games, including an emphatic 115 point demolition of Geelong in the opening round grand final rematch, injuries and suspensions had the Hawks similarly fighting for their top five spot.
Spearhead Jason Dunstall was sidelined with a fractured skull and Dermott Brereton was serving a four game suspension for striking Garry Lyon. The Hawks would also lose captain Michael Tuck ahead of the opening bounce after he failed a fitness test. Veteran Peter Schwab would take his place in the midfield, joining ruckman Stephen Lawrence who was named as an inclusion when teams were first announced.
The Eagles made just one change to the team that lost to Essendon, with Stevan Jackson dumped in favour of rookie midfielder Dean Kemp. Craig McGrath was shifted to centre half-forward, joining Sumich and Langdon in a three-pronged attack.
Hawthorn opted to change with routine, flying into Perth on the morning of the game.
At half-time, they may as well have still been on the plane.
The Eagles got the fast start on the visitors, kicking seven first quarter goals – four of which were booted by full forward Peter Sumich – to open up a 31 point lead at the first change.
The runners of West Coast were running rings around a sluggish Hawthorn, with rookie Brett Heady leading the way through the middle. Heady, along with Chris Lewis and Steve Malaxos were winning plenty of ball around the contest, with Chris Mainwaring giving the drive along the wing.
Steve Malaxos led from the front with 23 disposals in the middle
The Hawks closed the game up in the second quarter, managing to hold the Eagles to just one goal, kicked via Chris Lewis, but were unable to hit the scoreboard themselves going goalless. Making matters worse for the Hawks, Gary Buckenara and Peter Curran had both left the ground with knee injuries, meaning they were without a bench for the remainder of the game.
When Malaxos goaled early in the third quarter, the Eagles lead was out to 40 and the game looked done.
But Hawthorn then raised a gear, storming back into the contest with eight of the next nine goals. When John Platten – who was well held by David Hart all night – kicked truly just before three-quarter time, the Hawks had taken the lead, unthinkable just half an hour earlier.
Greg Dear was the architect of the Hawks’ comeback as he gained the upper hand in his intriguing battle with Eagles ruckman Dean Irving. Dear finished the match with 41 hit-outs, to go with 22 disposals and eight marks. In particular during the third term, Dear provided first use to the Hawk’s midfield brigade, with Dean Anderson, Anthony Condon and Peter Schwab all enjoying plenty of the ball.
The Eagles grabbed back the lead before the final change, before Platten booted his second goal early in the final term to put the Hawks back in front.
That would be the last salvo from the Hawks, as West Coast met the visitors’ challenge to boot five of the last six goals in the game. The Eagles rediscovered their run against a tiring Hawthorn outfit, with defenders Guy McKenna and Michael Brennan both running down the ground to kick goals.
Sumich added a fifth in the final term to take his season tally to the half-century mark and third on the goal kickers list behind Tony Lockett (52) and Darren Bennett (51).
Heady finished with 28 disposals and seven marks, while Chris Lewis and ruckman Dean Irving were the next best with 26 disposals. Guy McKenna had 21 coming out of defence, while Michael Brennan shut out Alex McDonald who came onto the ground as Buckenara’s replacement.
Malthouse was understandably pleased with the result.
“You’ve got to be happy when you beat Hawthorn.”
“Some might say that you throw (Dermott) Brereton and (Jason) Dunstall into the Hawthorn team and we lose that game, but who knows.”
Malthouse admitted that the Hawks got the better of his players through the middle stages, as they clamped the Eagles run.
But Allan Jeans said his side didn’t do enough to contain West Coast’s midfield, with their influence at the start and end of the match decisive in the defeat.
“Their running players got on top and created opportunities for their forwards and then we played catch-up footy for most of the night.”
Anthony Condon was the leading ball winner on the night with 30 disposals, and was well supported by Dean Anderson (29) and Peter Schwab (28), but not enough players were able to contribute across the night.
Without the key pillars of Brereton and Dunstall, the Hawks couldn’t gain an ascendancy forward of centre, bar the third quarter. Paul Dear kicked three goals and Stephen Lawrence and John Platten each chimed in with two.
Malthouse lauded his players for their continued fight in the last quarter.
“We sent 20 players down the race and they sent 20 and it was a terrifically courageous last quarter. We had some of our guys running up and down on the spot and they still came from behind to win.”
The result saw the two sides switch positions on the ladder, with West Coast moving up to fourth and the Hawks dropping to fifth. The Eagles remained one game behind Essendon, Melbourne and Collingwood, who all recorded victories.
The Bombers defeated the Kangaroos, while Melbourne and Collingwood beat finals aspirants Footscray and Geelong. They remained a game behind the Hawks outside the top five, along with St Kilda and Carlton.
The Blues easily defeated Brisbane at Princes Park to lift themselves into seventh, but it was the Saints who were kicking themselves the most after the suffered a shock defeat to the Tigers. St Kilda booted eight goals in the opening term, but were slowly reeled in the Tigers over the next three quarters, with a five goal final term giving Richmond a 20 point win. The defeat cost the Saints a chance to move back into the top five.
The string of results across the round meant the Eagles sat two games inside the top five and maintained their hopes of securing a double chance. But while there were plenty of positives to take from the win, the sour point of the evening was a two game suspension handed out to Craig McGrath, who was cited for striking Ray Jencke in the final minutes of the match.
With the upcoming state-of-origin clash between WA and Victoria at the WACA the following Tuesday week, those Eagles not selected had a fortnight to recover before the Eagles’ next game against Fitzroy in the second weekend of the split Round 13.
Eagles Drop To The Edge of Finals as Forwards Misfire
It was a tale of the full forwards as West Coast dropped a second consecutive game to leave their finals aspirations sitting on the brink at the halfway mark of the season.
Windy Hill lived up to its name as the Eagles struggled to handle the swirling breeze that encased the ground with a forward line function that was virtually non-existent.
The Eagles were unable to contain Essendon full-forward Paul Salmon, who booted six goals from 20 disposals and 14 marks alternating between the forward line and in the ruck, while Peter Sumich was held goalless by Anthony Daniher.
In fact, not only did Sumich fail to register a goal, the Eagles spearhead failed to register a possession, despite spending all bar three minutes on the ground.
Stevan Jackson was another who struggled up forward, managing just a kick and a handpass in the opening half, before spending the entire second half on the bench.
The 39 point defeat left the Eagles precariously placed in fifth position, as a host of teams pressed their claims for a spot in the top five.
The disappointment of the previous weeks effort against North Melbourne lingered through the week, as coach Michael Malthouse took his team to task.
A brutal two and a half hour training session on the Monday was followed by a tackling session led by rugby league coach Russ Devonshire with Malthouse keen on igniting aggression towards the opposition.
The Eagles were then savage at match committee, dropping seven players for the clash with the Bombers. Peter Matera, Dean Turner, Geoff Miles, John Annear, Scott Watters, Dean Kemp and Don Pyke all lost their spots, with the Eagles inclusion centred around height to battle the plethora of talls at Essendon.
Craig McGrath was selected for his club debut after being picked up in the pre-season draft, following six seasons with Fitzroy. Dean Irving was also recalled for his first game since round 3, to partner Phil Scott in the ruck against Essendon pair Simon Madden and Paul Salmon. Geelong and North Melbourne had both exposed the Eagles in the ruck in recent weeks, with Phil Scott going it alone.
Peter Wilson, Dwayne Lamb and John Worsfold all returned after missing the loss to the Kangaroos through injury, while Craig Turley and David Hart were also welcomed back to the side. Troy Ugle held his place up forward after being a late replacement for Worsfold the week before.
Essendon were forced to make four changes, due to a raft of players left unavailable after their 90 point win over Sydney. Derek Kickett, Billy Duckworth and Ian McMillan were all out injured, while Andrew Manning copped a two week suspension.
Into the Bombers line up came defender Chris Daniher and midfielders Adrian Burns, Tony Antrobus and Ed Consadine. Kevin Walsh pressed his claims to return from a knee injury, but failed to recover in time.
In tricky conditions, the first half was a tightly fought affair.
Paul Salmon made his first imprint on the game with three goals in the opening quarter as Essendon opened up a 13 point quarter time lead. The two teams then managed just one goal between them as the game developed into a fierce lockdown.
Trailing by 18 points at the main break, the Eagles started the third quarter brightly, but ill-discipline undid much of the early good work in the term as Essendon were handed a string of easy goals.
The Eagles gave away three 50m penalties in the quarter, all of which directly resulted in goals for the home side. Greg Anderson kicked a goal from the first penalty, with Salmon then the recipient of the next two as he booted another three goals in the term to take his match haul to six.
Two goals late in the term to Troy Ugle kept the Eagles within 21 points at the final change, but a five goal to two last quarter sealed the win for the Bombers and consolidated their position at the top of the ladder.
Chris Lewis was the exception up forward for the misfiring Eagles, booting three goals
After the match, Mick Malthouse was blunt about his non-firing forward line.
“When we get the ball as often as we did and don’t score as often as our opposition – that is our breakdown.”
The Eagles matched the Bombers in total disposals and managed nine more forward 50 entries (64-55), yet registered four less scoring shots.
“At no stage did our forward line click”, Malthouse continued.
Malthouse was also forthright in his assessment of the umpires, questioning the legitimacy of the 50 metre penalties awarded against his side in the crucial third quarter.
“One was soft,” an exasperated Malthouse declared, “and I could almost argue about (the other) two of them.”
“I get sick and tired of trying to justify how good or bad the umpires are. It’s time (national director) Bill Deller… have a good look at the situation.”
Chris Lewis was the best forward for the Eagles on the day, finishing with three goals from 20 disposals across half forward. Lewis also proved he had paid attention during the week, laying eight tackles in the match.
Chris Mainwaring had 26 disposals on the wing and Stephen Malaxos was again industrious in the centre with 24 disposals and a goal. Dwayne Lamb and David Hart both had successful returns with 21 and 20 possessions, respectively.
Craig McGrath also impressed in his first game as an Eagle, collecting 21 disposals and six marks, showcasing his wares at both ends of the ground.
However, the Eagles had no answer for Salmon, who was arguably the difference between the two sides. Dean Irving was tasked with the role of tagging Salmon around the ground, but appeared out of his depth and the Eagles backline were again exposed for height against the taller forwards in the competition.
Simon Madden booted two goals while resting forward, with Salmon’s haul of six coming a week after John Longmire booted eight goals for the Kangaroos.
Greg Anderson finished as the leading possession winner for the Bombers with 26, while Terry Daniher was the next best with 24 touches and 11 marks. Tim Watson also booted a brace of goals from 22 disposals and Mark Thompson finished with 23 and eight marks through the middle.
The result moved Essendon a game clear of the Eagles, and they were joined by the Magpies and Demons. Collingwood recorded a routine win over the bottom-placed Bears at Carrara, while Melbourne survived an incredible Carlton comeback to fall over the line.
The Demons streaked away to a 56 point lead midway through the third term, off the back of a five goal performance from debutant Brent Heaver. However, the Blues stepped into gear to kick the final five goals of the term and reduce the Demons advantage to 21 at the final change. Carlton continued to surge with Stephen Kernahan leading the charge in the final term, but a poor return of 3.6 left them six points short.
Hawthorn also moved ahead of the Eagles when they had little trouble defeating the Swans, despite being without Jason Dunstall. John Platten booted five to be the surprise leading goal scorer for the Hawks, who returned to the top five in place of St Kilda.
The Saints lost their place in the five with a narrow eight point defeat to the Cats. In a high-tempo clash, Geelong worked their way to a 25 point advantage at the final change, before second-year Saint Robert Harvey dragged his side back into the contest. Harvey booted four goals in the final quarter to bring St Kilda within touching distance of the lead, but Stewart Loewe and Tim Pekin missed simple chances late in the game, which ultimately proved costly.
The result meant that St Kilda and Geelong both sat one game behind West Coast, as did Footscray who did what they had to in a 14 point win over Richmond. The Eagles’ hopes of finals now rested on a crunch home game against the 4th-placed Hawks the following week.
While the 39 point defeat wasn’t the desired outcome, the Eagles could find some solace in this performance compared to the previous season. In the corresponding fixture of 1989, West Coast conjured up just one goal for the afternoon in a 160 point shellacking – a 20 goal improvement on their last visit to Windy Hill!
West Coast Eagles coach Mick Malthouse blasted his players ‘very soft’ performance, when they succumbed to a 28 point loss to North Melbourne at the MCG.
Sitting equal top, the Eagles had entered the match as hot favourites against a Kangaroos side who were on a six game losing streak, without a win since round 3.
Malthouse had warned his players not to take the stumbling Kangaroos lightly, and it seemed the Eagles players had heeded their coach’s instructions when they booted the opening four goals of the game. But from there North Melbourne owned the contest and the ball, edging their way to the lead by half-time and then pulling away through the second half.
“We were second to the ball, did not run and allowed North Melbourne to dictate terms totally”, a furious Malthouse said after the game. “We are very soft.”
“Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm when we are beaten.”
North Melbourne full forward John Longmire booted eight goals in the win, matching his effort from nine days earlier when he led New South Wales to one of the great upsets in Australian football, over the powerhouse Victorian side in the state-of-origin.
Longmire had four goals by midway through the second term, forcing Malthouse to shift Murray Rance to full back, in place of Michael Brennan, but Longmire remained a strong focal point for the Kangaroos up forward. Jose Romero provided the supporting act, kicking five goals from 26 disposals in a clear best on ground display.
Tagger Dwayne Lamb would have been assigned with the job of minding Romero, but was one of three players unavailable for the Eagles, following their win in the heavy slog conditions over Geelong just five days earlier.
Lamb was ruled out with a calf complaint, while Peter Wilson was unavailable after straining a hamstring the week before. John Worsfold would then be a late withdrawal ahead of the bounce, with Don Pyke, Dean Turner and Troy Ugle the three inclusions.
North Melbourne made a staggering seven changes to the side that was comprehensively thrashed by Collingwood to the tune of 80 points. Alastair Clarkson was ruled out with concussion, while Ross Smith, Peter German, Ian Fairley, Donald McDonald, Anthony Stevens and Warwick Angus were all dropped.
Kangaroos coach Wayne Schimmelbusch turned to youth, bringing in Liam Pickering, Leigh Tudor, Craig Sholl, Shaun Smith and Mark Brayshaw. Ruckman Michael Gallagher was selected for his first game with the club after switching from Carlton in the off-season, while ‘veteran’ Matthew Larkin was also brought into the side.
Such was the youth of the Kangaroos, Larkin was the only player in the side with more than 60 games experience, while nine players had played less than 20.
John Longmire proved too good for both Michael Brennan and Murray Rance, on his way to a match haul of eight goals.
The Eagles started strongly with John Annear and Scott Watters providing plenty of drive through the middle. Karl Langdon provided the target up forward, booting two goals for the term as West Coast raced to a 22 point lead.
However North Melbourne kicked the final two goals of the quarter to reduce the Eagles advantage to 12 points, before taking control after quarter time.
Wayne Schwass and Matthew Larkin imprinted themselves into the game, John McCarthy closed down the dangerous Langdon and the ruck pairing of Mark Hepburn and Gallagher got on top of Phil Scott.
With the game delicately poised at half-time, Jose Romero stepped up. Romero gathered the ball at will around the ground and also hit the scoreboard, with the Eagles unable to find a match-up to quell his influence.
Conversely, the Eagles lacked any substantial contributors through the middle.
Peter Matera struggled to find the ball, Annear faded out of the game and Dean Turner could neither find the ball, nor limit Larkin in a defensive role.
In fact, only a handful of Eagles gave a solid showing.
In just his seventh AFL game, Brett Heady showed he had all the makings of an impressive career, picking up 28 disposals and taking 13 marks playing predominantly through the middle. Malaxos finished with 23 touches through the centre and Chris Mainwaring tried to bring run to the Eagles game on the wing.
Peter Sumich finished with six goals, but many came towards the end of the match when the result was already safely in the Kangaroos keeping.
The defeat, along with several other key results over the weekend meant that four teams shared equal spot at the close of Round 10. With Collingwood easily defeating league-leaders Melbourne by 52 points and Essendon thrashing Sydney by 15 goals, the Demons, Eagles, Magpies and Bombers were all equal on points.
Essendon moved to top spot, and premiership favouritism, with their thumping win over the Swans putting them 10 percent clear. Melbourne sat second, ahead of West Coast and Collingwood, with just 3.3% separating the three sides.
St Kilda completed the top five after they beat a terrible Brisbane outfit by 77 points, with Stewart Loewe kicking six goals. The Saints had opened up a 73 point lead by half-time, before coasting through the second half to record their largest win since an 89 point triumph over Richmond in 1972.
The Saints took their position at the expense of Hawthorn, after they suffered a shock 14 point loss to Fitzroy at Princes Park. Carlton also missed a chance to climb the ladder when they lost to lowly Richmond by 23 points at the MCG, in David Cloke’s 300th AFL game.
Geelong arrested their slide when they came out on top by two points over Footscray. With Gary Ablett back in the side, the Cats bounced to a five goal lead at the first change, courtesy of four first-quarter goals to Ablett. Slowly, the Bulldogs worked their way back into the game and by midway through the third term, had opened up a 17 point lead. However, the Cats found something extra to will themselves back into the lead and end a three-game losing streak.
As the battle for the finals, and specifically the double chance, tightened up, Malthouse forecast that the result could prove costly.
“At the end of round 22, they (the players), may rue the night they gave up the opportunity against North Melbourne.”
West Coast rode the wind – and the tide – with a seven goal final quarter that sealed a 19 point win in a rollercoaster game of momentum played in driving rain.
In one of the games of the season, the lead changed hands 12 times, and were level three times during the final quarter, before the Eagles were able to come out on top.
Recalled midfielder John Annear stood up in a desperate final quarter as he, Steve Malaxos and Chris Lewis inspired the Eagles to the gutsy win.
Annear was the only change for the Eagles, replacing Tony Begovich who had made his debut the week before against the Bears.
The Cats made three changes coming into the match, as they looked to arrest an embarrassing slide that had seen them drop games against cellar dwellers Richmond and Sydney.
David Cameron, Tim Darcy and Bruce Lindner were all dropped, with Ray Sterrett, Neville Bruns and Dwayne Russell all brought into the line-up. Geelong coach Malcolm Blight was conscious of the wide expanses of Subiaco Oval bringing in players renowned for speed to match the equally pacy Eagles.
The Cats though were still without match winner Gary Ablett, who had been unavailable since having surgery to repair knee cartilage heading into Round 6. Ablett had carried the injury since the Cats night series match against the Kangaroos, although that hadn’t stopped his proficiency in front of goal, booting 24 goals in his first four games of the season before being sidelined.
The first decisive moment of the match, came before the match, when Eagles captain Steve Malaxos won the toss but chose to kick into the gale that was sweeping towards the Subiaco end. West Coast then bounced out of the gates, kicking the opening three goals into the wind and holding onto a six point advantage at the first break.
However, the Cats were just as effective into the wind, restricting the Eagles to just one major although West Coast also had themselves to blame with six behinds for the term. The Eagles led by just two points at the main break, and were down a man after Peter Wilson limped off with a hamstring injury.
The second half then became a battle for momentum.
The Cats were far more effective with their second use of the wind, booting five goals for the term to open up an eight-point lead with a quarter to play. Adrian Fletcher had been kept quiet by Malaxos through the first half, but broke free in the third term with 12 disposals as he, Paul Couch (eight disposals) and Neville Bruns (six) took control through the middle.
Geelong ruckman Darren Flanigan provided the service for his midfielders at the ruck, overwhelming Phil Scott, and later Stevan Jackson. Flanigan finished with 39 hit-outs for the game as Geelong held an ascendancy at the stoppages.
However, the Eagles did enough to hang in the contest, mostly through the work of Chris Mainwaring on the wing and Karl Langdon up forward. Mainwaring was one of the Eagles’ best in the first half with 16 disposals and continued his fine work after half-time picking up nine disposals for the term.
Langdon had started the game on the bench alongside John Annear, but he burst into the game after half-time with three of the Eagles four goals for the quarter.
And as the rain dissipated before the start of the final term, Malaxos’ decision at the coin toss became vindicated. Chris Lewis and Phil Narkle provided the class in the final term, along with several desperate acts from Annear to get West Coast over the line. Annear also bobbed up for a vital goal at the start of the quarter and proved an astute inclusion given the conditions.
A bloodied John Annear was instrumental in the final quarter surge
After the game, a beaming Malthouse declared his side had answered another one of the Melbourne media criticisms. “We played tough footy in ordinary conditions and that’s what footy is all about – tough and relentless.”
“I would like to keep the dry tracks in Perth but we won’t be disappointed going to Melbourne in the rain.”
Malthouse, though, admitted his side were lucky with the gamble at the toss. “It was raining and we were fortunate to come home with the wind and without the rain.”
Mainwaring finished with 30 disposals for the match, while Chris Lewis and Stephen Malaxos were the next best with 23. Peter Sumich continued his strong form for the season, booting 5.4, stepping up with multiple goals in the final term as West Coast surged.
Geelong coach Malcolm Blight praised his side’s effort and intensity but shared disappointment with some of the ball use. “That touch of class at the end is not working for us.”
Barry Stoneham provided a focal target up forward and Garry Hocking was one of the best for the Cats, but they had too few contributors across the day.
“We’ve been having a dip over the past three weeks and we have lost three games by small amounts,” Blight said.
The third-straight defeat left the Cats with a tough task ahead through the second half of the season, sitting two games and hefty percentage behind the fifth-placed Magpies. However, Blight refused to concede the finals’ hopes of last year’s Grand Finalists were over.
“It’s mission impossible when you’re two games out with one game to go.”
The win saw the Eagles draw level with the Melbourne at the top of the ladder, although they remained in second spot behind the Demons on percentage. Melbourne suffered their second loss of the season when they were easily brushed aside by a Hawthorn side who were keen to atone for their humiliating loss to Carlton a week earlier.
The Hawks moved up to fourth, in place of St Kilda, who dropped out of the top five when they fell to Essendon at Windy Hill. In the battle of 3rd and 4th, the Lockett-less Saints pushed the Bombers all the way, but came up 11 points short.
Collingwood forced their way back into the top five for the first time in a month, when they thrashed North Melbourne by 80 points at Victoria Park. Gavin Brown and Peter Daicos each booted seven goals as the Magpies slammed on 11 final quarter goals to secure an important percentage-boosting win.
The Magpies moved a game clear of the Saints, who were joined by Carlton and Footscray on the edge of the finals’ spots, after they recorded easy victories over Fitzroy and Brisbane.
While the Eagles could feel satisfied with a hard-earned four points and equal-top spot on the ladder, they were less than thrilled with the AFL judiciary, who returned a no-result over their investigations involving Annear and Hocking. The pair clashed twice in a fiery last quarter, with Annear requiring two sets of stitches to repair cuts on his face.
But with Channel 7 unable to supply footage of the incidents from the match, the AFL determined there was insufficient evidence to move forward. Eagles general manager Brian Cook conceded the club wouldn’t lodge an official complaint over the incidents.
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