Tag: hawks

Back In The Pack

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Consecutive Losses See Eagles Slip Down Ladder

After a bright start with wins over North Melbourne and Port Adelaide to open the season, the Eagles soon found themselves with a squared ledger after dropping games against Sydney and Hawthorn.

In a throwback to the classic encounters of the mid-2000’s, the Eagles and Swans played out another tight match, with the margin never going beyond three goals for the entire game.

Adam Goodes would be the difference between the two sides in the final term switching to the midfield after spending much of the first three quarters playing forward.

With West Coast holding a 12 point after Luke Shuey goaled inside the first minute of the quarter, Goodes provided the response to draw the Swans within six points, before adding a second major later in the term to level the scores. Goodes would finish with eight disposals for the term, along with three centre clearances and four contested marks as Sydney booted six goals to three to claim a narrow 13 point win.

The match itself was far less a spectacle and more a bruising battle, as the hardened Sydney midfield overwhelmed their younger opponents. The Swans laid 111 tackles (to West Coast’s 69), with Jude Bolton applying a game record 19 tackles himself.

The Swans got the quick jump with Jesse White booting the opening two goals of the match, but Quinten Lynch also managed a brace for the quarter which saw the two teams tied at the first change after Nic Naitanui floated home a goal on the siren.

Again Sydney got out to a two goal lead, with Goodes registering his first goal, but Lynch added two more goals, either side of a Lewis Jetta major, to keep the Eagles within touching distance. Andrew Embley put the Eagles in front, but Rhyce Shaw restored the Swans’ lead with the visitors in front by three points at the main break.

Dean Cox then took a hold of the match in the third quarter, putting in a quarter that matched the efforts of Goodes in the final. The Swans opted to play Shane Mumford as their sole ruckman against the pairing of Cox and Naitanui, with Mark Seaby – who had crossed to the Swans in the off-season – and Canadian Mike Pyke both left out of the side.

Sydney moved to a game high 17 point lead after Ben McGlynn and Jude Bolton both kicked majors when Cox stamped his authority. The Eagles ruckman picked up nine disposals for the term and kicked the final goal of an Eagles four-goal run that saw West Coast head into the final quarter with a six point lead.

Luke Shuey then made it five majors on the trot early in the last before Goodes drove his side to the line. Goodes finished with 21 disposals and three goals, complementing the workhorse Swans midfield group. Kieran Jack was the leading ball winner for the Swans, collecting 23 touches while also restricting Eagles dynamo Daniel Kerr to just 13.

Josh Kennedy also had 23 possessions, 18 of which were contested, while Jesse White joined Goodes in booting three goals.

Matt Priddis was one of the best for West Coast with 27 disposals and six clearances, doing what he could to match the Swans outfit. Cox’ strong start to the season continued, finishing with 20 disposals, two goals and 38 hit-outs. Naitanui tallied 28 himself with the Eagles winning the tap 68-38 but the Swans were still able to claim the clearances 49-34. Crucially their dominance through the middle in the final quarter saw them maintain their unbeaten record, following a draw with Melbourne in the opening round and a five point win over Essendon.

The Eagles on the other hand had been dealt their first loss of the season which saw them drop to ninth on the ladder.

The Eagles then made the long trek to Launceston to tackle the Hawks in what proved to be another narrow defeat. The match featured two of the upcoming forwards in the game, with Lance Franklin kicking six of the Hawks’ 10 goals, while Josh Kennedy booted four of the Eagles’ nine.

For the second week in a row the Eagles led at three-quarter time, but were run over by a more experienced side in the final quarter. Franklin kicked three of his six goals in the final quarter, as he got the better of young defender Mitch Brown.

With two points separating the sides at the final change, the Hawks broke the game open with the first four goals of the term, leading by 26 points as the term ticked into time-on. However West Coast finished with a rush, kicking the final three goals in the match but ultimately falling short by seven points.

The Eagles were made to pay for their early inaccuracy, as they failed to capitalise on their control of the match in the first quarter. The Eagles had twice as many inside-50s but kicked three goals to the Hawks’ two.

Josh Kennedy kicked his second late in the quarter to put the Eagles ten points ahead, but he was one culprit of missed chances, with three other efforts on goal either failing to score or going out on the full.

West Coast continued to hold the ascendancy in field position as the Hawks struggled to break through the Eagles forward press. However, the Hawks were devastating when they got the ball forward. Hawthorn booted the first three goals of the second term before Andrew Embley added one late for West Coast to reduce the Hawks’ lead to a solitary point.

While Franklin was proving a handful forward of centre, Sam Mitchell was racking up disposals in the irregular position of half back. Mitchell had averaged 27 disposals across the opening three rounds, but had matched that effort by half time.

The Eagles booted two goals to one in the third term to grab the lead before Franklin stepped up in the final term.

Mitchell finished with 37 disposals for the match as he was moved onto Kerr in the second half, who was also playing out of the middle, across half forward. Grant Birchall and Matt Suckling gathered 30 and 23 disposals, respectively, in defence while Brad Sewell was the enforcer through the middle with 19 possessions and 12 tackles.

The Eagles were well served once again by Matthew Priddis in the middle of the ground and Matt Rosa was strong on a wing with 25 touches and a goal. Josh Kennedy was the only multiple goal scorer for West Coast, while in defence Darren Glass was supreme in his 200th AFL match.

With Brown tracking Franklin and Eric Mackenzie lining up on Jarryd Roughead at full forward, Glass was released to play on the resting ruckman in either David Hale or Brent Renouf getting the better of both players. Mackenzie held Roughead to just one disposal for the first half to be one of the Eagles best.  

Sam Butler, Jack Darling and Andrew Embley all had 24 touches, with Darling outstanding in the first half with 18 possessions.

The Eagles were now 2-2 for the season and dropped down to 10th on the ladder ahead of their bye in round five. With Gold Coast entering the competition as the 17th team, the competition had an uneven number of teams for the first time since 1994, with each side scheduled for two byes throughout the 24 round season.

1990 Rewind: Eagles’ ‘Character’ Win

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Malthouse Lauds His Players Fighting Finish

Mick Malthouse declared in the lead up that it would be the Eagles’ greatest test of character.

The Eagles, coming off two disappointing losses to North Melbourne and Essendon and with their hold of a top five place under threat from the swarm of sides clambering to break their way into finals contention, needing to win against the twice-defending premiers.

West Coast’s poor record in Victoria had once again become the conversation as many questioned the Eagles legitimacy in the premiership race. Poor form had also seen a number of changes in recent weeks, unsettling the Eagles line-up.

To further frustrate Malthouse, incessant rain during the week prevented the Eagles from running their main training session on the WACA, which was sitting under a deluge of water. Players and staff arrived at the ground only to find a square tarp across the middle of the cricket wicket, forcing a mad dash back to Subiaco Oval.

However, by the time players had battled peak hour traffic to reach the other side of the city, the session was lost.

“We feel like lepers,” Malthouse said.

“That’s the sort of treatment we expect when we go to Melbourne and what Melbourne teams should cop when they come here.”

“It’s the same argument we had with them last time… Our whole preparation has been messed up.”

Like West Coast, Hawthorn had hit a mid-season stumble. After winning four of their first five games, including an emphatic 115 point demolition of Geelong in the opening round grand final rematch, injuries and suspensions had the Hawks similarly fighting for their top five spot.

Spearhead Jason Dunstall was sidelined with a fractured skull and Dermott Brereton was serving a four game suspension for striking Garry Lyon. The Hawks would also lose captain Michael Tuck ahead of the opening bounce after he failed a fitness test. Veteran Peter Schwab would take his place in the midfield, joining ruckman Stephen Lawrence who was named as an inclusion when teams were first announced.

The Eagles made just one change to the team that lost to Essendon, with Stevan Jackson dumped in favour of rookie midfielder Dean Kemp. Craig McGrath was shifted to centre half-forward, joining Sumich and Langdon in a three-pronged attack.

Hawthorn opted to change with routine, flying into Perth on the morning of the game.

At half-time, they may as well have still been on the plane.

The Eagles got the fast start on the visitors, kicking seven first quarter goals – four of which were booted by full forward Peter Sumich – to open up a 31 point lead at the first change.

The runners of West Coast were running rings around a sluggish Hawthorn, with rookie Brett Heady leading the way through the middle. Heady, along with Chris Lewis and Steve Malaxos were winning plenty of ball around the contest, with Chris Mainwaring giving the drive along the wing.

Steve Malaxos led from the front with 23 disposals in the middle

The Hawks closed the game up in the second quarter, managing to hold the Eagles to just one goal, kicked via Chris Lewis, but were unable to hit the scoreboard themselves going goalless. Making matters worse for the Hawks, Gary Buckenara and Peter Curran had both left the ground with knee injuries, meaning they were without a bench for the remainder of the game.

When Malaxos goaled early in the third quarter, the Eagles lead was out to 40 and the game looked done.

But Hawthorn then raised a gear, storming back into the contest with eight of the next nine goals. When John Platten – who was well held by David Hart all night – kicked truly just before three-quarter time, the Hawks had taken the lead, unthinkable just half an hour earlier.

Greg Dear was the architect of the Hawks’ comeback as he gained the upper hand in his intriguing battle with Eagles ruckman Dean Irving. Dear finished the match with 41 hit-outs, to go with 22 disposals and eight marks. In particular during the third term, Dear provided first use to the Hawk’s midfield brigade, with Dean Anderson, Anthony Condon and Peter Schwab all enjoying plenty of the ball.

The Eagles grabbed back the lead before the final change, before Platten booted his second goal early in the final term to put the Hawks back in front.

That would be the last salvo from the Hawks, as West Coast met the visitors’ challenge to boot five of the last six goals in the game. The Eagles rediscovered their run against a tiring Hawthorn outfit, with defenders Guy McKenna and Michael Brennan both running down the ground to kick goals.

Sumich added a fifth in the final term to take his season tally to the half-century mark and third on the goal kickers list behind Tony Lockett (52) and Darren Bennett (51).

Heady finished with 28 disposals and seven marks, while Chris Lewis and ruckman Dean Irving were the next best with 26 disposals. Guy McKenna had 21 coming out of defence, while Michael Brennan shut out Alex McDonald who came onto the ground as Buckenara’s replacement.

Malthouse was understandably pleased with the result.

“You’ve got to be happy when you beat Hawthorn.”

“Some might say that you throw (Dermott) Brereton and (Jason) Dunstall into the Hawthorn team and we lose that game, but who knows.”

Malthouse admitted that the Hawks got the better of his players through the middle stages, as they clamped the Eagles run.

But Allan Jeans said his side didn’t do enough to contain West Coast’s midfield, with their influence at the start and end of the match decisive in the defeat.

“Their running players got on top and created opportunities for their forwards and then we played catch-up footy for most of the night.”

Anthony Condon was the leading ball winner on the night with 30 disposals, and was well supported by Dean Anderson (29) and Peter Schwab (28), but not enough players were able to contribute across the night.

Without the key pillars of Brereton and Dunstall, the Hawks couldn’t gain an ascendancy forward of centre, bar the third quarter. Paul Dear kicked three goals and Stephen Lawrence and John Platten each chimed in with two.

Malthouse lauded his players for their continued fight in the last quarter.

“We sent 20 players down the race and they sent 20 and it was a terrifically courageous last quarter. We had some of our guys running up and down on the spot and they still came from behind to win.”

The result saw the two sides switch positions on the ladder, with West Coast moving up to fourth and the Hawks dropping to fifth. The Eagles remained one game behind Essendon, Melbourne and Collingwood, who all recorded victories.

The Bombers defeated the Kangaroos, while Melbourne and Collingwood beat finals aspirants Footscray and Geelong. They remained a game behind the Hawks outside the top five, along with St Kilda and Carlton.

The Blues easily defeated Brisbane at Princes Park to lift themselves into seventh, but it was the Saints who were kicking themselves the most after the suffered a shock defeat to the Tigers. St Kilda booted eight goals in the opening term, but were slowly reeled in the Tigers over the next three quarters, with a five goal final term giving Richmond a 20 point win. The defeat cost the Saints a chance to move back into the top five.

The string of results across the round meant the Eagles sat two games inside the top five and maintained their hopes of securing a double chance. But while there were plenty of positives to take from the win, the sour point of the evening was a two game suspension handed out to Craig McGrath, who was cited for striking Ray Jencke in the final minutes of the match.

With the upcoming state-of-origin clash between WA and Victoria at the WACA the following Tuesday week, those Eagles not selected had a fortnight to recover before the Eagles’ next game against Fitzroy in the second weekend of the split Round 13.

1994 Rewind: Hawks Humble Eagles

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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.”