West Coast’s Ten Greatest Derby Wins

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Derby I 1995 R7 West Coast 23.13 (151) def Fremantle 9.12 (66)

It was the biggest moment in WA history with the Eagles and Dockers meeting for the first time, on a day when Subiaco Oval’s new Southern Stand was unveiled by Paul Keating.

Fremantle had made an encouraging start to their inaugural season winning three of their first six games, while the Eagles had performed slightly better with a 4-2 record after six rounds of their premiership defence.

The experienced and hardened Eagles faced up to the upstart Dockers on the second Sunday of May, in what would famously become referred to as the Mothers Day Massacre.

From the opening minutes when John Worsfold crashed into Winston Abraham, the tone of the rivalry had been set and the Eagles soon put their young opposition in their place. Fremantle actually slotted the opening goal of the game through Peter Miller, but West Coast slammed on nine of the next ten goals to take command of the game. The Eagles physical approach saw them to a 44 point lead at half-time.

That lead continued to grow as the game wore on with some late goals from Fremantle in the final quarter preventing the final margin from becoming three digits. Brett Heady was retrospectively awarded the first ever Glendinning-Allan medal with five goals from 19 disposals and 12 marks. Jason Ball and Tony Evans each booted three, with 11 players in total hitting the scoreboard.

Don Pyke led the Eagle ball-winners with 28 (and two goals), while Dean Kemp and Drew Banfield had 22 possessions each. Heady easily claimed the three Brownlow votes, while Craig Turley (19 disposals two goals) and Paul Symmons (17 disposals, one goal) filled out the remainder of the umpires card.

Brett Heady. The first Western Derby, 16 May 1995. West Coast Eagles vs Fremantle Dockers.

Derby IX     1999 R1                West Coast 15.9 (99) def Fremantle 13.20 (98)

The Eagles made it nine wins from nine meetings when they held onto a four point win over Fremantle in the closest finish between the two sides. While West Coast were probably fortunate to claim victory, considering the Dockers inaccurate kicking on goal, the first half hour of football was some of the Eagles’ most scintillating football in years.

West Coast had six goals on the board before some fans had even found their seat. Chad Morrison booted the first two, with Scott Cummings, Ben Cousins, Fraser Gehrig and Phil Matera following suit. The Dockers were able to briefly steady, but by the first change, the Eagles had eight goals on the board to just two, to start their 1999 campaign in blistering fashion.

An hour later, the game had been a more even affair, but the Eagles still turned to home with an 40 point advantage. The Dockers though, had one final burst in them. West Coast could manage just three behinds in the last quarter, while the Dockers booted a wayward 5.9. While it would be the closest the Dockers got in nine attempts, the Eagles were able to maintain their impeccable record against their cross-town rivals.

Scott Cummings booted four goals in his debut game with West Coast, while at the other end, Fremantle’s marquee trade Tony Modra was held to just one goal by Eagles defender Ashley McIntosh. Another Eagles debutant Chad Rintoul had 27 possessions to lead West Coast with Dean Kemp (25 disposals) and Michael Braun (22) also prominent. One sour note for West Coast would be the shoulder injury suffered by Brett Heady in the opening minutes of the game. It would turn out to be the final time the premiership half-forward would appear in an Eagles jumper.

Derby XI       2000 R6                West Coast 28.10 (178) def Fremantle 9.7 (61)

The Eagles greatest ever win over Fremantle came in the first derby of 2000 in a year of change. The result would mark their biggest ever win and biggest ever score against Fremantle, with Scott Cummings booting a derby record 10 goals.

Leading into the game, it was hard to know what to expect from the Eagles. Ken Judge had replaced long-standing coach Mick Malthouse over the off-season and the first five weeks of the season had delivered a mixed bag. An opening round win over reigning premiers North Melbourne at the MCG was followed by a home loss to Sydney, a draw against St Kilda, a thumping win over Adelaide where Scott Cummings booted a club record 14 goals before an 81-point defeat to the Cats.

Not much separated the two sides in the opening quarter, with the Eagles booting five goals to three, but the Dockers had lost full-forward Tony Modra to a collarbone injury. Six goals to one in the second quarter saw West Coast lead by 43 points at the main break before a rout take place in the second half.

Eight goals in the third term was followed by nine in the last to secure a 117 point win, marking one of the great victories in Eagles history. Apart from Cummings, Chad Morrison was the standout for West Coast, finishing with 23 disposals and four goals – three of which came in the first half. Glen Jakovich and David Wirrpanda provided plenty of drive from defence, with Jakovich too good for former teammate Brendon Fewster.

After the Dockers had broken through for their first ever win over West Coast in the previous derby at the end of 1999, this performance was the perfect response for Eagles fans still smarting over the end of their unblemished record.

Derby XIII    2001 R4                West Coast 16.16 (112) def Fremantle 13.10 (88)

The Eagles and Dockers met early in 2001 for the first time since the Demolition Derby of 2000. Relationships between the two clubs were strained after the fallout of the second clash between the two sides late the previous year, when Dale Kickett went on a rampage.

Kickett received nine weeks for his indiscretions, while Phillip Read received a three week ban for his part and multiple players copped fines for brawling. Neither side had started the year well, with West Coast breaking through for their first win of the year the week before and the Dockers still winless after three rounds.

Umpires were on edge for any strong act of physicality with concern the game could break out into similar violence that had occurred in the previous clash. Late in the second quarter, David Wirrpanda and Shaun McManus came together in one of the big hits in derby history, with McManus receiving a free kick and kicking truly to put Fremantle 7 points ahead.

In a game of momentum, the Dockers booted four goals to start the second quarter to lead by 13 points. West Coast then responded with the next four to hold a 15 point lead at the main break.

The Eagles then booted the first two goals of the third term to take their lead out to 31 points, before the Dockers came back once again. Fremantle booted five goals in ten minutes and when the three-quarter time siren blew, the two teams were tied.

With the game on the line, up stepped Michael Gardiner. The Eagles ruckman booted four final quarter goals as West Coast kicked seven goals to three to run out 24 point winners. Gardiner finished with five goals for the match, but it was Drew Banfield who was awarded the Glendinning-Allan medal for his career best three goal effort from 30 possessions. It was Banfield who kicked two crucial goals during the second term when Fremantle threatened to run away with the game during the second quarter.

Ben Cousins provided solid support through the middle with 28 possessions and also booted two final term goals as West Coast stormed home. Forward duo Troy Wilson and Scott Cummings each booted two, while at the other end, Ashley McIntosh maintained his strong record over Tony Modra, restricting the Docker full-forward to one goal.

Derby XX     2004 R21              West Coast 13.15 (93) def Fremantle 6.9 (45)

After 13 rounds of the 2004 season, the Eagles had a 5-8 record and a third straight finals appearance under coach John Worsfold was slipping away. West Coast had entered the season with high hopes of building on consecutive 8th placed finishes but inconsistency had plagued their year despite the outstanding form of third-year player Chris Judd.

A narrow two point win over Geelong in Round 14 kickstarted a run of six wins from seven games, with the only defeat coming against Port Adelaide when the Eagles lost despite having nine more scoring shots.

Entering the penultimate round of the regular season, the Eagles sat ninth on the ladder with 11 wins, equal with Fremantle, Essendon and Sydney who occupied the three spots above West Coast with superior percentages. The Eagles and Dockers both had tough assignments in the final round (against fifth-placed Melbourne and third-placed St Kilda, respectively) making a win in the 20th Western Derby vital for both teams’ finals hopes.

On a warm Sunday afternoon, the two teams battled it out. The first quarter was tightly fought, but two late goals Brent Staker and Josh Wooden helped West Coast to a three goal lead. After Shaun McManus reduced the margin to 10 points, the Eagles took complete control of the contest. The Eagles had 11 of the final 12 scoring shots to half-time, but inaccuracy prevented the game from being in their keeping. West Coast booted 2.9 for the term to lead by 30 points at the major break.

Fremantle stuck with the Eagles through the second half, but the Eagles class showed and four goals in the final term made it an impressive eight goal win. Chad Fletcher had the ball on a string with 38 disposals, while Chris Judd finished with 23 touches and two goals. David Wirrpanda was awarded the three Brownlow votes for his game out of defence with West Coast moving past the Dockers into seventh on the ladder.

The Eagles would go on to defeat Melbourne comfortably in the final round to secure finals action, while the Dockers five-goal defeat to the Saints meant they would miss finals, replaced in the top eight by Essendon who scraped past the Western Bulldogs.

Derby XXI    2005 R3                West Coast 12.16 (88) def Fremantle 12.8 (80)

One of the Eagles’ best comeback efforts in derbies was the first meeting of 2005 when West Coast overturned a 21 point half-time deficit to claim an eight point win and keep their unbeaten start to 2005 alive.

After scores were tied at quarter time, the Dockers got on top around the ground booting five goals to one. The Dockers splendid second term was topped off on the half-time siren with Luke McPharlin soaring over a pack of Eagles and Dockers to take the 2005 Mark of the Year.

After half-time, the West Coast midfield took control led by Brownlow medallist Chris Judd. Judd, Chad Fletcher, Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr and Michael Braun had the better of their opponents, with Ashley Hansen providing the focal point to kick three goals in the second half.

Judd would be awarded the Glendinning-Allan medallist for his 31 disposal game while Dean Cox won his duel with Aaron Sandilands, with 20 disposals, 18 hit-outs and two goals.

Three goals in the opening ten minutes of the third term had West Coast back within two points, but Fremantle settled with the next two majors to head back out to a 13 point lead. Ashley Hansen got the Eagles back within five points at three-quarter time, with West Coast holding all the momentum.

West Coast then slammed home their ascendency at the start of the final term with the opening five goals to take a 27 point advantage. In little over a quarter and a half, the Eagles had orchestrated an eight-goal turnaround. Josh Carr booted consecutive goals and Jeff Farmer added a late consolation, but the Eagles were never in danger late in the quarter, despite the single-digit margin.

Derby XXXIII          2011 R8                West Coast 14.12 (96) def Fremantle 9.9 (63)

West Coast ended a seven match losing streak against Fremantle when they overcame the Dockers by 33 points in the first Western Derby of 2011. The Eagles had ‘claimed’ the wooden spoon in 2010 amidst a heavy injury crisis, but showed signs at the start of 2011 of a quick rebound.

Fremantle sat inside the top eight with four wins from their opening six games, while the Eagles sat a few rungs back with three wins from six. Already without Andrew Embley, the Eagles lost Daniel Kerr ahead of the first bounce but the Eagles midfield led by Matthew Priddis, Matt Rosa and Scott Selwood held their own as West Coast scored an impressive win that made them a true contender for finals football.

The Dockers entered the match as favourites, but the Eagles got the fast start with Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling kicking goals in the opening five minutes. Fremantle responded immediately through Ryan Crowley and Chris Mayne but the Eagles finished the term with the final two goals to hold a 12 point lead at the first break.

The second term was all West Coast and when Mark LeCras dribbled through his first goal just before time-on, the Eagles led by 37 points. Chris Mayne and Josh Kennedy traded goals at the start of the third term, but despite Fremantle working their way back into the contest, the closest they could get was 21 points early in the final term.

The Eagles finished with three of the final four goals to record a drought-breaking win. Matt Priddis was strong around the contest with 27 disposals to win the Glendinning-Allan medal, while Josh Kennedy was the leading goal scorer for the Eagles with three.

Derby XXXIV          2011 R18              West Coast 8.17 (65) def Fremantle 9.10 (64)

One of the all-time classic derby finishes, this victory resonates with most Eagles fans due to the events of the final siren and the resultant mirth over Hayden Ballantyne’s premature celebration.

Both sides entered the match vying for a top spot with the Eagles sitting one game and one spot ahead of the Dockers in fifth position. Under overcast skies, the game would prove to be a tough slog. Fremantle got the early break with the first two majors, but West Coast finished the term stronger with inaccurate kicking preventing them from stealing the lead at the first break.

Goals to Matt Priddis and Josh Kennedy early in the second term gave the Eagles a nine point lead, but it then became Fremantle’s turn to control play with Zac Clarke’s goal late in the quarter, reducing the margin to one point at half-time.

Hayden Ballantyne goaled inside a minute of the restart but Mark LeCras responded for West Coast. The lead changed four times during the quarter but after a slew of behinds, goals to Kennedy and LeCras had West Coast up by seven with a term to play. Kennedy booted his third goal to start the final and Shuey kicked truly from a free kick to see West Coast up by 22 points with eight minutes to play.

The Dockers though had one final surge. Three goals in five minutes to Stephen Hill, Chris Mayne and Nat Fyfe had the Dockers within two points and the Eagles desperately holding on. With the ball kicked long into the Fremantle forward 50 and only seconds remaining, the ball bobbled amongst a number of players before Matt Rosa thumped the ball towards the boundary line. The action was deemed deliberate, giving Hayden Ballantyne the chance to win the game after the siren from where the 50m line and boundary met.

With almost every Eagle standing on the goal line, Ballantyne arched around and sent his long kick towards goal. As the ball sailed in flight, the small forward started to celebrate but his effort fell short, touched into the post and registering only a behind. The Eagles had held on for a memorable one point win.

Derby XLII         2015 R20              West Coast 15.14 (104) def Fremantle 11.14 (80)

One of the most hotly anticipated derbies in history saw the combatants face off in a top-of-the-table clash. The Dockers had been the early pacesetters of the competition, winning their first nine games and when the two teams met in Round 20, Fremantle were ten points clear of West Coast at the head of the ladder.

In the previous meeting earlier in the season, the Dockers had blown West Coast off the park kicking nine unanswered goals in the first quarter before coasting to a 30 point win. It had also been the Docker’s sixth straight win over West Coast stretching back to 2012, but this time around it was the Eagles who got the fast start.

The Eagles booted six goals in the first 20 minutes to take a stranglehold on the contest with Elliot Yeo adding a seventh after David Mundy had finally got Fremantle on the scoreboard. Befitting the top two teams in the competition, the game was worthy of a final over the next two quarters as the Dockers did enough to stay within touch of West Coast.

At three-quarter time, the Eagles led by 38 points but the margin was whittled back to 18 when Fremantle booted four of the first five goals in the term. Enter Glendinning-Allan medallist Josh Hill who kicked brace inside a couple of minutes to all but end the contest.

Hill finished with four goals from 20 disposals, while Matt Rosa (24 possessions) and Andrew Gaff (23) were the best ball-winners for the Eagles.

West Coast claimed a 24 point win in one of the more entertaining derbies, with the Eagles securing second spot at the end of the season on their way to a Grand Final appearance.

Derby XLVIII       2018 R20            West Coast 21.16 (142) def Fremantle 13.6 (84)

The Eagles recorded their largest win over their cross-town rivals in 18 years with a thumping 58 point win over the Dockers. In the Eagles first home derby at the new Perth Stadium, West Coast had complete control over the contest in front of a then-record crowd of 57,375.

The two clubs found themselves at opposite ends of the table with the Eagles sitting one game behind Richmond in second spot, while the Dockers sat in 13th position with just seven wins for the year.

The Eagles took charge early in the contest, extending their lead at each of the quarter breaks. The Eagles threatened a monster win when they got out beyond 10 goals midway through the final term, but the Dockers saved face late in the game when the sting was taken out of the contest.

The match had a pall cast over it following Andrew Gaff’s strike on young midfielder Andrew Brayshaw which appeared to deflate his teammates through the final term. Still, it was an impressive win for the Eagles as they defeated the Dockers by the largest margin since the 117 point thumping in Round 6, 2000.

Jamie Cripps and Jack Darling each booted four goals while Liam Ryan chimed in with three. Gaff finished his match with 33 disposals, along with Jack Redden. Elliot Yeo was named the Glendinning-Allan medal for his 26 possessions, two goal effort, while Brad Sheppard and Luke Shuey both also tallied 26 touches.

The win made it seven in a row for the Eagles, their second best streak against Fremantle, after the nine-game run across the opening nine derbies from 1995 to 1999.

1994 Rewind: Scarves & Swamps

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West Coast retained their premiership favouritism and Eagles fans got to exact their revenge but the biggest talking point after West Coast’s 36 point win over Essendon was the dilapidated surface of Subiaco Oval.

With Perth in the midst of an uncharacteristic wet spell, Subiaco Oval resembled more of a muddy swamp than its customary fast-track, drawing the ire of Eagles coach Mick Malthouse.

The Eagles coach seemed more interested in savaging the state of the surface than discussing his side’s committed win over the reigning premiers. With one side of the stadium torn down ahead of the building of the new southern stand, Malthouse was sceptical over whether there had been appropriate care towards maintenance of the playing arena, with drainage around the ground, virtually non-existent.

Malthouse extended his criticism towards the WAFC in the hope that improvements would be made before the end of the season.

And when the Eagles coach did talk about his side’s performance, he remained stoically understated.

The game appeared done at quarter time with the Eagles jumping the Bombers booting five goals to one. Any chance of Essendon staging a comeback was extinguished at the start of the second term when driving rain descended the game into a quagmire.

By three-quarter time, West Coast had extended their lead to 45 points, before the two teams combined for 1.9 in the last quarter, with the two teams out on their legs in the heavy conditions.

The win kept West Coast at the top of the ladder a game ahead of the Blues, with Malthouse acknowledging that a win over the 1993 premiers gave a good indication of where the Eagles sat. “I believed if you want to assess yourself you have to do it against the previous year’s premiership side. Last year everyone wanted to have a crack at us to see where they sat.”

“I think after the halfway mark if you are on top, you should really aspire to stay there. It is tough enough to get there and its going to be tough to stay there”, Malthouse said.

More pleasing for Malthouse was the successful return of Peter Sumich, who made it through four quarters, despite having little impact. Sumich was held scoreless from three kicks but there was relief after the game that the full-forward had managed to get through his first full game in over three months. “Peter did everything we wanted from him today,” Malthouse said.

Sumich was one of two inclusions, with Eagles captain John Worsfold finally making it to his 150th game after missing two of the previous three games. Sumich replaced David Hynes at full forward, while Shane Bond was the other exclusion through injury. Brett Spinks became the third out for the Eagles on game day, after being under an injury cloud all week, with Tony Godden coming in for his first game since Round 10.

The Bombers dropped Glenn Kilpatrick and Robert Stevenson, while their hero from the Round 1 win over West Coast, Che Cockatoo-Collins, couldn’t be considered after he dislocated a finger. Captain Mark Thompson was then a fourth change for the Bombers, when he was withdrawn on the morning of the game through illness.

David Grenvold replaced Thompson, with Anthony Daniher, Lachlan Ross and Russell Williams the other inclusions. The Bombers had been hopeful of bringing back a number of premiership stars for the trip West, but the likes of Mark Mercuri (groin), Dean Wallis (achilles), Rick Olarenshaw (back) and David Flood (hamstring) remained sidelined.

Dustin Fletcher, Michael Long and Mark Harvey were three more premiership players missing from the Essendon line-up, a fact that Malthouse was willing to present. “Essendon had three or four key players out of the side so we don’t want to get carried away with the victory.”

The make-up of the Bombers side would not have mattered to Eagles fans, who got their right of reply to Kevin Sheedy’s antics 12 months earlier. In the corresponding game of 1993, Sheedy emerged from the coaches box waving his jacket above his head after Paul Salmon had snatched a two point win over the Eagles in the final minute of the game.

The Eagles had lost the two meetings since that game – the semi final of 1993 and then the opening round of 1994, both of which had been played in Melbourne – but as Kevin Sheedy walked the muddy boundary line towards the Bombers race, he was met with the mass celebration of scarves and jackets twirling above the heads of the jubliant Eagles crowd. The Essendon coach could do no more, than acknowledge the gesture with a wry smile and a nod of the head.

The Essendon coach is met with flying scarves after the Eagles 36 point win

If Sumich lasting 100 minutes was one feel good factor from the day, the other pleasing performance for the Eagles match committee would have been that of Craig Turley. After returning to the club following his retirement during the 1993 season, Turley’s form had been rather indifferent as he struggled to recapture the form that made him one of the premier midfielders of the preceding two seasons.

But against the Bombers, Turley bobbed up with three crucial goals from 12 disposals across half-forward as he appeared to revel in the tough, slippery conditions. Turley was also handed the task of stopping Essendon playmaker Gary O’Donnell, with the stand-in captain restricted to just 11 possessions, and a couple of stints on the bench.

The Eagles wingmen were again the standouts, with Chris Mainwaring leading the way with 27 disposals, while Peter Matera finished with 24 touches and five shots on goal, booting 2.3. Mainwaring benefitted from being matched against Darren Bewick, who had been moved to a wing to avoid the tag of David Hart. Bewick had enough of the ball (finishing with 18 possessions) but was nowhere near as damaging as the blonde Eagle, who continually linked the ball from defence to the forward line.

Glen Jakovich was again the rock in defence, picking up 22 disposals in his absorbing battles with James Hird. Hird often drifted up to the wing, but Jakovich remained in the Eagles defensive 50, often setting up as the Eagles seventh defender. Steven Alessio was sent to centre half forward to create a match-up with Jakovich, but Jason Ball was sent to defence, allowing Jakovich to pick off Essendon’s forward entries, many off Hird himself.

Ryan Turnbull also enjoyed plenty of freedom around the ground and had an important influence on the contest, particularly early in the game. With Paul Salmon often dropping a kick a behind the play after contesting the ruck, Turnbull positioned himself through the middle of the ground, drifting forward twice in the opening term to boot goals.

Peter Wilson picked up 22 disposals around the ground and Dean Kemp had 20 through the centre, although he lowered his colours slightly to Joe Misiti who finished with 25 disposals.

James Hird was the next best for Essendon, after Misiti, with 24 disposals and seven marks, while Sean Denham had 21. Gavin Wanganeed was switched forward after half-time and gathered 19 disposals, but the Bombers lacked few options forward of centre. Third-gamer Scott Cummings was the only winner in the Essendon forward line, booting three of the Bombers’ five goals for the game.

Sheedy was left to lament a poor attitude from his side in the opening quarter, which ultimately decided the game. “We were very undisciplined in the first quarter. It cost us dearly.”

One such incident involved Gary O’Donnell choosing to wrestle with Eagles captain John Worsfold, rather than contest a loose ball, which allowed Turley to stroll in and boot one of his three goals.  

While declaring that ‘the Eagles were looking pretty good’, Sheedy admitted that his side would have a battle to make finals, after they dropped to seventh on the ladder, amongst a strong group of teams vying for the lower spots in the top eight.

Richmond climbed to sixth on the ladder when they recorded a narrow three point win over Footscray, in what was a virtual eight-point clash. The Bulldogs dropped out of the top eight as a result, replaced by Geelong who, off the back of 10 goals from Gary Ablett, defeated Melbourne by 30 points.

At the pointy end of the table, Carlton and Hawthorn both recorded ten goal wins over Adelaide and St Kilda, respectively, to maintain their chase of West Coast. Collingwood moved into the top four after they beat Fitzroy by 49 points at the Western Oval, moving past North Melbourne who had the bye.

1994 Rewind: Eagles Cruise Past Saints

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West Coast cruised through the second half of their match against St Kilda, recording their 11th 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 11th, 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.

1994 Rewind: Wall of Jakovich Halts Cats

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It was a case of the Eagles taking their chances and the Cats ruing theirs when West Coast bounced back from their loss to Collingwood with an 18 point win over Geelong at Kardinia Park.

Glen Jakovich was arguably the difference between the two sides, with the hulking centre half back picking up 28 disposals and 10 marks in a best on ground display. Jakovich had the better of first Barry Stoneham and then Leigh Colbert with Geelong coach Malcolm Blight unable to diffuse the Eagle’s output.

“The biggest problem we had all day was Jakovich. Forget the rest,” an exasperated Blight remarked after the game.

Jakovich had spent much of the week in doubt with a shoulder injury, but he proved to be an integral part in the Eagles win. Jakovich combined well with Guy McKenna who rebounded strongly off the half-back flank, while Tony Evans produced his best performance of an injury-interrupted season with four goals up forward.

Evans was considered lucky to have held his spot after managing just five disposals the week before, but several others weren’t so fortunate as West Coast made a raft of changes. Karl Langdon, Paul Harding and Matt Clape were all dropped, while Brett Spinks was ruled out with concussion.

Coming into the Eagles line-up were Jason Ball, David Hynes, captain John Worsfold and debutant Paul Symmons. Symmons’ inclusion capped a whirlwind week for the skinny redhead, after he was named best afield for Western Australia in their state league match against South Australia the previous week.

The inclusion of Hynes and Ball was with the intention of giving the Eagles forward line greater presence after Mick Malthouse thought too much reliance had been placed on mid-sized forwards Chris Lewis and Brett Heady the week before.

Peter Sumich remained sidelined as the Eagles opted for caution on their full forward. Sumich, along with Worsfold and Shane Bond, had undergone a fitness test before the squad departed for Geelong, but only Worsfold was declared fit.

The Cats were missing their own spearhead in Bill Brownless, who had not made an appearance since being dropped after the round 10 defeat to Essendon. Geelong, though, still brought back three important players in Leigh Colbert, Leigh Tudor and Peter Riccardi, who was set to resume his battle on the wing with Peter Matera. Sean Simpson was then the Cats’ fourth inclusion when he replaced Leigh Pickering ahead of the bounce.

But while there was no consternation when the team was announced, there were plenty of raised eyebrows when the teams lined up at the opening bounce.

Blight – not immune to thinking outside the box – abandoned his traditional attacking nature by starting many of his playmakers in unorthodox positions in a bid to match the Eagles defensive style. Garry Hocking lined up at half-forward, Robert Scott was sent to a back pocket on Evans, while Paul Couch – who had shown form in the previous month that was reminiscent of his 1989 Brownlow win – started on the bench.

Steven Hocking and Sean Simpson were both moved into the middle in tagging roles on Dean Kemp and Don Pyke, while Grant Tanner was given a similar task on the wing opposed to Chris Mainwaring. Ken Hinkley went to half-forward matching up against McKenna, with Andrew Wills sent to defence on Chris Lewis.

The moves worked for the first 30 seconds when Mark Bairstow was able to win the opening clearance and find Gary Ablett, who snapped the opening goal. But that was about as effective as Blight’s changes got.

Dean Kemp had nine first-quarter possessions – trailing only Jakovich on the ground who had 11 – and Tony Evans was proving too elusive for Robert Scott in the forward line. Chris Lewis was proving equally as difficult for Wills and the Cats were lacking drive with Hocking and Couch not involved in the game.

Two late goals put the Eagles in front at quarter time and they continued to dictate play in the second term. The Cats stuck to the task for the majority of the term, but again West Coast were able to nab a pair of goals late in the quarter to head into half-time with a 17 point advantage.

Kemp had tallied 17 disposals in the first half as he shook off the tagging effort of Steven Hocking, as did Jakovich who had restricted Stoneham to just seven disposals and no marks. Mainwaring picked up seven kicks and three handpasses in the second term to take him to 14 for the half, with Matera also recording 14 disposals in the first half on the other wing.

With the Eagles midfield controlling the game, Blight was forced to do away with his defensive tactics and resort back to Plan A, bringing Couch off the bench and putting he and Garry Hocking in the middle. West Coast booted the first two goals after the main break to stretch their lead to a game high 29 points, but Hocking soon dragged the Cats back into the contest.

The Cats midfielder went head to head with Kemp and had the better of the Eagle as Geelong got more ball in their forward half. However, for all their ball, they were continually met with the imposing presence of Jakovich.

Stoneham was moved to centre half back at the start of the third term, switching positions with Leigh Colbert who had struggled to contain Ashley McIntosh. Colbert moved to centre half forward and tried to drag Jakovich out of the play, but it was to no avail.

The Cats though still managed to kick the final two goals of the third term and Mark Bairstow could have made it three in a row after the siren, only to see his set shot hit slam into the post. Trailing by 22 points at the final change, the Cats continued to push, closing within eight points.

But they failed to capitalise on their chances with Gary Ablett and Tim McGrath, in particular both missing gettable shots. West Coast finished with the final two goals of the game to seal the four points in Chris Mainwaring’s 150th game, but Geelong’s 2.6 in the last term blew any chance they had of stealing the win at the death.

“It was a game of chances, I thought. When we had control of the game in the last quarter we didn’t take ours,” Blight said. The Geelong coach refused to accept that his positional changes at the start of the game had played into the Eagles hands, instead saying they were in the game but couldn’t make their shots on goal count.

Garry Hocking ended with 33 possessions, 21 of which came in the second half, while Paul Couch collected 19, despite spending the best part of half the game on the bench. Gary Ablett finished with four goals, but was well held by Michael Brennan and John Barnes had 18 disposals to go with 25 hit-outs through the middle.

Jakovich’s 28 disposals was the second-best effort in his career and he was the leading ball winner for the Eagles, ahead of Kemp who had 27. Guy McKenna had 25 and Mainwaring finished with 22 touches in his milestone game.

Remarkably, the win was the Eagles’ fourth in a row against Geelong at Kardinia Park, stretching back to 1989. In that time, they had also won twice against the Cats at Waverley Park and twice at the MCG, making it eight consecutive wins over Geelong in Victoria. On the flipside, they had lost twice at home in that same period.

Mick Malthouse was confident that his side would bounce back from their disappointing showing against Collingwood. “We have very rarely lost two in a row. The players responded to direct criticism during the week,” Malthouse proclaimed.

“If that’s the character they showed, then Geelong showed it too. It was a tough game from go to whoa. It was only in the last minute that I put my headphones down.”

When asked about Jakovich’s performance, Malthouse was naturally understated. “Good young player.”

The win maintained the Eagles position at the top of the ladder, one game ahead of Carlton who had defeated North Melbourne by 18 points in their Friday night blockbuster. The Blues leapfrogged the Kangaroos into second spot, with North Melbourne dropping to third. The Hawks held onto fourth position despite having the bye.

Footscray were the big winners of the round, rocketing from ninth to fifth when they thrashed Fitzroy by 104 points. The Bombers defeated Sydney by 34 points but fell behind the Bulldogs on percentage, while the Magpies were the latest team to fall victim at the GABBA, losing to the Bears by 44 points.

Richmond’s narrow win over Melbourne had them knocking on the top eight, while Adelaide missed a golden chance to jump back into the finals spots when they were held to a draw by lowly St Kilda. The Cats remained in eighth spot on percentage, with Malcolm Blight under increasing pressure to hold his position as senior coach.

A fortnight earlier, Blight had been booed by his own fans at three-quarter time when Geelong trailed the Saints by 26 points at home, only to have his blushes saved when the Cats stormed home to win by three points. With a 6-6 record after 12 games, Geelong were well short of expectations and reports of tension between players and the coach were surfacing.

However, Geelong president Greg Durham allayed any suggestions that Blight’s position was under threat, confirming the experienced coach wasn’t going anywhere.

1994 Rewind: Rookie Tranquilli Inspires Upset

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The Eagles six game winning streak was brought to a surprising end when they were toppled by an undermanned Collingwood at the MCG.

Andrew Tranquilli proved the unlikely star for the Magpies, booting six goals in just his third AFL game as Collingwood held sway for most of the day to record the 37 point victory, in front of a disappointing crowd of only 27,699.

The Magpies entered the match as rank outsiders after a humiliating 66 point defeat to Richmond on the Queens Birthday just six days earlier as well as dealing with a crippling injury list.

Already without Paul Williams (knee), Craig Kelly (hamstring), Gary Pert (knee) and Jon Ballantyne (knee), Collingwood lost a further three players in the loss to the Tigers. Jason McCartney pulled out before the game, with Brad Rowe (dislocated shoulder) and Brad Plain (groin) both out of action before half-time.

In response to the loss, the Magpies made six changes for their clash with West Coast. McCartney returned to the line-up and was joined by veteran midfielder Scott Russell, wingmen Mark Fraser and Todd Curley, and rookies Paul Sharkey and Tranquilli.

Brad Rowe and Bradley Plain were both forced out with their respective injuries, as was defender Damian Houlihan who was suspended for striking Chris Naish. Stephen Ryan, Brenton Sanderson and Glenn Sandford were all dropped.

The Eagles, on the other hand, welcomed back a number of reinforcements. Brett Heady returned to the side after two false starts in the previous two weeks, with Peter Wilson also returning from a week off due to a hamstring strain. The Eagles brought in Paul Harding to partner Ryan Turnbull in the ruck, with West Coast conscious of the threat of Magpie ruckman Damian Monkhorst.

Out for the Eagles were David Hynes and Jarrad Schofield, who were both dropped, while Shane Bond missed out due to a hamstring complaint. Craig Turley was considered unlucky not to be named after a strong month of football with West Perth, but was a late inclusion for his first game since Round 5 when he replaced John Worsfold. The Eagles captain failed to recover from an arm injury suffered against the Bears.

Despite the Magpies’ troubles heading into the game, Eagles coach Mick Malthouse forewarned a response from Collingwood, saying the preparation had worked in the Magpies favour. Malthouse believed that the negative reporting from the Victorian media over the Magpies’ recent performance and injury woes had given Collingwood a psychological edge.

“They will go in as the rank underdogs basically because of a media beat-up on their injuries. The reports don’t say anything about the quality players that are in their side,” Malthouse said.

“The day a side loses a game because of who is sitting in the grandstand, is the day I’ll give the game away.”

Malthouse’s concerns would prove to be right.

The diminutive Tranquilli booted the opening goal of the match as Collingwood opened up a two goal lead at the first change. The Eagles though would rue a host of missed early chances. They had four behinds on the board before Brett Heady kicked their only goal for the quarter.

The Magpies then broke the game open in the second term with three goals in eight minutes, off the back of a courageous act from captain Tony Shaw. Running back with the flight of the ball, Shaw marked in the middle of the ground with Eagles winger Chris Mainwaring bearing down on him from the opposite direction, which led to a goal to Mick McGuane. Saverio Rocca and Nathan Buckley quickly followed with majors and the Magpies were out to a 23 point lead.

The Eagles worked their way back into the game, but could only match Collingwood for the rest of the term as the Magpies headed into the half-time break with an 18 point advantage.

After managing just four goals the week before against Richmond, Matthews’ loaded up his forward line and instructed his side to ‘kick the bloody thing in there and don’t mess around’. The Magpies started with Sav Rocca, Brett James and Jason McCartney in the forward line, with ruckman Damian Monkhorst also drifting inside the Collingwood 50.

This caused a shuffle for West Coast with Ashley McIntosh, who started up forward, moved to defence to counter the Magpie height. The forced move denied the Eagles a marking target of their own up forward, which was soon compounded when Brett Spinks was forced off the ground with concussion in the second quarter.

Matthews had also identified the Eagles half-back line as their main driver and looked to minimise their impact. Matthews put his strongest line at half-forward, with McCartney opposed to Glen Jakovich and Nathan Buckley and Gavin Brown on the two half-forward flanks.

Buckley had yet to make his mark at Collingwood after a high-profile switch from Brisbane ahead of the 1994 season and had managed just 10 disposals against the Tigers the week before. However, he responded with arguably his best performance thus far in the black-and-white stripes, picking up 26 disposals and booting two goals and giving Guy McKenna the run-around.

Buckley and Brown pushed high up the ground and stayed wide of each other to prevent the Eagles half-backs from teaming together. McCartney was operating as a decoy to drag Jakovich out of the play, which left Tranquilli deep in the forward line, often one-out against David Hart.

The other important tactical match-up was the use of Mark Fraser on a wing against Peter Matera. While Chris Mainwaring was having the better of McGuane, Matera struggled to have any influence on the game with Fraser keeping him company.

Matera had just 13 disposals for the game, while Fraser finished with 21 and two goals, including the vital first goal of the second half. Fraser extended the Magpies lead to 24 points just two minutes into the third term, and while West Coast responded, Damian Monkhorst and Andrew Tranquilli made it three of the first four goals to Collingwood.

Trailing by 31 points heading into time-on, the Eagles once again rallied. Brett Heady – who had been the only productive forward for West Coast all day – booted two goals in as many minutes, with Tony Evans and McKenna also kicking truly. The Eagles trailed by just 13 points at the final break, but a six goal to two final term in favour of Collingwood handed West Coast their first defeat in nearly two months.

Brett Heady matched Tranquilli’s haul of six, but the rest of the West Coast forward line struggled. Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was philosophical after the game, saying his team had been good but the Magpies had been the better.

“The game is in flux right through, it shuffles one way and then the other… we struck a very good side in Collingwood and they beat us.”

“Every match is against a different club, at a different ground on a different week,” Malthouse continued. “The competition now is so regulated – weighted draws, drafts and salary caps – that the game is a fluctuating thing that changes every week… every quarter… what worked last week will not necessarily do the trick again.”

While Malthouse accepted the result as one that was par for the tightness of the competition, Matthews praised the win as one of his side’s best. “It’s got to rank as a good win because we’ve beaten the top side by six goals.”

More importantly though, for Matthews, the result restored the Magpies standing within the competition. “Respect and pride. You either gain a bit or lose a bit and we lost some on Monday.”

“But we gained a bit today.”

Tony Shaw and Damian Monkhorst were the best for Collingwood, with Monkhorst too good for both Turnbull and Harding. Monkhorst finished with 16 disposals, 13 hit-outs and two goals while Shaw had 20 with a number of clearances.

Mainwaring had 26 touches for the Eagles and Don Pyke 24 but the Eagles had too few winners. “As honest as our players tried to be, they weren’t good enough.”

“They were beaten by their direct opponents and when shuffled around they were beaten by another opponent,” Malthouse said. “I don’t know how we got that close at three-quarter time. But they rallied, steadied and kicked goals when it counted most.”

“Collingwood did it better than us and won the game.”

Despite the loss, the Eagles remained a game clear at the top of the ladder, courtesy of a number of favourable results. Only two teams who started the round in the top eight – fourth-placed Carlton and the eighth-placed Magpies – won, while the Cats had the bye.

Carlton moved into third spot when they thumped a hapless St Kilda by 80 points, drawing level with the Kangaroos who lost narrowly to Richmond. Both teams sat one win behind the Eagles and one win ahead of Collingwood, who climbed to fifth following their win over West Coast, and Hawthorn, who lost to Fitzroy by 13 points in a low-scoring match at Waverley.

Melbourne’s season continued to freefall with a narrow defeat to Adelaide and Essendon were the latest victim of the giant-killing Bears, going down by 33 points at the GABBA.

1994 Rewind: Finals Secured But Too Soon For Malthouse

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The Eagles were unimpressive but still made it six wins in a row when they held off a plucky Brisbane at Subiaco Oval.

The Bears arrived in Perth off wins against finals fancies North Melbourne and Geelong and threatened to topple the ladder-leading Eagles for much of the afternoon. However, the Bears butchered their chances in the final term meaning the Eagles are still yet to lose to Brisbane – a draw in 1992 the closest the Bears have gotten.

The Eagles 9-2 record after 11 games kept them a game clear at the top of the ladder and virtually assured them of a fifth straight finals appearance, although Eagles coach Mick Malthouse wasn’t exactly celebrating.

Post-match, an agitated Malthouse resumed his criticism from before the season about the newly implemented top eight. Malthouse had derided a system that ‘rewarded’ more than half the of the teams in the competition with a finals spot and also suggested that the larger finals system had eliminated the late season drama of teams competing for finals.

Malthouse said that the season had developed a clear division of the top teams and the bottom teams at the halfway mark and that the finals make up had already been decided, killing any interest in the second half of the year.

“I think its ridiculous. In the past two seasons we have gone to round 22 or 24, we’ve gone to the final siren in many instances to find out who would make the top six. Now, in round 12 we have got real division.”

Malthouse said that only Adelaide – who were in ninth position – were capable of pushing into the top eight out of the sides sitting in the bottom half.

“That’s the unfortunate thing about the final eight,” Malthouse continued. “You can get all the Victorian sides in that you like, but it doesn’t solve the problem of having a competition that’s fierce right to the end.”

Malthouse though wasn’t done after expressing his views on the top eight.

The Eagles had been put on notice by the AFL during the week after they had exploited a loophole which allowed Dean Kemp to be a late inclusion to the team that played Melbourne a week before, despite not being named in the squad of 24 submitted to the AFL on the Thursday night.

Under AFL rules, clubs were allowed to add an extra player to their emergency list the following day if they were playing on Sunday, with Kemp added as the 25th player in the Eagles squad. Kemp was subsequently included in the final side the morning of the clash with Melbourne, replacing Brett Heady who was never expected to play after straining a hamstring a week earlier.

As such, the AFL announced they would revoke the rule from Round 13, expressing their disappointment that West Coast had blatantly benefitted from the situation. For Malthouse, the whole scenario seemed unwarranted, simply stating that they were entitled to ‘use it to their advantage’. “While the rule is there, you use it.”

“We took the opportunity to take Dean Kemp across and he filled the role of the player (Heady) who pulled out of the side late.”

The Eagles clearly weren’t bothered by the AFL’s stance, as they made a further two late changes for their clash with Brisbane.

Brett Heady was named to return from a hamstring injury, but failed to come up on game day allowing Jarrad Schofield to reclaim his place after he was omitted for Heady. The other late change was Peter Wilson, who had been surprisingly named after Malthouse had ruled the half-forward out earlier in the week with a hamstring injury suffered against the Demons.

Wilson had his place taken by Matt Clape, who returned to the West Coast side for his first game since round 4. Brett Spinks was another who spent much of the week under an injury cloud, but he recovered enough from an ankle concern to take his place.

Michael Brennan plays game 150

The Bears were dealt a double blow for their trip west with captain Roger Merrett unavailable due to a thigh complaint and Matthew Kennedy ruled out with a fractured cheekbone. Merrett, in particular, was a bad loss for the Bears. The veteran had booted five goals and two goals in the previous two weeks as Brisbane recorded consecutive upset wins.

Scott McIvor was named for his 100th game at full forward in place of Merrett, with Fabian Francis the other inclusion.

The Eagles had the better of the early chances, but wasteful kicking at goal kept the Bears in the game at quarter-time with the visitors then dictating the play after the first change.

Adrian Fletcher and Craig Lambert led the Brisbane midfield who had the better of their Eagle counterparts. Dean Kemp struggled in his second game back from a knee injury and Chris Mainwaring found himself on the pine with Chris Scott getting the better of their duel.

Paul Peos then changed the game with three goals in 13 minutes. The former Eagle was proving a handful for several of his ex-teammates, with John Worsfold and then Guy McKenna both unable to contain the half-forward. Michael Brennan – who was playing game 150 – became his third opponent but the Bears had taken a seven point lead following Peos’ purple patch.

At the other end, West Coast were sorely missing Sumich, Heady and Wilson. Malthouse had a constant rotation of players through his front half, as he searched for an effective combination. David Hynes, Ashley McIntosh and Karl Langdon all started the game in the forward 50 but failed to have an impact, with Hynes well beaten by Martin Leslie and Darryl White getting the better of McIntosh.

A goal to Chris Waterman right before half-time levelled the scores at 44 apiece with West Coast then taking charge again in the third quarter. The Waterman goal started a run of four for the Eagles, with Peter Matera (twice) and Ryan Turnbull kicking majors to have the hosts ahead by 17 points.

Still, the Bears wouldn’t go away.

Brisbane booted the last two goals in the term to reduce the Eagles lead to six at three-quarter time, making it anyone’s game to win.

It would be the Eagles who would find the goals when it mattered in the final term. Guy McKenna was shifted to the forward line at the start of the last quarter, with the move paying immediate dividends. McKenna goaled just three minutes into the term to take the Eagles lead out to 12 points.

The Bears continued to pepper the goals, but couldn’t hit the major target. Peos and Alastair Lynch both missed from close range and then Troy Clarke slammed his rushed shot on goal into the post. The game was then decided heading into time-on with the Eagles pouncing on a Scott McIvor turnover. McIvor’s errant disposal was swooped on by the Eagles at half-back and a quick movement up the ground finished with McIntosh kicking an easy goal on the run to put the Eagles out to a three goal lead and end the contest.

A late goal to Brisbane reduced the final margin, but they paid for their missed chances earlier in the quarter. The Bears booted 1.6 for the term and Robert Walls was left to rue the opportunities. “We had our chances. Whoever won today could say they were a bit fortunate.”

“We weren’t able to close it and to their credit they bottled it up and did all the things that an experienced and good team should do in the final minutes.”

Malthouse though was blunt in his assessment of the performance. “We were ordinary in certain passages of the game… a lot of them are very disappointed in their performance today and are not buoyed at all by the fact that we got over the line.”

In further sour news, the Eagles lost Don Pyke and John Worsfold during the second half to injury. Pyke was forced off the ground with a shoulder injury early in the third quarter, while Worsfold played for nearly a quarter with an arm complaint, before then sitting out the last term.

Asked why Worsfold spent so long on the ground despite being clearly hampered, Malthouse said he did all he could get to his captain off. “Have you ever had front teeth extracted? That’s how hard it was to get him to leave the ground.”

1994 Rewind: Lewis Shines in Top of the Table Fizzer

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The Eagles turned a potentially intriguing top-of-the-table clash with Melbourne into a one-sided masterclass when they were too strong for Melbourne at the MCG.

The Eagles and Demons were sitting in first and second spot coming into the clash, but the strong performances of West Coast players, coupled with an excellent coaching effort, prevented the Demons from ever being a realistic chance.

The win was the Eagles’ fifth in a row, while the Demons had slumped to their fourth loss in five games, after starting the season with five straight wins.

Chris Lewis was the star for West Coast in a performance that Mick Malthouse described as the ‘best he has played in several years.”

Stationed permanently in the forward line – and operating mostly out of the goal square – Lewis was the class between the two sides, finishing with five goals (from nine scoring shots) and having a hand in several others.

With Peter Sumich once again sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Eagles were forced to experiment with their forward set up. Ashley McIntosh was swung back to the forward line, alongside Lewis, while there was also an element of the old and the new brought back into the team.

Rookie Brett Spinks returned to the forward line after being a shock omission the week before, while Karl Langdon was named for just his second game since the 1992 premiership. Injuries had restricted the blonde firebrand to just one game in 1993, with suspension then delaying his start to the 1994 season.

Langdon copped a three week ban for tripping Mark Bickley during the Fosters Cup and was then forced to bide his time at Subiaco until a spot opened up at West Coast. Langdon and Spinks were joined by half-forward Tony Evans who was playing his first game since injuring a foot in the round one loss to Essendon and second-year midfielder Jarrad Schofield.

Out of the side with Sumich, were omitted trio Jason Ball, Tony Godden and Dwayne Lamb, the latter having celebrated his milestone 150th game the week before.

After naming their initial side, there was still plenty of intrigue over the Eagles’ final team. Under recently revised AFL rules, clubs playing on Sundays were allowed to add an extra emergency player to their squad on the Friday, with West Coast curiously adding Dean Kemp to the squad, the midfielder having not played since injuring a knee in the round 7 win over Carlton.

Kemp would ultimately be a late inclusion ahead of the first bounce replacing Brett Heady. Heady had limped off the ground with a hamstring injury the previous game and was a surprise selection on the half-forward flank.  

While the Eagles played games over their playing 21, the Demons were having their own player issues. Steven Febey and Todd Viney were both named in the Melbourne line-up, despite looking incredibly proppy during the week, before Jim Stynes created a stir when he limped off the training track 24 hours before bouncedown.

Stynes appeared to roll an ankle but made it out to the field, in what was his 158th consecutive appearance. While Stynes, Febey and Viney all took their place, Jeff Hilton wasn’t as fortunate after he was another casualty at training. Hilton strained a calf and was one of two changes along with Kevin Dyson who was left out of the side despite a 24-possession, two goal effort against St Kilda the week before. Sean Charles and Glenn Molloy were the two players to come in.

After plenty of activity leading into the game, the match itself turned into a one-sided affair quickly. The Eagles ruck duo of David Hynes and Ryan Turnbull overwhelmed Stynes and the Eagles midfield capitalised on the ruck advantage.

Kemp, Don Pyke and Drew Banfield were all busy early, as the Eagles kicked four goals to two in the first quarter. Melbourne were unable to get their hands on the ball, as West Coast controlled possession and often outnumbered their opponents at the stoppages and around the ground.

With a weight of possession forward of centre, Lewis was given plenty of opportunity to show his wares. Lewis proved too elusive for Sean Wight and Graeme Yeats, finishing with his best haul in a game since round 6, 1988.

Malthouse was glowing in his praise of Lewis after the match and had a simple reasoning for his impressive outing. “He enjoys his footy now. People who enjoy their football play with that sort of enthusiasm.”

Lewis’ creativity up forward brought others into the game, with many of the Eagles’ smaller players hitting the scoreboard. Ashley McIntosh provided a solid target up forward but could manage just three behinds from 18 possessions and nine marks, but Brett Spinks and Karl Langdon both failed to have any influence.

Spinks went possession-less, registering just five hit-outs, while Langdon fared slightly better with one goal from four touches and two marks. Don Pyke and Dean Kemp combined for five goals as they alternated through the centre and half-forward, while Peter Matera kicked two goals from the wing.

Malthouse was happy with the ‘good even performance’ despite the quiet games from his tall forwards, commenting that he was happy Langdon ‘got through a game without getting injured or reported’.

Glen Jakovich was strong at half-back, getting the better of David Schwarz with 29 disposals and six marks. Don Pyke had 29 possessions through the middle to go with his three goals, while Chris Mainwaring was rampant on the wing on his way to 27 disposals, six marks and a goal.

The Demons on the other hand had few winners. Garry Lyon finished with five goals from the half-forward flank in his battle with 100-gamer Chris Waterman and Andy Lovell and Matthew Febey tried hard with 26 and 20 disposals, respectively.

Allan Jakovich – who was the difference the last time the two teams met, with six goals in an upset Melbourne victory – was well beaten by Michael Brennan, managing just six disposals before he was dragged in the third quarter and replaced by Phil Gilbert.

After the game, Melbourne coach Neil Balme was in no doubt as to where the Eagles sat in the competition. “Before the game I rated them very highly – and I probably rate them even higher now.”

While Neil Balme was declaring the Eagles the team to beat, Malthouse was looking to deflect attention elsewhere. He declared the reigning premiers, Essendon, as the benchmark of the season, despite West Coast sitting a game and 18 percent clear of 2nd placed North Melbourne.

“Essendon are the best side contrary to what Kevin (Sheedy) would like everyone to believe. They won the premiership last year and they’re going along in very much the same way.”

The Bombers were sitting seventh with six wins, but equal on points with Melbourne who held onto third place on percentage, despite the humbling defeat to West Coast. Carlton, Hawthorn and Collingwood filled the positions in between after all recording comfortable wins.

With eight wins from their opening ten games, the Eagles were one win better off than at the same time in 1993. The Eagles had recorded wins over North Melbourne and Melbourne at the MCG, as well as thumping Carlton at home. Still, Malthouse was cautious over the Eagles’ standing.

“If you gave me 8-2 at the beginning of the year I’d take it… we don’t judge where we’re going to be. We just like to be competitive and better than what we were last year,” Malthouse said.

“We’re steady at the moment. Nothing over the top. We’re steady.”

1994 Rewind: Lamb Creates History

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Dwayne Lamb made club history when he became the first player to play 150 games in the Eagles 26 point win over lowly Sydney at the WACA.

Already the first player to reach 50 and 100 games, Lamb had slowed up in his attempt to notch game 150. Lamb had managed just one appearance in the back end of the 1993 season, and was then overlooked for the opening five games of 1994.

However, the veteran was brought back into the Eagles line-up following the debacle against Hawthorn, stringing together the four games required to earn life membership with the club.

The Eagles were expected to brush aside the 14th placed Swans but Sydney proved to be stronger competition than anticipated. A week after upsetting the Demons at the MCG, Sydney threatened to repeat the dose when they held a 19 point lead closing in on half-time.

David Hynes kicked truly on the half-time siren to reduce the deficit to a goal at the main break before the Eagles clicked into gear in the third term. The home team booted six goals in 10 minutes to separate the two sides, eventually running out 26 point winners.

While happy with the four points, Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was more interested in praising the opposition than discussing his own team. “Four points is four points. It’s so easy to say we were terrible, but the basic thing from football’s point of view is that the Swans were terrific.”

“It’s important to acknowledge that the Swans played football almost as good enough to win the game. We played one good quarter of football”, Malthouse said.

With Dwayne Lamb given the honour of starting on the ground in his milestone game, David Hart spent most of the first half on the bench, but his introduction just before half-time helped get the game on the Eagles’ terms.

Hart booted two goals and had a hand in several others as West Coast went on their third-quarter run, as well as curbing the influence of Jamie Lawson, who had been dynamic for the Swans in the first half. Lawson had 12 first-half possessions and along with Peter Filandia and Dale Lewis, thrived on the ruck dominance of Gavin Rose.

Rose was too strong in the hit-outs opposed to the Eagles trio of Jason Ball, David Hynes and Ryan Turnbull and it was no coincidence that the Eagles six goal run came when he was given a breather on the bench.  

Sydney coach Ron Barrassi was proud of his side’s effort, but expressed disappointment in the third-quarter lapse. “I guess we’ll have a good look at that third quarter and see where we came unstuck.”

“It’s hard to contain a side for four quarters, let alone a top four side.”

Despite the mostly unimpressive performance, the win saw West Coast move a game clear at the top of the ladder, courtesy of Brisbane’s upset win over North Melbourne. The Bears trailed by five goals at quarter time, but steamrolled their way home to record a 27 point win over the Kangaroos at the GABBA.

Melbourne ended their losing run with a comfortable win over the Saints to join North Melbourne on six wins, while six teams – Geelong, Collingwood, Carlton, Hawthorn, Essendon and Adelaide – sat a further game back on five wins, as the top eight started to take shape.

Dwayne Lamb played game 150

While there was plenty to celebrate for West Coast, the win came at a cost. Peter Sumich and Brett Heady both sat out the second half due to hamstring injuries and Chris Lewis was nursing a knee problem at game’s end.

Sumich’s latest injury occurred in his first game after damaging his hamstring in the round six win over North Melbourne. Recalled at the expense of young forward Brett Spinks, the spearhead failed to last a half, limping off late in the second quarter with Heady following him off the ground a minute later.

Malthouse was forced to defend the selection of Sumich, with the full-forward facing another spell on the sidelines. “Any medical people in the country would have allowed him to play – he was half an inch off playing last week.”

“With another week’s training you can’t blame anyone. The simple fact is that he probably has a weakness in that area.”

With Sumich and Heady both sitting on the bench, the Eagles were forced into a re-shuffle of their forward line after half-time. Ashley McIntosh was moved to the Eagles goal square, after failing to get a hold of Simon Minton-Connell in defence at the start of the game. The Sydney full-forward had four shots early in the opening term, kicking 1.3 (including a poster), with Michael Brennan shifted to the last line.

Minton-Connell finished with 3.4 for the match to be the Swans’ most productive forward, but the Eagles defence were again superb, particularly in the first half when Sydney’s midfield had control. Guy McKenna provided plenty of dash off half-back collecting 29 possesions, while Worsfold restricted enigmatic forward Derek Kickett to just three disposals, before he was ultimately benched in the third quarter.

Dermott Brereton was another Swan who spent several stints on the bench, when he was well beaten by Glen Jakovich at centre-half forward. Brereton had made his first Swans appearance the week before, his club debut delayed due to a seven week suspension for stomping on Hawk Raydon Tallis in a pre-season practice match.

However, Brereton struggled in his second game, managing just five disposals while also giving away two 50m penalties on a poor night.

Along with Jamie Lawson, Peter Filandia (22 disposals) and Robert Neill (22) gave the Swans drive out of the middle, with Ed Consadine and Andrew Dunkley holding their ends in defence. However, the Eagles midfield stamped their authority in the third quarter.

Peter Wilson and Don Pyke both lifted after half-time as did Chris Waterman who enjoyed the rare chance to spend four quarters on the ground. Shane Bond was productive, finishing with 22 possessions to be the second highest ball-winner for West Coast, behind McKenna.

Leading up to the game, Barassi had identified the two wingmen as the Eagles’ greatest weapons and duly slapped tags on both of them. Jayson Daniels was given the run-with role on Peter Matera, while Daryn Cresswell was stationed on the other wing to stop Chris Mainwaring.

While Mainwaring was well held by Cresswell, Matera got the early break on his opponent with seven kicks in the first quarter. Matera was one of the few four-quarter performers for West Coast finishing 18 possessions and 1.3.

Post-match, much of the attention was on Mainwaring and his future at the club. The Fremantle Dockers were compiling their priority list of uncontracted players for their inaugural 1995 squad and had made no secret that Mainwaring was their number one priority.

Fremantle were expected to table a substantial offer to the East Fremantle product in excess of what West Coast had presented, as well as offering Mainwaring the opportunity of being the club’s first captain. Mainwaring, to this point, had been non-committal over his future at West Coast with chief executive Brian Cook declaring the ‘ball was in his court’.

The Eagles had been wary of the Dockers poaching their stars, signing the likes of Peter Sumich, Peter Matera and John Worsfold to long-term deals earlier in the season.

As part of the AFL’s establishment rules, the Dockers were entitled to select 12 players who were uncontracted at opposition clubs. As well as Mainwaring, several Eagles were yet to sign contracts for 1995 including Michael Brennan, David Hynes, Brendan Krummel, Jason Ball and Damien Hampson.

While confident that they would be able to hold onto most, if not all, of their uncontracted players, West Coast were adamant that they would keep an eye on Fremantle to ensure they followed the correct protocols in signing new players.

“We did have some misgivings about some of the methods they were using a month or two ago with some part-time staff. Since then we have contracted most of our players… they have got no excuses to talk to our players.”

1994 Rewind: Eagles Firm As Premiership Favourites

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West Coast moved to outright premiership favouritism when they negotiated tricky conditions at the Western Oval to defeat Footscray by 31 points.

After a quiet month, Peter Matera returned to his best form with four goals from 19 disposals in a best on ground display. The dashing wingman was the standout in an even team performance, where forwards were efficient with their chances and the defence were as imperious as they had been all season.

The Eagles were moved to $2.50 favourites, ahead of Geelong ($4.50), North Melbourne and Essendon ($6), Adelaide and early season bolter Melbourne ($10), following their sixth win of the season at a ground that had been their undoing in the previous two seasons.

The Eagles had suffered demoralising defeats in their previous two visits to the ground, managing just three goals in their premiership year of 1992 and then falling to a 42 point defeat in the penultimate round of 1993 which ultimately cost West Coast a top two finish.

Ironically, the Bulldogs had done West Coast a favour the week before when they scraped home by three points against the Demons, allowing the Eagles to leapfrog Melbourne into top spot on the ladder, despite having the bye.

The win over Melbourne was the Bulldogs’ third in succession after earlier victories over Brisbane and Adelaide at Football Park, to have them knocking on the top eight. It had been a vast improvement in form after a tumultuous start to the season.

Terry Wheeler had been sacked just two weeks into the season with a narrow round 1 win over perennial strugglers Richmond and then an 88-point shellacking at the hands of Geelong enough for Footscray powerbrokers to orchestrate a change. Hawthorn premiership coach Alan Joyce was swiftly appointed to the role and after two further losses, the Bulldogs had found their rhythm.

They would have been confident going into the game against West Coast, particularly when persistent rain during the week turned the Western Oval into a quagmire. The rain dissipated by bouncedown, but both teams had to handle a howling gale favouring the Princes Highway end.

The conditions were enough to put off the Eagles who played it cautiously with a couple of their stars. Peter Sumich had initially been named after going down with a hamstring injury three weeks earlier, but he was a late withdrawal, replaced by Jason Ball who had been dropped for the full-forward. Dean Kemp was the other change, sidelined with a knee injury picked up late in the win over Carlton. Tony Godden was his replacement.

The Bulldogs made just the one change, with former Eagle Robbie West dropped in favour of rookie Craig Ellis.

Ultimately, the key moment of the game came before a ball had been bounced. Eagles captain John Worsfold called correctly at the toss and had no hesitation in pointing his team the same direction as the wind.

Michael Brennan and Ashley McIntosh both started forward as West Coast looked to maximise their advantage with long kicks to marking targets. Midway through the quarter the Bulldogs were holding their ground but a four goal burst – the last of which was a bomb from Matera on the wing that carried nearly 80m on the wind – saw the Eagles take a six goal lead into the first break.

Despite the deficit, Bulldogs coach Alan Joyce remained positive his side was still in the game ahead of their first use of the wind. That had all changed at the half, following a defensive masterclass from West Coast.

Brennan and McIntosh were switched from the forward line to defence – a pattern they would continue through the third and fourth quarters – with the Eagles turning the game into a rolling maul of stoppages to eat away the time Footscray had with the wind.

The Bulldogs could manage just two goals with the wind, while Matera bagged his second of the match to keep West Coast in front by 26 at the main break. The Bulldogs closed within 22 but goals to Brett Heady and McIntosh late in the third quarter and then a brace to Matera straight after three-quarter time stretched the Eagles lead to an unassailable 47 points and the game was run and done.

The first term proved the difference by the end of the game, but Malthouse praised his side’s ability to adapt to the conditions and a tough opponent.

 “It’s one of the remaining grounds where you do really get affected by the conditions and you have to adjust very quickly.”

Both sides adopted defensive tactics working against the wind, with Doug Hawkins used as a spare player behind the ball when the Eagles looked to attack. With Chris Mainwaring working the defensive wing on the ground, that freed up space for Matera to run and carry, with neither Mark Hunter or Steven Kretiuk able to dull his influence.

Peter Matera was best on ground in tough conditions

As hard as the Bulldogs worked against the wind, they failed to captialise when they had the advantage, with the Eagles defence again strong against their opponent. Glen Jakovich completely shut out Chris Grant, while Richard Osborne, Ben Sexton and Ilija Grgic all lacked impact in the tough conditions. Alan Thorpe was their only multiple goal scorer, with West Coast able to shut down many of their forays forward.

“We were able to play on their home ground in their conditions and hold them out, which is a very good sign.”

 “We talked about not panicking and that’s what happened during the third quarter. There were times when we looked at the scoreboard and thought we haven’t scored… but we stuck to it and it fell our way in the end.”

The win kept the Eagles atop the ladder, equal on points with North Melbourne who scored a 33 point win over Collingwood, despite being without Wayne Carey. The Demons slipped to a third straight loss when they coughed up a 23 point three-quarter time lead against the bottom-placed Swans at the MCG, to sit one game behind, as did Hawthorn and Geelong who recorded thumping victories over Adelaide and Richmond, respectively.

Footscray were left in a bottleneck of teams scrambling for spots in the lower half of the top eight, with four wins and four losses from their opening eight games.

Alan Joyce, though, was in no doubt as to who the frontrunners of the competition were. “The boys have now seen what the benchmark is in the competition and the level they have to attain.”

1994 Rewind: Eagles Blast Blues

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The Eagles confirmed themselves as premiership favourites when they thrashed a sluggish Carlton at Subiaco. West Coast were in control from start to finish, romping to a 66 point win against the 1993 Grand Finalists.

David Hynes, Brett Heady and Chris Lewis each kicked three goals in a multi-faceted forward line that was without the injured Peter Sumich, while the defence was as steady as ever, holding the visitors to just six goals.

The writing was on the wall early as West Coast registered 14 scoring shots in the opening quarter – to just three to the Blues – and only inaccuracy prevented their lead from being greater than 31 points at the first change. The Eagles steadily extended their advantage at each of the breaks through the afternoon, leading by 44 at half time, 56 at three-quarter time and 66 by the final siren.

For the second week in a row, Chris Mainwaring had the better of several opponents as he provided plenty of run for West Coast on the wing. Mainwaring had been in doubt after leaving the training track early during the week but he was a driving force in a dominant midfield display. Wing partner Peter Matera resumed after a week out sidelined with concussion, although he was slightly shadowed by Matthew Hogg.

Matera was one of two inclusions for the Eagles, with Jason Ball recalled for his first senior game in over 12 months. Ball was one of a number of players who rotated through full-forward in the absence of Sumich with Ashley McIntosh, David Hynes and Ryan Turnbull also spending time in the Eagles goal square.

The Blues made just one change coming into the game, despite a handful of players potentially four games in 14 days. Carlton had played Sydney the previous Sunday before six players – Stephen Silvagni, Stephen Kernahan, Mil Hanna, Matthew Hogg, Troy Bond and Andrew McKay – took part in the mid-week state-of-origin clash between Victoria and South Australia. The Blues were then scheduled to take on Richmond five days after the Eagles clash in Perth, drawing criticism from coach David Parkin.

Brett Oliver was brought in after booting eight goals for Carlton’s VSFL side the week before in his return from injury. Oliver joined Stephen Kernahan and James Cook up forward, with the Blues looking to stretch the West Coast defence.

However, it mattered little in the first quarter as the ball was camped in the Eagles forward half. The West Coast midfield exposed the Blues’ lack of pace and the visitors cause wasn’t helped when they lost Brett Ratten inside the opening ten minutes to a knee injury.

Chris Mainwaring had seven kicks and a handpass for the opening term, eclipsing Fraser Brown, and had good support from Peter Wilson (seven kicks, three handpasses) and Don Pyke (five kicks, three handpasses) who was working offensively off Greg Williams at every opportunity.

The Blues had a brief foothold in the game to start the second term, but a flurry of goals late in the quarter effectively ended the contest. David Hynes – who had been the Eagles sole representative in the state-of-origin during the week – kicked three goals in a purple patch opposed to Carlton full back Stephen Silvagni. Chris Lewis contributed two of his own and the Eagles held a commanding 44 point lead at the main break.

The Eagles booted six goals to two in the second half to make it five wins from the opening seven rounds, lifting them to 2nd on the ladder behind only Melbourne.

After seeing off Brown, Mainwaring then had the better of Tommy Alvin and Mil Hanna, finishing with 26 disposals and a goal in a performance worthy of three Brownlow votes. Peter Wilson played his best game of 1994 to gather 25 disposals, while Don Pyke finished with 23 in his battle with Greg Williams.

Williams was arguably the Blues best player, collecting 28 possessions and kicking 2.3 to edge Pyke in their individual battle, while Barry Mitchell also had 28 possessions. The Blues though had few winners on the ground, with their key forwards well beaten.

Glen Jakovich and Guy McKenna were dominant at half-back, with Jakovich shutting Carlton captain Stephen Kernahan completely out of the game. Guy McKenna provided plenty of run off the back flank, as did Chris Waterman who lined up on the opposite half back flank. James Cook failed to get a touch in the first half against Michael Brennan, with Oliver not doing much better when he came on after half-time.

Brett Heady and Chris Lewis were constant threats up forward, while Ashley McIntosh had the better of Ang Christou forcing Parkin to move Anthony Koutofides into the Carlton defence.

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was satisfied with the ‘good win’ but was clearly agitated both at three quarter time and after the game. Malthouse was unimpressed with the umpiring performance, directing captain John Worsfold to question a number of calls at three-quarter time. The Blues won the free kick count 24-14.

“The boys played pretty well. We became a bit wasteful at times but given the fact we played here two weeks ago and were very poor, with only a couple of winners, I guess we had a lot of contributors today.”

Malthouse also rejected suggestions post-match that the Eagles forward line – who had booted 16 goals from 35 scoring shots – functioned better without spearhead Peter Sumich.

“A lot of people would like to think we are better off. He (Sumich) has his critics. But I’ll say right now he is our best full forward… and he will play there as soon as he is right.”

After impressive wins against North Melbourne and Carlton, the bye had threatened to come at the wrong time for West Coast with Malthouse admitting that it wasn’t ideal. However, he remained positive it wouldn’t affect his side.

“We rarely have a bad result after the bye, although I can’t remember last year. Certainly the two years before that we did well after the bye.”