Eight goals from Peter Sumich helped West Coast to a commanding 61 point win over Sydney at Subiaco Oval. The Eagles recorded their third straight win to take their season record to 4-1, rising to third on the ladder.
The Eagles were sandwiched between the Hawks and Magpies, with all three teams on four wins, while the Demons remained the competition benchmark with their fifth win from five games after demolishing the Bears.
Sumich’s haul of eight came in two bursts during the game, mirroring the performance of West Coast through the match.
The Swans arrived in Perth without a win since round 1 and had lost key midfielder Greg Williams to a broken thumb the week before in their defeat to St Kilda. Sydney kept pace with the Eagles early in the game, before three goals to Sumich in time-on helped the Eagles build a 26 point lead at the first change.
West Coast remained in control of the game during the second term as they extended their lead to 43, before the Swans mounted a comeback after half-time. Sydney ruckman Michael Parsons took hold of the ruck combining with rover Gerard Healy to drive the visitors back within touching distance.
Healy had been well contained by Dwayne Lamb in the first half, but racked up 11 disposals in the third quarter as Sydney took over in the centre square. Healy had strong support from fellow midfielders Steven Wright (nine disposals) and Barry Mitchell (eight disposals) as the Swans slammed on five goals for the quarter to reduce the deficit to just 23 points at the final change.
Sumich had failed to add to his goal tally since quarter time, but another four goal burst in six minutes to start the final quarter snuffed out Sydney’s comeback effort. Three of those goals were set up by second-gamer Brett Heady, who was one of the Eagles’ best with 21 disposals and two goals.
Sumich kicked a fifth late goal for the quarter late in the term, finishing with a career-best eight for the match, equalling his effort against the Bulldogs in round five the year before.
Troy Ugle provided the perfect foil for Sumich up forward with three goals from 22 disposals and eight marks, while Peter Wilson (22 disposals) and Guy McKenna (21) were major ball winners for the Eagles. McKenna’s performance was even more striking considering the defender was forced off the ground during the third term with food poisoning.
Troy Ugle was a focal point up forward with three goals
McKenna’s departure from the game coincided with the Sydney’s strongest period of the game, as they converted centre square ascendancy into scores. But, unlike West Coast, the Swans didn’t have a reliable target in their forward arc, with Murray Rance a major roadblock in defence. Rance finished with 21 disposals and seven marks and had the better of a number of Swans opponents who were tried in the key forward position.
Malthouse again praised his defensive unit, admitting that it wasn’t his side’s best performance. John Worsfold stepped into McKenna’s role after he departed the field, while Dean Laidley was strong off the other half back flank.
For Sydney, Gerard Healy finished with 29 touches in his battle against Dwayne Lamb, while Barry Mitchell racked up 28 touches, although was less effective through the centre with Steve Malaxos for company. Neil Cordy tried hard in defence and Stevie Wright had 22 disposals to go with his three goals.
With the final quarter still fresh in his mind, Sydney coach Col Kinnear expressed disappointment in his sides’ ‘very soft’ finish. “As a realist, you can’t think of finals’, Kinnear said.
Mick Malthouse though was happy to take the four points from the underwhelming performance, as West Coast consolidated their position in the top five.
West Coast made it three wins from four games when they easily defeated the Blues in their round four clash, in front of a record attendance at the WACA.
A crowd of 28,568 were on hand to witness the Eagles 50 point win, bettering the ground’s previous highest attendance at the Australia v Pakistan one-day international the previous summer.
The Eagles extended their lead at every change in the routine win, which was highlighted by the impressive debut of midfielder Brett Heady.
Heady had starred for Subiaco four days earlier in the Lions’ 50 point win over Perth, and despite the short turnaround, gathered 18 disposals and booted two goals in a notable performance first-up effort with West Coast.
The inclusion of Heady was one of three for the Eagles after their thumping win over Footscray. David O’Connell was selected for his first match of the season and Michael Brennan returned from a groin injury picked up in the round two defeat to St Kilda. Paul Peos was ruled out with a knee injury, while Brad Gwilliam and Dean Irving were both dropped.
After losing their first two games, the Blues arrived in Perth off the back of a 14 point win over the Saints. However the win came at a cost with both Mark Naley and Simon Minton-Connell injured and subsequently ruled out against the Eagles. Chris Bond was also dropped, with David Glascott, Ian Herman and Andrew Phillips all included.
With Minton-Connell sidelined and Stephen Kernahan used through the ruck with Justin Madden unavailable for selection, the Blues lacked any forward presence.
Richard Dennis kicked the opening goal after receiving a 50m penalty, but the Eagles had control of the play from early in the game. Only the strong defensive efforts of Stephen Silvagni and David Rhys-Jones prevented West Coast from hitting the front, but when Peter Sumich and Karl Langdon goaled right before quarter time, the Eagles had taken a lead they would not relinquish.
Three goals to one in the second term extended the Eagles’ lead to 20 points at the main break, but the lead could have been so much more if not for inaccurate kicking. Dean Laidley and Guy McKenna created plenty of drive off half back, the pair combining for 20 disposals in the second quarter alone.
Laidley had picked up 19 disposals by half time, while debutant Heady tallied eight touches in the second quarter, as did Stephen Malaxos and Dwayne Lamb. As West Coast flexed their superiority in the game, things got worse for the Blues when they lost Silvagni to injured ribs after a heavy collision, denying the Blues another of their key talls.
With his side needing a spark, Alex Jesaulenko swung Rhys-Jones to full forward and got an immediate response as Rhys-Jones booted three goals in six minutes to bring the Blues back within touching distance.
However, West Coast settled with the final five goals of the quarter to take their lead out to 38 points, before a six-goal final term ensured a comfortable win.
Sumich led the Eagles goal kicking with four majors, while Peter Wilson and Craig Turley each booted three.
Laidley finished with 30 disposals after his barnstorming first half and Stephen Malaxos was industrious through the middle with 29 touches. As well as hitting the scoreboard, Wilson and Turley were both productive with the ball, collecting 25 and 22 dipsosals respectively.
Dwayne Lamb shut down Craig Bradley on the wing, while the Eagles defence, led by Laidley, Guy McKenna and Murray Rance were again steadfast. After four rounds, the Eagles had conceded the least amount of points – 310 – in the league; 118 of which came in the loss to St Kilda.
“Our backline is functioning very well”, a delighted Malthouse declared after the game. “It’s early days, but its slowly and surely coming about.”
The win lifted the Eagles back into the top five at the expense of North Melbourne, who dropped out after a five goal defeat to Geelong. West Coast sat in fifth, percentage behind the Saints, Hawks and Bombers, with Melbourne still undefeated when they overturned a half time deficit to defeat Fitzroy.
With winnable games to come against lowly Sydney and Richmond, the Eagles were primed to consolidate their position in the finals placings, despite starting to build a concerning injury list.
Chris Mainwaring had missed a fortnight with a back fracture, while Chris Lewis and Chris Waterman both remained sidelined from injuries picked up in the pre-season. John Annear and Don Pyke were both injured the previous week playing for their respective WAFL sides after falling out of the Eagles line-up following the Saints defeat, while Tony Begovich and Andrew MacNish were also injured the previous week in the WAFL.
Geoff Miles hadn’t made an appearance at any level as he battled a hamstring injury and Paul Peos was expected to miss the majority of the season with a knee complaint.
West Coast players declared they would play for their coach, and did so accordingly when they recorded a comfortable 63 point win over the Bulldogs in their round three clash at the Western Oval.
Six months after parting ways with the Bulldogs as they sat on the verge of extinction, Malthouse returned to his former home of six years to claim the four points.
Malthouse’s desertion had not been forgotten by his former players or fans in a hostile build up to the match. Several Bulldogs players were critical of Malthouse after a radio interview Malthouse gave during the week, believing Malthouse had been derogatory towards them and the club.
Fans also voiced their displeasure towards their old coach before the match and at each interval, although Malthouse later played down the hostile reception post-match.
“There were so may well-wishers before the game. It made me humble I suppose that there are people here – even though they’re Footscray people – who felt like that.”
“The disappointing thing is that I’ve listened to a couple of interviews by former players who tended to put the boots in, when I believe I gave them the opportunity to play League footy”, Malthouse continued.
“You have to look at human beings for what they are. Some put dirt on you. Some are great friends.”
And while the new Eagles coach suggested that he was greatly unaffected by the comments coming out of his old club leading up to the game, he did little to hide his emotion at the final siren, embracing many of the Eagle players on the ground.
The West Coast players, for their part, declared they would ‘play for their coach’ in response to the negative comments arising out of Footscray and did so with a defensive masterclass, restricting the home side to a measly 1.8 at half time.
The Eagles themselves booted nine goals for the half to take a commanding 50 point lead into the main break, and were never in danger of giving up the four points in the second half.
The win was a strong response to the humbling 58 point loss to the Saints the week before.
The Eagles made five changes, three of which were forced through injury. Wingman Chris Mainwaring was found to have a small fracture in his back, which was set to sideline him for two weeks, defender Michael Brennan had a groin strain and Don Pyke couldn’t be considered due to soreness.
John Annear and Andrew Lockyer were the casualties as Malthouse injected more speed into the side. Steve Malaxos was named for his first game as captain, while Stevan Jackson was named across half forward. Craig Turley, Scott Watters and David Hart were the other inclusions, all of who were named for their first games of 1990.
The Bulldogs named an unchanged line up to the one that easily accounted for the Swans in Sydney. However they were dealt a couple of blows before the opening bounce with John Georgiades (hamstring) and Steven Kolyniuk (ankle) both forced out. Danny Del Re came in for his debut game, with Matt Hannebery the other inclusion.
West Coast also made a late change with Chris Lewis replaced by Todd Breman. Lewis had been a surprise inclusion during the week after failing to last a quarter against the Saints with an ankle injury and was duly ruled out.
The Bulldogs started the brighter of the two sides, but the Eagles soon gained the ascendancy in the match.
The Eagles squad had been heavily criticised about their lack of commitment to the contest against the Saints, and put on an improved attack on the ball. Peter Wilson and Steve Malaxos led the way as West Coast bullocked their way to a three goal to one lead at the first change, before the Eagle runners took hold of the game in the second quarter.
Troy Ugle, Dwayne Lamb, Craig Turley and David Hart were all prolific as West Coast booted six unanswered goals, to all but end the contest. The Eagles were particularly devastating coming out of defence with handball, the quick transition catching the Footscray defence out of position.
The three-pronged attack of Peter Sumich, Karl Langdon and Stevan Jackson benefited most from the Eagles impressive ball movement. Sumich could have had a day out, finishing with a wasteful 3.4 from 14 kicks and 11 marks, while Langdon also booted three goals. Jackson had a presence further up the ground with nine disposals, five marks and a goal.
The performance of Langdon would have been pleasing for Malthouse, after several players had rotated through centre half forward in the first fortnight of the season. Dean Irving, Andrew Lockyer and Phil Scott had all been tried in the opening two weeks, but Langdon made the most of the opportunity against the Bulldogs, getting the better of three opponents.
Karl Langdon impressed at half-forward getting the better of Stuart Wigney, Greg Eppelstun and Peter Foster
In contrast, the Bulldogs forward line failed to function against the miserly Eagles defence. Murray Rance kept Barry Standfield to just seven disposals and without viable targets, the Bulldogs were forced to take long range shots on goal, with little success.
Bulldogs coach Terry Wheeler threw his side around to start the second half, pushing Chris Grant to full forward, Stuart Wigney from defence to the forward line and Leon Cameron to the wing. The moves paid some dividends with Grant (twice) and Cameron kicking majors in the third term as both sides booted four goals.
The Eagles then finished with a five goal to two last quarter to record their highest ever score in Victoria. Along with Sumich and Langdon, Craig Turley and David Hart also finished with three goals, while Troy Ugle chimed in with two.
Peter Wilson led the disposals for West Coast with 30, with Dean Laidley (24) and Turley (23) the next best.
The Bulldogs were best served by Terry Wallace who finished with 32 disposals and a goal and Stephen Wallis who tallied 25 touches. Grant booted another goal in the final quarter to finish with a match haul of three, while Wigney also gave the Bulldogs life in the forward line, managing six shots on goal in the second half but only booting 1.5 opposed to Brad Gwilliam.
Bulldogs coach Terry Wheeler was scathing in his review of the game, saying that the senior Bulldogs players weren’t up for the match against West Coast. At three-quarter time, Wheeler took many of his younger charges aside and spoke with them away from the rest of the squad for several minutes.
“They’re earmarked to be the future of the Footscray Football Club and if what I was seeing from some of our senior players is the attitude they have toward football at the moment, I certainly don’t want our younger players to… take that attitude.”
“… those senior players today, for one reason or another, didn’t show us that they can play”, Wheeler bemoaned.
The win lifted the Eagles back to the edge of the top five, as one of six teams that had two wins from their opening three games. Only the Demons remained undefeated at the close of Round 3, following their 27 point win over Essendon.
As well as booting their highest ever score in Victoria, the Eagles 63 point win was also their largest, bettering the 37 point win over Footscray at the same ground the year before. The victory also made it three in a row for the Eagles at the Western Oval, defying their overall poor record away from home.
The only sour note for the Eagles was the knee injury to Paul Peos during the second quarter, which was set to sideline the wingman for much of the season.
The Injury compounded a poor week for Peos who had been fined by the club during the week for breaking team rules, and then being on the end of some ‘friendly advice’ by the ground announcer when he was involved in a skirmish with Leon Cameron on the members wing before the opening bounce.
A week on from their impressive dismantling of the Magpies, the Eagles were given a fierce reality check in a 68 point defeat to St Kilda, led by spearhead Tony Lockett.
Lockett finished with nine goals – six of which came in a devastating burst in the second term when the Saints were kicking into a howling wind, all but sealing the contest.
West Coast made just the one change to the team that accounted for Collingwood in Round 1, with Chris Lewis returning to the line up from injury. Lewis hadn’t played since aggravating his hamstring against North Melbourne in the Eagles second Fosters Cup match.
Lewis replaced Peter Matera, who managed just nine disposals in a quiet debut the week before. Stand-in captain John Worsfold held his spot despite sporting strapping around his thigh at training during the week and again led the team in the absence of Steve Malaxos.
The Saints also made the one change to the team that defeated Footscray in the opening round. Captain Danny Frawley returned after being a late withdrawal the week before, with Ian Muller making way.
Heading into the game, Malthouse made no secret of the danger Lockett posed, with the burly full forward the difference in the previous meeting between the two sides. In the only meeting between the two sides in 1989, Lockett booted 12 of the Saints 18 goals in a 35 point win.
The Saints scored first use of the wind, but the Eagles did well to stay within reaching distance at quarter time. Karl Langdon opened the scoring, before the Saints finished with the last 10 scoring shots in the quarter, for an inaccurate 4.6.
24 points down at the first break was an acceptable margin given the wind advantage and Lockett had managed just one major for the term as the Eagles employed a loose man in defence to block his space. Michael Brennan was given the role on Lockett, teaming with Murray Rance to regularly double-team Lockett.
West Coast abandoned the tactic at the start of the second term kicking with the wind, leaving Lockett one-out with Brennan. Peter Sumich booted the opening goal when he was left alone in the goal square to reduce the Saints lead to 18 points.
Andrew Lockyer fell short in his attempt on goal moments later, before Chris Mainwaring blew a golden opportunity when he overran the ball in front of goal. The Eagles had much of the play early in the quarter as they worked their way into the contest.
Then ‘Plugger’ ripped the game apart.
With the Saints getting on top through the midfield, Lockett kicked five of the next six goals in the game, with only a long range effort from Murray Rance, breaking the run.
Lockett powered through the Eagles defence, often marking against multiple defenders in the air and in one instance, brushing aside two Eagles as he soccered the ball through at the top of the goal square.
Ruckman Damien Kitschke added a sixth goal for the term for the Saints when he was found unmarked in front of goal by Dean Rice, before Lockett booted his seventh goal for the match – and sixth goal in the quarter – when he was paid a juggled contested mark.
The Saints had booted seven goals to two against the wind to take a commanding 58 point lead into the main break. Their lead increased to 78 at the final change, before the Eagles limited some of the damage with a five goal final quarter.
Murray Rance took over from Brennan on Lockett in the second half, holding the full forward to just two second half majors. Still, Lockett finished with an impressive match haul of 9.4 from 18 disposals and 12 marks, making it 19 goals in two weeks after opening the season with a bag of 10 against the Bulldogs.
“Let’s face it, the man is awesome. Once he gets his hands on the ball, it’s good night Irene”, Malthouse exclaimed.
While Lockett was terrorising the Eagles defence up one end, the same couldn’t be said at the other, where Frawley and regular forward Stewart Loewe were impenetrable. Frawley held Eagles forward Peter Sumich to just one goal, while Loewe vied with Lockett for best afield honours as he continually intercepted many of the Eagles’ forward thrusts.
Loewe finished with 31 disposals and 15 marks in a dominant performance at centre half back. The Eagles could not find a way through their half forward line, with Murray Rance, Andrew Lockyer, Karl Langdon and Phil Scott all tried with little success.
The Saints were also well served by a number of recruits. Damien Kitschke – in just his second AFL game – was too strong in his duel with fellow second gamer Dean Irving, often providing the Saints midfield with first use at the stoppages.
Kitschke finished with 25 disposals, seven marks, 14 hit-outs and a goal, many of his possessions coming as he sat behind the play when West Coast kicked with the wind. Tim Pekin gathered a career best 38 disposals in just his second game at Moorabbin, after switching across from Fitzroy ahead of the 1990 season.
Pekin was particularly damaging early as St Kilda built their lead, with John Annear brought onto the ground in a bid to quell his influence. Grant Lawrie and Jim Krakouer were others to impress in their second games with the Saints, after crossing from Fitzroy and North Melbourne respectively, collecting 22 and 21 possessions.
Krakouer had shone in his club debut the week before with 36 disposals, earning the tag of Dwayne Lamb, but still having moments of magic. Peter Russo (32 disposals and a goal) and Nathan Burke (31 disposals) were other major ball-winners through the midfield.
And with Lockett garnering much of the attention of the West Coast defence, Rod Owen was allowed to slip under the radar across half forward, booting 4.4 from 21 disposals.
Ken Sheldon – who had made it two wins from two games in charge at the Saints – lauded his side’s second quarter into the wind. “It was a tremendous effort by the players.”
“The second quarter was one of the best quarters of football you would see anywhere. Our players have proved to themselves that they can match it with anybody.”
For West Coast, there were too few players who contributed.
Dean Laidley was arguably the Eagles best player in his negating role on Nicky Winmar at half back. Winmar still tallied 23 disposals, but didn’t have the impact he was renowned for, while Laidley finished as the Eagles leading disposal getter with 27.
Don Pyke booted three second half goals as the Eagles major goal kicker, while Guy McKenna was dependable at half back. Peter Wilson put on a second strong showing at his new club as one of the few Eagles to bring physicality to the game.
Peter Wilson was one of the few performers for West Coast on a poor day
“I’m totally at a loss”, Malthouse said. “I’ll talk to the players as individuals. But there is no magic formula.”
“There was a complete lack of pressure on their runners.”
The turnaround in performance wasn’t the only concern for West Coast out of the match. Chris Lewis, in his return from injury, failed to last a quarter when he succumbed to an ankle complaint. Michael Brennan suffered a groin injury and Laidley played out the game with a corked calf.
Karl Langdon was placed on report for striking Tim Pekin with a forearm to the head.
The result also continued the Eagles’ poor record in Melbourne. The Eagles had now won just five games from 28 matches in Victoria, with Malthouse declaring changes would be made to arrest the horror record away from home.
West Coast reinstated themselves as the kings of the
competition when they crushed Geelong by 80 points to win the 1994 Grand Final.
Two years after an historic first flag, the Eagles
steamrolled the Cats to their second premiership, erasing the disappointment of
a failed 1993 season.
Dean Kemp claimed the Norm Smith medal for best afield and
Tony Evans repeated his 1992 haul of three goals as West Coast booted their
highest score in over two years.
Traditionally recognised as a defence-oriented side, the
Eagles racked up 43 shots on goal in the Grand Final, a week after they posted
37 scoring shots against Melbourne. Ten Eagles in total hit the scoreboard as
West Coast recorded the fourth largest winning margin in Grand Final history.
For the Cats, the defeat was their third loss in the season
decider in six seasons, having gone down to the Eagles by 28 points in 1992 and
the Hawks by six in 1989.
A shattered Malcolm Blight could offer no explanation after
the match, saying there was ultimately nothing his side could do. “I could say
a million things about what we might have done or could have done. But at the
end of the day they were 80 points better than us, which is pretty hard to cop
really.”
Eagles coach Mick Malthouse admitted he sympathised with the
Cats, but was equally ecstatic with his side’s performance.
“I just love seeing the day for the club and all the
players… I get a bigger kick out of seeing the players enjoy themselves.”
West Coast made just one change from the preliminary final,
with Ashley McIntosh coming back into the team after missing with a knee
injury. Mitchell White was the player to make way, after coming into the side
as McIntosh’s replacement, but remained an outside chance on the morning of the
game as West Coast debated whether to remove one of their ruckman.
However, the pair of David Hynes and Ryan Turnbull was
retained to tackle John Barnes who was openly struggling with a lower leg
injury. Geelong remained unchanged from their last-gasp six point win over
North Melbourne, with Grant Tanner ruled out earlier in the week in his bid to
recover from an ankle injury.
McIntosh started in defence on Bill Brownless, with Michael
Brennan tasked with minding Gary Ablett. The Cats tried to throw the Eagles
defence early, starting Ablett on the wing but he quickly moved to the goal
square after failing to have an impact.
In a reverse to the 1992 meeting, it was West Coast who had
the fast start, booting the first three goals in the game. Tony Evans, Chris
Lewis and Shane Bond all kicked majors as the Eagles jumped to a 20 point lead.
West Coast had had all of the play out of the middle of the
ground but the momentum of the game soon changed when Geelong piled on four
goals in eight minutes. Tim McGrath and Michael Mansfield provided the dash off
half back for the Cats with Paul Couch opening the Cats account.
Three more goals followed in quick time to give Geelong a
seven point lead, before Brett Heady settled the Eagles just before quarter
time to reduce the Cats lead to one point at the first change.
It would prove to be the only period of ascendency Geelong
would have in the game.
West Coast resumed control at the start of the second term
and only poor kicking on goal prevented the Eagles from having the game won by
half time. Peter Wilson kicked consecutive goals to start the quarter as West
Coast camped the ball in their forward half.
The Eagles created confusion at the Geelong kick-ins when
they changed tack from their usual one-on-one set up to a zone defence. The
usually precise Mansfield and Ken Hinkley were undecided with their re-entries
preventing clean getaways from their back half, which had been a trademark
through their finals campaign.
Twice in the second quarter West Coast picked off their kick-ins.
Tony Evans intercepted a Ken Hinkley pass to mark and goal, before then having
an intercepting hand that rebounded to Peter Sumich allowing the Eagles full
forward to send the ball back over his opponent in Stephen O’Reilly.
The Eagles continued their dominance of general play but,
remarkably, when Bill Brownless booted his third goal midway through the third
term, the Cats were still within touching distance trailing by just 18 points.
However, three majors to Dean Kemp, Brett Heady and Peter Sumich extended their lead to six goals by three-quarter time and Geelong’s slimmer of Hope was all but gone.
The last quarter was a celebration for West Coast, as they
slammed on eight goals to one to demoralise the opposition and the majority of
the pro-Geelong crowd.
Symbolic of the day for West Coast and for their Norm Smith medallist Dean Kemp, their 17th goal came about purely by accident. Kemp’s kick inside 50 was intended for Chris Lewis who was crunched out of marking the ball by Tim McGrath, only for the ball to carry on its path and bounce harmlessly through for another goal.
Kemp was sublime for the Eagles on a day when they had a healthy number of contributors. The Eagles centreman had 23 disposals and booted two goals to outpoint Geelong captain Mark Bairstow, who had a dirty day. It also meant that Bairstow finished with the inglorious honour of once again playing on the Norm Smith medal, after lining up on Peter Matera’s wing in his five goal performance of 1992.
Dean Kemp was best afield for West Coast
Don Pyke collected 26 possessions through the middle and
just had the edge over Geelong’s Paul Couch. One of Geelong’s prime movers was
relegated into a defensive role as he tried to curb the influence of the Eagles
centreline.
The Eagles defence was as impregnable as ever, led by Glen
Jakovich (20 possessions) and Guy McKenna (23) across half back. Jakovich played
his own game standing in the way of Geelong’s forward entries and proving too
strong for both Steven Handley and David Mensch. McKenna provided the run from
the backline as he outclassed Adrian Hickmott.
Michael Brennan blanketed Gary Ablett, with the Geelong
superstar managing just one goal from five disposals and David Hart had the
better of Leigh Tudor in the back pocket. Geelong’s only winner in their forward
half was Billy Brownless, who exorcised some of his demons from the 1992 Grand
Final when he was humbled by Ashley McIntosh.
Brownless kicked four goals for the Cats – he was the only Geelong
player to kick a goal after quarter time – and took one of the great Grand
Final marks when he soared over McIntosh and managed to hold onto the ball from
a second attempt.
Michael Mansfield was arguably the Cats best player with 21
disposals out of defence and having the better of Shane Bond, while Tim McGrath
also did his best to withstand the avalanche. Garry Hocking finished with 20
possessions after being forced off during the first term with a heavy cork and
returning to the ground in the second half with heavy padding around his upper
leg.
But it was a day that belonged to West Coast.
15 members of the 1992 triumph were now dual premiership
players, while there was redemption for David Hynes and David Hart, who were
the unlucky stories from two years earlier.
And even with two of the heroes from 1992, in Peter Sumich
and Peter Matera, having subdued outings, there were plenty of others who
stepped up. Sumich and Matera combined for 11 goals in the clubs first flag as
West Coast had just four goal kickers for the day. This time around, nearly
half of the team kicked goals, as the likes of Chris Lewis, Brett Heady and
Jason Ball provided strong targets up forward.
Chris Waterman came onto the ground early in the second term
after Chris Mainwaring was forced off with a corked hip and put in one of his
finest performances with 18 disposals and two final quarter goals (to go with
four behinds). Mainwaring himself was able to return to the field and pick up
18 disposals.
Mick Malthouse even broke with his own tradition in heading
down to the bench with three minutes remaining. Malthouse had been reluctant to
leave the box two years earlier, despite the urging of his coaching team, but
with the game well in his side’s keeping, the Eagles coach revelled in the
celebrations boundary side.
Malthouse admitted that he knew his side were home during
the third quarter.
“We expected at some stage Geelong to give us a big quarter
like they had over the last three or four weeks, so we were ready for it. We
stuck to our basics, not to allow them to get that one quarter of football in.”
“At half-time I thought if we maintained our pressure, and
we could hold them, we could do the job,” Malthouse said.
“So I guess three quarters of the way through the third quarter
I thought we had them.”
Since taking over as senior coach at the end of 1989, Malthouse
had steered the Eagles to no lower than fourth in five seasons, which now
included two premierships from three Grand Final appearances.
The Eagles had massacred the Cats in one of the most
emphatic premierships of the modern era and with that staked their claim as the
pre-eminent club of the AFL.
West Coast made it to their third grand final in four
seasons when they convincingly defeated the Demons by 65 points in the
preliminary final.
The Eagles ended Melbourne’s fairytale finals run, who had knocked off Carlton and then Footscray after finishing seventh at the end of the home and away season. Garry Lyon had booted a record 10 goals in the 79 point massacre of the Bulldogs, but the Demons ran out of steam against a refreshed Eagles outfit.
Despite having a fortnight to recover, Ashley McIntosh was ruled out of the preliminary final, allowing Mitchell White to come in for just his sixth game of the season as cover in the Eagles defence.
The Demons also made just one change to the team that
thrashed Footscray the week before with sharpshooter Sean Charles adding to an
already potent forward line, replacing the omitted Glenn Molloy.
Ahead of the game, tensions were raised between the two
sides when two Melbourne officials were spotted watching the Eagles train in
what was supposed to be a closed training session. While the Melbourne ‘spies’
– football manager Richard Griffiths and match committee chairman Greg Wells –
had no issue with being asked to leave, the response from West Coast drew some
mirth from Demons coach Neil Balme.
Balme proudly declared after the teams were submitted on
Thursday night that Melbourne would go in as named. The Eagles, however,
remained guarded over their final line up, with Mick Malthouse calling the
antics from Melbourne as ‘childish games’.
The final 21 for West Coast wasn’t confirmed until just before bouncedown with West Coast swinging two late changes. Drew Banfield returned to the team after being dropped for the clash with Collingwood while Ryan Turnbull was brought into the team having recovered from a knee injury suffered against the Blues in Round 22. Craig Turley remained as the Eagles’ third emergency, unable to reclaim his spot in the side after serving a two games suspension for striking Greg Williams.
Turnbull’s inclusion to join David Hynes in the ruck was designed to counter the Demons’ strong ruck combination of Jim Stynes and Dean Irving. Tony Godden made way for Banfield, with Turnbull replacing Brett Spinks who was battling a knee concern picked up in the qualifying final.
The Demons stayed true to Balme’s claim that there would be no changes to the squad, but he still did his best to catch the Eagles off guard with a number of positional moves.
Stephen Tingay had previously matched against Chris
Mainwaring on the wing, but he swapped sides with Matthew Febey to go head to
head with Peter Matera. Febey was stationed against Mainwaring in a more
defensive role, as the Demons looked to slow down the Eagles ball movement.
Dean Irving started in the ruck, leaving Jim Stynes to
operate off the bench, while Andy Lovell shifted to half-back, initially matching
up on Brett Heady.
However, only the Tingay move had any real effect as West
Coast dominated the quarter, kicking with the wind. Matera had been under a
cloud since injuring a back during the last quarter against Collingwood and was
unable to work defensively on Tingay who collected 11 possessions in the first
term. Malthouse moved Banfield to the wing to quell Tingay’s influence at the
start of the second quarter, pushing Matera to a half forward flank.
Everywhere else on the ground was owned by the home team.
Tony Evans and Dean Kemp were both prominent early, with
nine first-quarter possessions while Chris Lewis had eight across half-forward.
All of the Eagles forwards got into the game early with the weight of
possession in their forward half.
Mainwaring was dynamic on his wing opposed to Matthew Febey and Brett Heady was both too tall and too elusive for Lovell across half forward. The Eagles took control around the ball, with Irving lacking influence in the ruck against David Hynes.
The Eagles racked up 11 shots on goal for the term, but wasted a host of chances. West Coast were 1.7 at one stage, before three late majors to Jason Ball, Tony Evans and Peter Sumich created a deserved advantage.
The Demons, on the other hand, could manage just one shot on
goal with Glenn Lovett responding to Brett Heady’s opener into the wind.
The second quarter became an arm wrestle as West Coast held the Demons at bay in defence but continually struggled to take chances up forward. Brett Heady missed a simple shot at the top of the goal square, before Garry Lyon broke the drought when he broke free of Michael Brennan.
That goal came with a tinge of controversy after Sumich was unlucky to be penalised at the other end. Sumich had a free kick paid against him after he pushed Sean Wight in the chest before going on a lead, with the Eagles full-forward then giving away 50 metres for remonstrating with the umpire.
The Lyon goal only served to open the game up.
Brett Heady found Chris Lewis for the instant reply, before
kicking two himself as West Coast opened up a 32 point lead closing in on half
time.
The Demons then showed the form that had propelled them
through the first two weeks of the finals with three goals in as many minutes
to close out the half.
Sean Charles swooped on a Michael Brennan fumble to snap truly, with the Demons kicking a second goal less than 20 seconds later when Andrew Obst won the clearance and found Brett Lovett who was able to kick on the breeze from the edge of the centre square.
Charles then had his second goal for the match after
Melbourne were able to string a chain of handballs from half-back, with Viney
releasing Charles into an open goal after reading the ball of a marking contest
in the Demons forward 50. Melbourne had closed within 13 points in a blink of
an eye and had one final chance on the half-time siren.
Andy Lovell had been moved to half-forward after losing the reins on Brett Heady and found himself on the end of a Dean Irving miskick to mark 40 metres out directly in front. Lovell could have brough the Demons to within a kick, but he skewed his shot on goal to allow West Coast to hold onto a 12 point lead.
The Eagles had smashed the Demons 13-3 in the centre clearances and had nearly 40 more possessions around the ground, but their inefficiency in front of goal prevented them from having one foot already in the Grand Final.
West Coast’s shooting on goal only got worse in the third quarter, but by the final changeit no longer mattered.
The Eagles had piled on 6.7 to a solitary behind with their
second use of the wind to establish a nine goal lead that they were never going
to give up.
The warning signs for Melbourne showed early in the term,
with West Coast posting a further four points onto their half-time score,
including what could almost have been a late goal of the year contender.
Glen Jakovich had completely shut out David Schwarz across
half-back, and after picking up a loose ball in the back pocket, the burly
centre half-back bounced his way through the middle of the WACA to the rousing roar
of the home crowd. Jakovich launched from the top of the Eagles 50 metre arc
only to see his shot on goal hit the base of the post, resulting in one of the
more memorable points in club history.
Brett Heady ultimately got the first goal for the Eagles in
the term, booting three in the quarter to take his match haul to six. His fifth
goal came from another turnover from Andy Lovell in defence as Melbourne’s day
started to capitulate.
Stephen Tingay – who had been the Demons best player in the
first half – limped off with a knee injury, while David Neitz was forced to the
bench after being crunched by Sumich in a marking contest.
The Eagles added three goals to two in the final quarter to run away with their largest ever win in a final.
Eagle players celebrate another grand final
Malthouse was ecstatic post-match with the ‘almost faultless’
performance but was quick to point out that the job was still not done.
“Every club aims to make the Grand Final at the start of the
season,” Malthouse said.
“Making the Grand Final is not good enough. Winning has got
to be the aim.”
It was a deflating end for the Demons, who dared to dream
after stunning finals wins over Carlton and Footscray left them one game shy of
the big dance. Neil Balme admitted his team just couldn’t handle the occasion.
“I think our blokes just lost it. They lost all confidence
in their ability to play footy.”
“They were shell-shocked.”
Melbourne struggled to have a winner on the ground, with West Coast’s defence supreme. Schwarz was virtually a spectator, with Mitchell White keeping Paul Prymke quiet. David Hart had the better of Sean Charles while John Worsfold and Guy McKenna provided their customary dash from half back.
Chris Mainwaring – who sported jumper number 43 after
half-time due to blood rule stipulations – was the leading ball winner for the
Eagles with 29, while Dean Kemp had the better of Jason Norrish, Andrew Obst
and Andy Lovell with 25 disposals through the middle.
Brett Heady didn’t add to his six goal tally as he sat the
final quarter on the bench. Peter Sumich finished with 3.3 despite a mixed
performance, but Chris Lewis was electric with 20 disposals and a goal across
half forward.
The Eagles Grand Final opponent had been decided earlier in the
afternoon when Geelong defeated the Kangaroos in a classic encounter.
North Melbourne started the stronger of the two sides to
lead by three goals at quarter time, but could have led by far more with
straighter kicking on goal. The Cats then took charge with a seven goal to nil
second term to lead by 24 points at the main break.
Geelong still led by 18 at the final change, but North
Melbourne, with the benefit of a weeks rest, stormed home. The Cats drew level
once again, before Leigh Tudor sent a wobbly kick to the top of the Geelong
goal square in the dying seconds of the game. His kick landed in the arms of
Gary Ablett, who sent the Cats into the Grand Final with a goal after the
siren.
It was the second final in three weeks Geelong had won after
the siren, with the Eagles and Cats set to square off two years after they
clashed in the 1992 decider.
The Eagles survived a Gavin Brown inspired comeback to
defeat the Magpies by two points and progress to a home preliminary final.
West Coast weren’t expected to be troubled by the eighth placed Magpies, but scraped over the line when Mick McGuane dropped a chest mark within scoring distance, seconds before the final siren. Trailing by 24 points at the final break, Collingwood surged home with the aid of the Fremantle Doctor, narrowly falling short of a famous finals victory.
The Magpies only booted six goals in the first three
quarters, but doubled their tally in the final term with Brown booting three,
on his way to a match haul of five.
In a match filled with controversy, umpires twice failed to
hear the siren at the ground, allowing play to continue well beyond the signal
for the end of the quarter. On both occasions West Coast posted scores with a
Don Pyke behind at the end of the second quarter allowed to stand despite the
siren blaring for nearly 10 seconds before umpires heard it. Play was also
allowed to continue beyond the three-quarter time siren, with Chris Lewis
slotting a goal, only for umpires to then correctly annul the score ahead of
the fourth quarter.
The errors around the siren almost proved catastrophic in
the two point margin.
Despite arriving in Perth off consecutive losses to St Kilda
and North Melbourne in the final two rounds of the regular season, the Magpies
were confident they could replicate their 37 point victory from when the two
sides met earlier in the season.
Surprisingly, the hero of their Round 13 victory, Andrew
Tranquilli, was not initially named in the Magpies line-up, with Gary Pert
returning to the side after missing the final game with a groin strain. Pert
passed a vigorous fitness test to take his place, while Tony Shaw was also
included despite concerns over a hamstring strain.
Mark Fraser was included along with Pert, replacing Paul
Sharkey and Brett James. However, Tranquilli made his way into the final 21 as
one of two late inclusions, with Sharkey reinstated after being dropped. The
duo came in on the morning of the game, replacing Tony Woods and Kent Butcher.
The Eagles made two changes to their side named on Thursday
night, with Dean Kemp and John Worsfold returning in place of dropped duo Paul
Symmons and Drew Banfield. Banfield could consider himself unlucky to lose his
spot having played all 22 home and away games, with Mick Malthouse saying team
balance was the reason behind his omission.
After releasing their squad, the Eagles were still on
tenterhooks until the following afternoon, with five players fronting the
tribunal for their roles in the spiteful clash against Footscray the previous
weekend. West Coast were able to breathe a sigh of relief when Glen Jakovich, Peter
Sumich, Chris Lewis, Tony Evans and Jason Ball were all cleared to play.
Gavin Brown won the toss but gave West Coast first use of
the strong afternoon breeze that favoured the end where the WACA’s famous
cricket scoreboard sat. The move initially worked with West Coast failing to
capitalise early under the pressure of Collingwood’s physical intent.
Even before the opening bounce, the emergency umpire was required
on the field to disperse players and Don Pyke sought treatment from the Eagles
medical staff after a crunching hit. When the Eagles’ first goal did come, it
was via a relayed free kick after Mick McGuane bowled over Chris Mainwaring.
McGuane was doing his best to distract Mainwaring, as one of
a number of enterprising moves from Leigh Matthews to stifle the Eagles’ prime
movers. Usually playing through the centre, McGuane started on a wing in a
defensive role on Mainwaring, while the hard-running Fraser went to the other
wing on Matera in an attacking move.
First year forward Trent Hotton was preferred to spearhead
Sav Rocca at full-forward, with Jason McCartney lining up at centre half
forward on Jakovich. McCartney’s role was purely as a decoy, dragging Jakovich
into the deep pockets of the WACA. Nathan Buckley lined up on a half forward
flank opposed to McKenna but became the pseudo centre half forward with
McCartney pushing wide.
When Tony Francis was released into the Magpies forward 50
to goal on the run, the Magpies had drawn level with West Coast and Brown’s
decision at the coin toss was looking a masterstroke. However, the Eagles were
able to finish the term with a flurry of goals to take a 12 point lead into
quarter time.
Shane Bond ran into an open goal, Peter Sumich kicked his
second for the term and after Nathan Buckley launched a long bomb into the
wind, Chris Lewis out-bodied Gavin Crosisca to mark and goal to close out the
term.
The quarter time break brought further changes for the
Magpies. Tony Shaw had lasted less than a minute before the hamstring went,
with the former captain resigned to the bench for the rest of the afternoon.
Shane Kerrison came onto the ground in his place and was given the task of
minding Dean Kemp, while Jon Hassall was sent to Tony Evans, with the Eagles
duo running riot in the opening quarter.
The Eagles maintained the status quo for the second term
extending their lead by two despite defending against the wind. Jason Ball
kicked the opening term after marking a Sumich set shot on the goal line,
before Trent Hotton roved a marking contest to keep the Magpies in the game.
Brett Heady got out the back to kick the Eagles second for the quarter but the
Magpies were able to respond again through Gavin Brown with just 44 seconds
remaining in the term.
The first missed siren of the afternoon came at the
half-time break, with play allowed to continue deep in the Eagles forward line
as the siren wailed in the background. No umpire on the ground heard the siren,
with play only coming to a stop when Don Pyke scrounged home a behind. The
score stood.
West Coast took complete control in the third term, but it
took two magical moments from Peter Matera to get some separation from the
Magpies. The Eagles were inaccurate early, kicking four straight behinds with
Peter Wilson also sending a shot out on the full. Brett Heady finally found the
major opening before Matera put his first stamp on the game.
The Eagles wingman had worked into the game after a slow start
opposed to Mark Fraser, picking up nine disposals in the second quarter. After
Chris Lewis missed yet another shot on goal, the Magpies clearance from the
kick-in only went as far as Jason Ball on the wing. His quick handpass released
Matera who sent a long shot on goal from inside the centre square which sailed
post high on the wind and lifted the mood of an anxious home crowd.
Tony Francis got an immediate response after receiving a
free kick at the next centre bounce and then a 50m penalty paid against
Jakovich. Unable to get into the game in the first half, Jakovich was swung
forward during the third term but he was forced back to the backline just
minutes later when Ashley McIntosh went down with a hamstring injury.
Collingwood grimly hung on in defence for the rest of the
term, with Damien Monkhorst providing extra support sitting in the Eagles
forward 50. In the final minute, Matera provided his second highlight of the
term.
Gathering a loose ball on the wing, Matera went on a jinking run, weaving his way past several Collingwood opponents before finishing from 40m on the run. Umpires again failed to hear the siren when it called for three quarter time, with Chris Lewis kicking truly from the pocket. Originally given a goal, the decision was overturned by the non-officiating umpire in the middle of the ground who had heard the siren ring before Lewis got boot to ball.
Peter Matera was electric in the third term
West Coast managed 3.7 for the quarter and for all of their
dominance, the 24 point three quarter left Collingwood in the game, with the
advantage of the Fremantle Doctor in the final term.
And the Magpies wasted no time to get themselves back into
the game with three quick goals to start the final quarter. The Collingwood
skipper had moved to the goal square, with McKenna as his new opponent, kick-starting
his side with the opening goal. Tony Francis booted his third for the game
after Mainwaring is captured in the Magpies forward line, with Brown then
kicking his second for the term after a relayed free kick was paid against
Peter Matera.
After being caught holding the ball in the middle of the
ground by Mark Fraser, Matera – incensed by the umpires decision – flatted Tony
Francis well after he disposed of the ball, injuring his back in the process.
Brown reduced the margin to just seven points, while Matera hobbled off the
ground, joining McIntosh in taking no further part in the game.
Chris Lewis provided a settler to take the Eagles lead back
out to 13 points, but two errors in as many minutes from the normally
unflappable McKenna had Collingwood within a point of the lead. Failing to get
the ball over the boundary line on the half back line, McKenna gave up
possession of the ball to Brown with a chain of handballs ending with
Tranquilli who slotted home on the run from the pocket.
From the Magpies’ next forward entry, McKenna again had the
ball and looking to rush through a behind, sent the ball out of bounds
alongside the behind post. The defender was pinned for deliberate out of bounds
and Brown was able to snap home his fifth goal of the match from the resultant
free kick.
The Magpies had cut the Eagles lead to just one point with still
eight minutes to play, but the Eagles defence held strong against the wind. David
Hynes was standing tall in his battle with Damien Monkhorst and with the clock
continuing to count down, released the Eagles with a 30m spike from a ball up
on the wing.
Chris Lewis pounced on the loose ball across half forward
and after an exchange with Peter Wilson, sent a scrubby ball towards the top of
the goal square. Collingwood defender Craig Kelly couldn’t hold onto the mark,
allowing Brett Heady to swoop and run into an open goal. With under two minutes
remaining, the Eagles lead was eight points, but there was still plenty to play
out.
Jason McCartney had the Magpies back within two after being
set free through the middle of the ground and with only seconds on the clock,
Collingwood had one final thrust forward.
Jon Hassall won a free kick on the wing and released Gary
Pert with a handball, with the defenders long kick floating towards
half-forward. Mick McGuane found himself best placed, but spilled the mark allowing
West Coast to hold on.
After the match, Malthouse praised the spirit of his players
in fighting the game to the end. “It was a great win for us. But we knew
Collingwood were always going to tough it out. You don’t expect any different
from Collingwood.”
Malthouse refused to accept that the distraction of the
tribunal in the lead up to the game had had any impact, instead expressing
disappointment over a number of ‘easy’ goals that kept Collingwood in the game.
Magpies coach Leigh Matthews was equally full of praise for
his side, declaring that the brace of goals from Matera in the third term was
the difference in the game. “I would go as far to say that is what beat us.”
“A couple of goals that come from just a pure, sensational
one-off. A bloke grabs the ball from midfield and says ‘don’t worry about anyone
else, I’m going to finish’, Matthews exclaimed.
“We got beaten by maybe just those two fantastic individual
efforts by him at that point… I thought for the rest of it, we hung in there
fairly well.”
The thrilling finish capped off an incredible weekend of results in the AFL’s first instalment of the top eight system. The Cats made it through their qualifying final against the Dogs courtesy of a Billy Brownless goal after the siren. Geelong got the blistering start with an eight goal opening quarter, but the Dogs clawed their way back into the game to trail by just two points at the final change.
In a see-sawing last term, Footscray appeared to be home
when Simon Atkins put them in front with just 24 seconds remaining, but a
Geelong clearance from the next centre bounce landed in the lap of Brownless.
Brownless coolly finished to get the Cats over the line.
Earlier that day, North Melbourne and Hawthorn played the
first ever final that required extra time, when the two sides were locked at 91
points apiece. The Kangaroos dominated the extra time period, kicking 3.5 to
0.0 in the additional playing time, with Wayne Carey guiding his team to
victory.
The narrow defeat was exacerbated 24 hours later for the
Hawks when seventh placed Melbourne upset the second placed Blues. After an
even first half, the Demons exposed Carlton’s lack of pace to run away with a
27 point win and keep their finals hopes alive, when defeat would have ended their
season.
That meant the sixth placed Hawks joined Collingwood on the
scrapheap for 1994 and also saw North Melbourne join the Eagles with direct
entry to the preliminary final.
Malthouse admitted the week off would be beneficial for the Eagles, with injury concerns over Ashley McIntosh and Peter Matera. West Coast would wait on the winner of the Melbourne/Footscray clash, but doubt remained over where the game would be held, with many Victorian based identities adamant that the MCG should host both preliminary finals to satisfy the AFL’s agreement with the MCC.
West Coast claimed their second minor premiership with a 71
point thumping of Footscray in the final round, but the win was marred by a
half-time brawl that ultimately dragged the club through a farcical AFL
investigation.
The Bulldogs arrived in Perth in third position on the
ladder on the back of six wins in seven games, but were no match for a West
Coast side that had been given a boost by reigning premiers Essendon 24 hours
earlier.
The Bombers had already been ruled out of finals action for
1994, but they doubled down on the misery of Carlton’s 1993 Grand Final defeat,
with an upset 18 point win over the Blues that opened the door for West Coast to
reclaim top spot.
The bye in round 23 had allowed several Eagles to recover
from minor niggles but the break wasn’t enough for John Worsfold who missed
with a groin strain. Craig Turley was also out, serving the first game of a two
week suspension, allowing Chris Waterman to return after several weeks in the
WAFL. Brett Spinks was the other inclusion when teams were first named.
Before the bounce, the Eagles made two further changes.
Ashley McIntosh, Chris Mainwaring and Glen Jakovich had all been reported as
struggling heading into the game, but it was Ryan Turnbull and Dean Kemp who
were given an extra week of recovery. David Hynes and Tony Godden were brought
in, with Hynes grasping the late opportunity with both hands.
Hynes put in a best on ground performance, controlling the
ruck against Bulldogs counterparts Ilija Grgic and Barry Standfield. Hynes had
24 hit-outs (to the Bulldogs pair of 17), to go with 23 disposals and a goal. Don
Pyke proved to be the greatest beneficiary from Hynes’ dominance, picking up 24
touches and capping off a fine game with three second half goals.
Pyke was too good for Simon Atkins early, gathering eight
first quarter possessions, before Bulldogs coach Alan Joyce swung seven-gamer
Brad Johnson onto the Eagle ruck rover. Chris Mainwaring and David Hart topped
the ball-getters for West Coast with 25 each, while there was a strong spread
of goal kickers with Pyke, Jason Ball and Chris Lewis leading the way with
three each.
Lewis was magical across the half forward line having a hand
in several goals from his 17 disposals and eight marks, while the Eagles
defence again stood strong, conceding just six goals to the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs had few winners on the day but Scott West and
Tony Liberatore each finished with 18 touches through the middle, while Chris
Grant had 11 disposals and seven marks roaming up the ground and also booted
two goals.
West Coast jumped to a 20 point lead at quarter time,
building their lead to 37 at the main break with only inaccurate kicking
preventing the margin from being greater. The Eagles then booted four goals in
each of the next two quarters, while the Bulldogs were held goalless in the
last term. With the game in their keeping, West Coast turned their attention to
the first final, resting a host of players in the final term, which saw them
even finish with just 16 players on the ground.
The routine win was soon overshadowed when the focus turned
onto the half-time brawl that involved most players on the ground.
The incident first began following a shirtfront on Brett
Heady from Steve Wallis along the boundary line moments before the half time
siren.
That caused remonstration between players, which quickly
escalated as players rushed from all over the ground and even those that were
on the bench.
With players tangled up, the brawl took a disturbing turn
when Eagles spearhead Peter Sumich was taken into a headlock from rookie
Bulldogs defender Danny Southern. Sumich blacked out on the ground and with the
teams eventually dispersing and heading into the changerooms, the West Coast
medical staff remained on the ground to tend to their full forward.
Eagles coach Mick Malthouse also remained on the field,
opting to watch over Sumich until he was stretchered into the changerooms.
Sumich would play no further part in the game, with the Eagles doctors
eventually reviving the Eagles full-forward following several minutes on an
oxygen tank.
Tensions remained high between the two sides through the
second half, despite the one-sided scoreline. Southern – who had spent time
with West Coast a couple of seasons earlier as he rehabilitated from a knee
injury suffered while playing at Claremont – became the target of verbal abuse
at the final siren from both Glen Jakovich and Jason Ball.
Peter Sumich is attended too after being choked into unconsciousness by Danny Southern
After the game, Malthouse described the brawl as a ‘blight’
on the game. “We come here to play football.”
“We can accept solid bumps and we can accept that footy is a
physical game. But there were certain elements of today’s game that have
surprised and disappointed us.”
No match-day reports were laid by umpires, with the clubs
then the centre of an AFL investigation, led by Max Crawford. After Crawford
spoke individually with both clubs, he found that no players should be charged,
with AFL general manager Ian Collins supporting the findings and declaring both
clubs would be fined $20,000.
However, Eagles officials were left stunned 24 hours later
when the AFL overruled both Crawford and Collins to charge five West Coast
players for their part in the melee. Glen Jakovich, Jason Ball, Tony Evans,
Chris Lewis and Peter Sumich were all summoned to face the AFL judiciary five
days after the game took place.
Jakovich copped two charges for striking Richard Osborne and
Danny Southern, as did Ball who had two striking charges on Ilija Grgic and
Chris Grant. Sumich was also charged for striking Grgic, while Chris Lewis and
Tony Evans each received one charge for striking Doug Hawkins, who suffered a
torn abdominal muscle during the fracas.
The Bulldogs weren’t spared with three players also called
up to face the tribunal. Chris Grant was cited for striking Jakovich and
Darcy MacPherson was cited for striking
Lewis, while Danny Southern faced the more serious charge of conduct unbecoming
for his headlock on Sumich.
West Coast general manager Brian Cook expressed the thoughts
of both clubs, whose finals preparations were now under serious threat. “We are
extremely disappointed and somewhat shocked. This has thrown our finals
preparations into turmoil.”
The Bulldogs dropped to fifth at the completion of the home
and away season, falling behind North Melbourne and Geelong who both recorded
large wins in round 24. North Melbourne moved back to third when they
comfortably accounted for the Magpies in the opening game of the round. The
Kangaroos controlled the game from the outset, with eight goals to John
Longmire delivering a 64 point win.
That left the Magpies nervously waiting on other results to
stay in the finals hunt, but their place in the top eight was confirmed the
following day when Richmond were trounced by Geelong. Despite being without
Gary Ablett, the Cats were never troubled, running out 76 point winners as Bill
Brownless replicated Longmire’s haul of eight goals.
Having suffered horrid defeats of 113 points to the Blues
and 76 points to the Cats in the final two rounds of the season, it would be Richmond
who were relegated to ninth position after Melbourne won a high scoring clash
against the Swans to move back into the top eight.
The Tigers finished on 12 wins – the same as Melbourne and
Collingwood – but had lost nearly 10 percentage points in the previous fortnight
to finish well behind the Demons and Magpies. Geelong, on the other hand, found
themselves inside the top four for the first time since Round 10 on the back of
a late season revival after coach Malcolm Blight was at risk of losing his job
midway through the year.
With Melbourne and West Coast recording wins on the Sunday,
the first week finals schedule had been set. The Demons rose to seventh to book
a first week final against Carlton, with North Melbourne to host Hawthorn and
the Cats and the Dogs to square off.
That left eighth-placed Collingwood with the unenviable task
of travelling to Perth to tackle the Eagles in a virtual elimination final,
although who West Coast would have available for the game still remained up in
the air.
With Footscray due to play their qualifying final on the
Saturday night, the Bulldogs immediately sought an injunction with the
Victorian Supreme Court to delay the tribunal hearings for Grant, MacPherson
and Southern until the following Monday.
With the Bulldogs successful, West Coast considered a
similar tack.
Ultimately, the Eagles decided to push ahead with the
hearings with the five players to face the AFL tribunal less than 48 hours
before they were due to play Collingwood.
Eagles Chairman Dwane Buckland denied that West Coast had
missed the boat in joining the Bulldogs in submitting a joint injunction, as a
war of words broke out between the two clubs.
The Bulldogs had responded in the wake of Malthouse’s
post-match comments, calling their former coach’s words as ‘untrue, outrageous
and defamatory’.
Footscray coach Alan Joyce was particularly pointed towards
his counterpart. “I have been coaching in the AFL for several years now and I
just wish other coaches, particularly Malthouse in Perth, would have the same
degree of professionalism.”
General manager Dennis Galimberti went even further, defending
the actions of Danny Southern and declaring
it was the West Coast players who instigated the whole melee.
“The incident between Steve Wallis and Brett Heady was
totally fair and within the rules of the game,” Galimberti said.
“As a result of the collision, several West Coast Eagles
players ran a considerable distance to remonstrate with Wallis. That was the
single thing that incited the events that followed.”
The Bulldogs were particularly critical of Malthouse
speaking about the incident between Southern and Sumich, saying that it was
inappropriate for comments to be made before the case was put to the tribunal.
Malthouse had stated that Sumich ‘was grabbed from behind by
a bloke who came from their bench and was virtually strangled’
Malthouse retorted, saying he had never named Southern.
“You would have to be blind not to see the Channel 7 replay
and determine the player responsible for Sumich’s condition,” Malthouse said. The
Eagles coach also rejected suggestions he had confronted Southern at three
quarter time. “I did not utter one word to Danny Southern. I can honestly say I
did not utter one word to any Footscray player and I would never do that,
never.”
Ultimately, West Coast decided to send their players to the
tribunal, with the hearing taking place less than 48 hours before their finals
match against Collingwood and the night after they had announced their squad
for the game.
Buckland said that it was the view of the Board to have the
matter dealt with before the clubs first final, to ensure that any potential
penalties handed down could be served earlier in the finals campaign.
“If you are going to have a few players out, we’d prefer to
have them out in a game we can afford to lose, rather than a game we can’t
afford to lose.”
In the end, Buckland and the Eagles had nothing to worry
about.
After a marathon four hour hearing, via video link up from Perth, all five West Coast players were cleared of any wrongdoing. The Eagles even called up Crawford as one of their own witnesses, to reiterate his view that no players should be charged over the melee.
Eagles players leave the tribunal after having their charges thrown out.
The Bulldogs would subsequently front the tribunal after the weekend with Grant and MacPherson equally cleared of any wrongdoing, while Southern was hit with a $10,000 fine.
After a week of disruption, West Coast were happy to move on from the whole situation and turn their attention into their match with Collingwood.
“Where it went off the rails I don’t know. And we are not
going to pursue it,” a relieved Buckland declared.
West Coast ensured they would finish in the top two at the
close of the home and away season when they held off a rampaging North
Melbourne at the WACA, in the opening game of Round 21.
The Eagles put in one of their best defensive efforts of the
year when they held the free-flowing Kangaroos to just three goals to three
quarter time to lead by 40 points.
But the Kangaroos rallied, kicking the last five goals of
the game to have the home side and the home fans nervous, with only some
desperate defence in the final minutes putting a halt to a famous comeback.
The win meant that the Eagles sat four games clear of North
Melbourne with three matches remaining to confirm a top two finish. However,
West Coast were yet to receive confirmation from the AFL that a top two finish
would equate to two home finals under the new top eight finals format.
Subiaco Oval was due to start comprehensive construction of
the new Southern Stand immediately following the Eagles final round game
against Footscray and the WACA had yet to be accepted as an alternative venue
due to its smaller capacity.
The AFL were also locked into an agreement with the MCC that
stipulated a final at the MCG every week, and while the remaining seven
positions on the ladder were filled with Victorian sides, the AFL refused to
confirm West Coast would receive a second home final beyond the opening week.
The situation mirrored the scenario that West Coast faced in
1991 when they were forced to travel for a semi-final against Melbourne and a
preliminary final against Geelong, despite finishing top.
While that was still to play out between West Coast and the
AFL, on the field two of the premiership fancies showed their best and their
worst in front of an electric crowd of just under 32,000 people.
Both teams named strong line-ups with the Eagles bringing
back three premiership players in captain John Worsfold and half-forwards Tony
Evans and Brett Heady. Guy McKenna was able to take his place despite still
nursing a broken nose from a Darren Jarman hit the week before, as did Ryan
Turnbull who was limited during the week at training with a left wrist
complaint.
The Kangaroos made just the one change to the team that
narrowly lost to Geelong the week before, with midfielder Alastair Clarkson
making way for utility Peter Mann. North Melbourne coach Denis Pagan admitted
that the selection of Mann was in response to the 37 point defeat to West Coast
earlier in the season, when the Eagles exposed the Kangaroos for lack of
height.
Another inclusion to the Kangaroos side from the one that
lost in round 6 was Corey McKernan who had been a revelation in his first
season. The rookie ruckman/forward had added another dimension to the Kangaroos
in 1994 and lined up in the forward half along with Wayne Carey and John
Longmire in a three-pronged attack.
Jason Ball was given the task in defence of minding
McKernan, with Michael Brennan taking Longmire and Glen Jakovich matching up
with Carey in the next instalment of their individual rivalry.
Jakovich would emerge the winner out of their battle with a
best on ground display. The Eagles centre half back finished with 29 disposals
and seven marks as he often stood in the way of many North Melbourne forward
entries.
He was well supported by Guy McKenna (19 disposals) and John
Worsfold (20 disposals) as North Melbourne allowed the Eagles half-back line to
dictate play.
The Kangaroos used Alex Ishchenko as a spare man in defence,
replicating a tactic that had worked successfully against Gary Ablett the week
before. With Ishchenko heading into the back 50 after contesting the centre
bounce, the Kangaroo half-forwards pushed up the ground to neutralise the Eagle
midfield.
That meant McKenna and Worsfold were often allowed to set up
without an opponent, feeding off the loose balls created from spilled balls in
the North Melbourne forward 50.
The Eagles also had plenty of winners through the middle of
the ground as Dean Kemp, Peter Matera and Chris Mainwaring dominated the North
Melbourne centreline. Kemp dismissed the tagging effort of Anthony Stevens to
pick up 12 first-half possessions and also booted the only two goals of the
second quarter as West Coast worked their way to a 22 point half-time lead.
While Kemp was less influential after half-time, Mainwaring
got the better of Wayne Schwass with 18 second-half disposals to finish with a
match haul of 25 (along with eight marks). Peter Matera tallied 23 disposals on
the other wing and Don Pyke was just as effective with 22 touches.
After controlling the first half, the Eagles were dominant
in the third term, but it took until late in the quarter when consecutive goals
to Craig Turley – who started the game on the bench – gave the Eagles what
appeared to be an unassailable lead.
At three-quarter time, Pagan reverted back to a more typical
structure holding his half-forwards deeper and the Kangaroos got the rewards on
the scoreboard. They opened the scoring in the first minute before Peter Sumich
responded shortly after with his second major of the evening to restore the
Eagles’ 40 point lead.
That would be the last significant score for West Coast in
the game as North Melbourne flew home in a rush. The Kangaroos kicked the final
five goals of the game and had their chances in the dying minutes. With the
margin just nine points and still three minutes remaining, the Kangaroos
butchered several forward 50 entries.
Jakovich twice was able to intercept North Melbourne,
including one John Blakey kick when he had Carey 15m free in space. Jakovich
had 12 disposals and took four marks in the final term alone as the Eagles
defence stood tall in the face of repeat Kangaroo entries.
After the match, the mood of the two coaches could not have
been further apart.
Denis Pagan was seething of his side’s performance, with
many of his prime movers leaving their imprint on the game until it was too
late. Corey McKernan, Wayne Schwass and Darren Crocker all lifted in the final
term as North Melbourne rallied, but it mattered little to Pagan.
“We were pretty disappointing for three quarters, and to
come back hard in the last quarter proved that there is nothing conclusive
about West Coast and North Melbourne.”
On the flipside, Mick Malthouse wasn’t bothered by his team’s
last quarter, instead choosing to focus on the earlier effort that won the
game.
“I thought the workload of the boys was outstanding for
three quarters and there probably wasn’t any reward on the scoreboard.”
“North got their momentum up and they were very hard to stop…
we got a couple of running injuries and that put a bit of pressure on us,”
Malthouse explained. “We had to leave a couple of players out there when we
wouldn’t have normally.”
In the post-script, both sides had setbacks to counter.
The Eagles finished the game without a fit player on the
bench after John Worsfold and Tony Evans re-aggravated injuries in their first games
back, while Chris Lewis had fresh worries over a thigh.
North Melbourne lost Anthony Rock during the game with a
serious ankle injury, that was likely to see the midfielder miss the remainder
of the regular season, but their concerns lay more critically with the
tribunal.
The Kangaroos had three players reported on the night, with
Brett Allison and Corey McKernan both reported for tripping Jason Ball on
separate occasions, while Glenn Archer went into the book for disputing an
umpires decision. Archer and Allison would escape suspension, but McKernan
would not be so lucky, copping a one week ban. Cruelly, the guilty finding
would leave McKernan ineligible for the Rising Star award, which he had been
favourite to win.
If the nine-point win on a Friday night was a positive way
to start the weekend, it only got better for the Eagles when Carlton – who were
vying with West Coast for top spot – were humbled by last-placed Sydney at the
SCG.
In a result that David Parkin declared would ‘have severe
ramifications for the club’, the Swans recorded a famous eight-point win in a
low-scoring clash, despite four goals to Carlton captain Stephen Kernahan. The
Blues entered the game as $1.05 favourites, but the upset defeat left Carlton
two games behind West Coast in second place ahead of their meeting the
following week.
An inaccurate Richmond dropped their match against Hawthorn,
while a goalless last quarter saw Melbourne fall to the Magpies. The losses to
the Tigers and the Demons, on top of defeats to the Blues and Kangaroos meant
that the teams placed second through to fifth coming into round 21 all lost, as
the race for the top four got tighter.
The six teams behind West Coast and Carlton all had 11 wins
for the season, with percentage determining the order.
North Melbourne remained third courtesy of their superior
percentage with the Bulldogs moving into the top four after they easily
accounted for St Kilda. The Saints got the early jump, but Footscray took
control after quarter time, booting 15 goals to 6 on their way to a 45 point victory.
Geelong moved up to fifth when they got over the Lions,
although it took until the last quarter to be completely assured of the win.
Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond rounded out the eight, with the Magpies
returning to the top eight after knocking on the door for several weeks.
Richmond suddenly looked vulnerable as they dropped from fourth to eighth, with their poor percentage threatening to undo their run to the finals. Melbourne made way for the Magpies dropping to ninth, as they sat one game behind the teams above them; the loss to Collingwood proving a real eight-point result.
For the second time in season 1994, the Eagles faced a
Hawthorn side who were reeling off the back of three consecutive heavy defeats.
And, for the second time in season 1994, the Eagles were well beaten. After thrashing the Eagles by 71 points in their round 5 meeting, the Hawks were able to complete the double with a 46 point triumph that re-invigorated their finals hopes and opened up the race for top spot.
Making the Hawks’ win even more impressive was that they did
it without champion full forward Jason Dunstall, after he strained a calf
against the Blues the week before.
Paul Hudson stepped up to the plate in Dunstall’s absence,
booting five goals and having the better of a handful of Eagle opponents.
Apart from a brief period in the second quarter when they
had the advantage of the breeze, the Eagles never looked like threatening the
Hawks, in a performance that coach Michael Malthouse labelled ‘absolutely
dreadful’.
With Carlton having the bye, the Eagles remained one game
clear of the Blues, despite the loss, but their hold of top spot was starting
to look shaky. The two teams were set to do battle in a fortnight’s time, with
West Coast also due to face top eight sides North Melbourne and Footscray in
the final rounds of the regular season.
There was little change in the top eight, with most results going as expected. The one surprise was the Cats thrilling one-point win over North Melbourne, where Gary Ablett notched his 100th goal for the season. However, despite the win, the Cats actually dropped from sixth to eighth. The Hawks stayed seventh with their win over West Coast, while the Bulldogs swapped positions with Geelong after thumped a dispirited Adelaide by 84 points at Western Oval. The defeat all but ended the Crows’ slim finals hopes, with the future of inaugural coach Graham Cornes in question.
Richmond accounted for the Saints to remain in fourth spot,
but joined the Kangaroos on eleven wins, while Melbourne scored a vital win
over Brisbane at the GABBA to stay fifth. The Demons led a pack of five teams,
all on 10 wins, with Collingwood sitting ninth after they defeated the Bombers.
Essendon and Brisbane sat one game out of the top eight, but both teams had yet
to have to their second bye, meaning they were essentially two games out of
finals contention.
Dunstall was one of four changes for the Hawks, with Paul
Barnard, Scott Crow and Tim Hargreaves all dropped following the 32 point loss
to Carlton. Anthony Condon, Greg Madigan, Alex McDonald and Jason Taylor all
came into the side, with Taylor named at centre half forward and Paul Dear
starting in the goal square.
Alex McDonald also started forward with Peter Knights throwing
his side around in a bid to arrest the three game losing streak. Greg Madigan
and Andrew Gowers both spent time through the centre, while Shayne Stevenson
often pushed up the ground from half-forward to create an additional number around
the ball. Young defender Mark Graham was put to full back to mind Peter Sumich
with Chris Langford shifted to centre half back.
West Coast made two changes with Chris Mainwaring and John
Worsfold both named at selection but each needing to pass a fitness test before
taking their place. Mainwaring made it through, but Worsfold was ruled out for
the fifth game in the past eight weeks. His place was taken by veteran Dwayne
Lamb. Brendan Krummel and Damien Hampson were both omitted.
After losing his place at West Coast, Krummel’s week got
worse when he was suspended by the WAFL tribunal following an investigation
into the Fremantle derby a fortnight earlier. Krummel was found guilty of rough
conduct when he elbowed South Fremantle youngster Owen Woods while attempting
to shepherd, which left Woods with a fractured cheekbone. Krummel was rubbed
out for a week.
The writing was on the wall early for West Coast when Michael
Brennan dropped a simple chest mark just three minutes into the game, allowing Paul
Hudson to swoop on the loose ball and snap through the opening goal. With the
aid of the wind, Hawthorn raced to a 28 point quarter time lead, with six goals
to one.
Having lost Worsfold before the game, the Eagles half-back
line took another hit when Guy McKenna created history to became the first
player sent off by the umpires under the AFL’s newly implemented blood rule in
the first quarter.
McKenna was on the end of a heavy bump from Darren Jarman that
left the defender with a bloodied nose. McKenna returned in the second term,
only to be sent off again when the patchwork didn’t hold and his jumper got
stained. McKenna wouldn’t appear after half-time due to blurred vision.
The Eagles got the game on their terms in the second
quarter, reducing the Hawks lead to 15 at the major break. Peter Wilson led the
way for the visitors with 11 possessions in the quarter, but the Hawks wrapped
up the contest on the back of a Darren Jarman masterclass.
The Hawks more than doubled their half-time score in the third
term, with Jarman having a hand in nearly all of Hawthorn’s seven goals for the
quarter. Drew Banfield, Matt Clape and Peter Wilson were all given the task of
stopping Jarman, but there was little any of the Eagles players could do.
Paul Hudson booted three of the Hawks’ seven goals and, likewise,
created headaches for the Eagles coaching box who were unable to find a player to
curb his influence. Chris Langford proved a wall for Hawthorn across half-back,
picking up 21 dipsosals and six marks as he completely shut out Ashley
McIntosh.
Shane Crawford picked up 26 disposals in a run with role on
Peter Matera on the wing, holding the Eagle to just 11 possessions, while Rayden
Tallis blanketed Dean Kemp in the middle. On a day of few winners for West Coast,
Peter Wilson and Chris Mainwaring each finished with 20 disposals and a goal.
The Eagles sluggishness could have been attributed to
consecutive trips to Melbourne, with the Hawthorn clash six days after taking
on Fitzroy at the sodden Western Oval. However, Eagles coach Michael Malthouse refused
to use the fixture as an excuse.
Instead, the Eagles coach was left to ponder whether the
Hawks now had the psychological edge should the two teams meet in the finals. “They
have the edge at the moment. Next week is a different week, but they
slaughtered us.”
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