2011 Rewind: In Celebration Mode

August 6, 2021August 6, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Nicoski Kicks Six to Lead the Eagles Party

It was a week of celebration for West Coast as they honoured and paid homage to their first 25 years in the VFL/AFL competition, culminating in a 57 point win over Richmond.

The Eagles chose to celebrate their 25^th season in the top tier competition in the lead up to their Round 20 clash with the Tigers, who were their first ever opponent in the opening round of 1987. In that game, the then VFL newcomers fought back from 33 points down to claim a 14 point win in their inaugural match courtesy of a nine goal final quarter.

However no such heroics were required in this meeting with the Eagles steering away from the Tigers during the second term and coasting to a 57 point win.

Josh Kennedy was again absent for the Eagles with an eye injury, but the Eagles were able to recall Daniel Kerr and Nic Naitanui. The pair were joined by defender Mitch Brown and midfielder Chris Masten who was selected for his first senior match since Round 12.

Vice-captain Beau Waters was ruled out with an elbow injury, which was initially played down by the club after he injured it during the win over the Western Bulldogs. Eric Mackenzie was also a casualty, straining a hamstring during the final training session of the week. Tom Swift and first-gamer Scott Lycett lost their places.

The Tigers also made four changes with captain Chris Newman succumbing to a knee injury and Jake Batchelor ruled out with a shoulder complaint. Ben Griffiths and Matt White were dropped, with Shaun Grigg, Brad Miller, Mitch Farmer and Matt Dea the four inclusions.

After an entertaining first term that saw the Eagles lead five goals to four at the first change, West Coast took grip of the match off the back of a dominant quarter from ruckman Nic Naitanui.

With Dean Cox limited to the full forward line after copping a knock to the hip in the opening minutes of the game, Naitanui was left to lead the ruck with Quinten Lynch rotated through to provide back up.

Naitanui relished the circumstance, as he controlled the ruck against Angus Graham and Ty Vickery, amassing eight possessions (all contested), four marks (all contested), several clearances and kicking two goals in the quarter – all the while providing silver service to the likes of Daniel Kerr and Luke Shuey.

**Mark Nicoski finished with a career high six goals in the win over Richmond**

West Coast continued to dictate the match until late in the third quarter when the Tigers got on a roll to reduce a 45 point deficit to 27, keeping open the outside chance of an upset comeback.

In the last meeting between the two sides, at the MCG midway through the 2010 season, Jack Riewoldt had booted a career best ten goals, but to half time of this encounter, Darren Glass had kept the Tigers spearhead to just six disposals and no score. However, Riewoldt responded in the third quarter booting three goals as Richmond looked to continue on the attack.

Eagles coach John Worsfold admitted displeasure after the match with conceding seven goals in the third term, but West Coast tightened up their defence in the final term to kick five goals to one and run out 57 point winners.

14 of the Eagles’ 22 goals were kicked by the trio of Mark Nicoski, Jack Darling and Brad Ebert, who all recorded career best hauls in front of the sticks. Nicoski finished with six goals, while Darling and Ebert each booted four as the Eagles showed they could find other avenues to goal.

For Nicoski, his six goal return was just reward for a season that had reinvented the defender as a pressure forward as part of the Eagles’ strong forward press. Brad Ebert was another who had had to adapt to a different role this season with the return of Kerr, the arrival of Gaff and the rapid improvement of Shuey with Worsfold deploying the South Australian across half forward for much of the year.

Ebert appeared to find the balance in his role, hitting the scoreboard with four goals, as well as gathering 21 disposals with four tackles and four inside-50’s.

Kerr led the Eagles ball-winners with 34 disposals, 13 of which came in the second quarter when Naitanui got on top in the ruck battle. Kerr also finished with eight clearances, while Shuey had seven to go with 30 disposals, seven tackles and six inside-50s.

Andrew Gaff was tireless with 29 on the wing, while Lynch appeared to relish the freedom of running through the ruck with 23 touches, seven marks, 10 hit-outs and seven inside-50s.

Brett Deledio tallied 31 possessions and eight rebounds to lead the Tigers, with Shane Tuck (29 disposals) and Nathan Foley (24) the next best. Riewoldt kicked the Tigers only goal of the final term to finish with four for the match, with Brad Miller and Ty Vickery the only other multiple goal scorers for the visitors.

Scott Selwood was tasked with the job of minding Richmond captain Trent Cotchin, keeping the midfielder to just 17 disposals.

The result meant that the Eagles kept the pressure on Hawthorn and Carlton as they sought to push their way into the top four. The Hawks and Blues recorded wins against finals hopefuls North Melbourne and Melbourne, further denting their finals hopes.

The Kangaroos pushed the Hawks for three quarters before Lance Franklin kicked three final quarter goals to inspire his side to a 17 point victory. Todd Viney took charge of the Demons following the sacking of Dean Bailey, but it did little to improve things as they crashed to a 76 point defeat.

The battle for spots in the lower half of the top eight played out in dramatic fashion as the sixth placed Swans travelled to play the ninth-placed Bombers, and the seventh-placed Saints faced the eighth-placed Dockers. Just three points separated the Saints and Dockers at three-quarter time before St Kilda piled on six goals to none in the final term to run out 41 point winners.

That saw them climb to sixth on the ladder after the Swans fell to the Bombers by one point at Docklands after Adam Goodes had the chance to win the game on the siren. His long range set shot drifted wide allowing the Bombers to rise back into the top eight at the expense of the Dockers. Sydney also dropped to seventh on the ladder as a result, meaning the Eagles were now 10 points clear in fifth spot with four games to play.

The statement of the round though lay with the two leading premiership fancies in Collingwood and Geelong. The Magpies and the Cats were drawn against the two stragglers in the competition, in Port Adelaide and Gold Coast with the two sides not missing a chance at percentage boosters.

Geelong hammered the young Gold Coast side by 150 points, backing up from their 186 point thrashing of Melbourne the week before. Steve Johnson followed up his 34 disposal-7 goal effort against the Demons with 31 possessions and six goals against the Suns. The Ablett-less Suns matched the Cats early, with both sides kicking three goals to start the game before Geelong went on the rampage with the next 15 goals in the game to open up a 94 point lead at half time.

The Cats also booted the final 11 goals in the game to run out easy winners, with the combined 336 point margin over the previous fortnight boosting their percentage by 21.9 points in that time.

The Magpies proved they wouldn’t be outdone, smashing a hapless Port Adelaide by 138 points at Football Park. The Power managed just six scoring shots for the night – finishing with 3.3 for the match, compared to the Magpies’ total of 23.21 from 44 scoring shots. That kept the Magpies at the head of the ladder with their monstrous percentage of 186.1 from 17 wins keeping them in front of the Cats who had built their percentage to 160.4 from the same number of wins.

While happy with the win, there were concerns for the Eagles with a number of injuries out of the match against the Tigers. Wingman Matt Rosa was the most serious, limping off during the third quarter after clashing knees with Richmond’s Daniel Jackson while Jackson was attempting to kick. Both players would be substituted out of the game from the incident, with Rosa later diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury that was likely to keep him out of the rest of the home and away series.

It continued an unfortunate run for Rosa who was on the fringe of the Eagles’ 2006 premiership side, playing in the first two finals before being dropped for the preliminary final. Dean Cox would be monitored after his knock to the hip, while Naitanui limped off in the game late with a lower leg problem.

It would prove to be just a small scuff off the gloss of the week that saw West Coast celebrate their first quarter century of existence. The Eagles wore commemorative jumpers in the match that listed every Eagles to have represented the club, while the inaugural inductees of the West Coast Eagle Hall of Fame were announced in a gala event the night before the match.

Eight inductees were announced with current coach John Worsfold joined by former teammates Guy McKenna, Glen Jakovich, Peter Matera, Chris Lewis and Dean Kemp along with two time premiership coach Michael Malthouse and long-time trainer Bill Sutherland.

1990 Rewind: Exhausted Eagles Bow Out

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Travel Load Catches Up With Young Eagles

West Coast’s 1990 campaign fizzled out to a 63 point defeat against Essendon in the Preliminary Final, with the Bombers progressing to face Collingwood in the Grand Final.

Four consecutive matches at Waverley Park, and six interstate trips in a row, finally caught up with the young Eagles line-up, as they battled injury, illness and air strikes in the lead up to the match.

The Eagles were again forced to compromise their travel plans amid the ongoing national air strikes that had plagued much of their travelling over the previous six weeks.

West Coast ventured to Melbourne on a chartered flight, sharing the trip with the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne Tigers who were in the middle of their NBL Grand Final series. The trip required several stops along the way, and saw the three teams land in Melbourne on the Thursday – a day earlier than the Eagles’ usual schedule.

There were also concerns at the selection table.

Dwayne Lamb was unavailable, courtesy of a one week ban from the AFL tribunal, while nuggety midfielder Scott Watters was ruled out with a groin complaint.

Chris Mainwaring was struggling with a knee issue, Guy McKenna was racing the clock after injuring his arm late against the Demons and Laurie Keene was managing a groin injury. Craig Turley – who had been the Eagles best player over the prior fortnight – hadn’t trained all week due to the flu.

All four would take their place, but only Mainwaring would be a serviceable contributor.

Peter Melesso and Dean Turner were the two replacements for Lamb and Watters, with the selection of Turner somewhat of a surprise. Turner earned selection ahead of captain Steve Malaxos, who was left out of the side for a second week, as well as Don Pyke and Phil Narkle who had both been favoured to be included in the side.

Melesso was named after serving a five match suspension, but would then be a late withdrawal. Melesso took part in the warm-up ahead of the match, before being replaced by Todd Breman.

West Coast started the brighter of the two sides, but despite controlling possession struggled to find a way past half forward. Simon Madden, who had been heavily criticised during the week after a poor showing against the Magpies in the semi-final, was dominant both in the ruck and as the spare man in defence clogging up the space of the Eagle forwards.

Madden tallied 10 disposals and five marks for the term, as well as booting Essendon’s fourth goal of after a strong mark over Phil Scott in the goal square. The Eagles had just one major for the quarter; a solo effort from Mainwaring when he intercepted a defensive kick in the Eagles forward 50m area, before kicking truly on the run.

**Stevan Jackson was busy early and finished with three goals**

The quarter time deficit of 17 points was soon 43 as Essendon made West Coast pay for some sloppy play. Craig Turley started the rot when he dropped a simple mark in the middle of the ground, allowing the Bombers to regain possession with Darren Bewick finishing off a chain of play.

Alan Ezard then capitalised after the Eagles turned the ball over at half back before Simon Madden was able to boot his second of the match when John Worsfold was unable to handle the ball in defence.

Gary O’Donnell missed a golden opportunity, hitting the post running into an open goal, before Essendon caught a lucky break to boot their fourth major of the quarter. A scrappy kick forward by Derek Kickett eluded Phil Scott as he led Paul Salmon to the ball, allowing the Bomber full forward to hand off to Mark Harvey for a simple finish.

At this point, nothing was going right for West Coast.

Guy McKenna had copped a heavy hit that left him with a bloodied nose to along with the arm injury he was carrying, while Chris Mainwaring and Mark Harvey were involved in a brutal head clash that left both players on the ground for several minutes.

Finally, the Eagles found their second goal of the match. While they had been outplayed in most areas on the ground, the one spot they were winning was the centre clearances, even with Laurie Keene restricted.

Some good work out of the middle ended with Brett Heady steering through a second goal on his left foot from half forward, with the Eagles able to boot three more to give them an outside chance of victory.

However, a horrible handpass by Todd Breman deep in the Eagles defence gifted Ezard his second major of the quarter and the Bombers held a six goal lead at the main break.

Things only got harder straight after the restart when Karl Langdon was carted off after being knocked out cold in an accidental clash with Terry Daniher. Langdon attempted a diving mark, running back with the flight of the ball, with Daniher’s hip collecting Langdon in the head. With Keene also done for the day, the Eagles were without a bench, with a half to play and six goals behind.

Still, they refused to give up the fight. West Coast were the better side for much of the third term, with the play almost completely in their forward line. Essendon couldn’t find a way out of defence as West Coast continually pumped the ball into their forward 50, but they couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard.

Peter Sumich kicked the Eagles first goal, but then missed two more set shots, before Stevan Jackson hit the post from close range, and then Tony Begovich missed from directly in front after receiving a 50m penalty.

Mainwaring had a chance that failed to score, as did Michael Brennan, whose long range shot was marked on the line by Ezard. Sumich had a third chance that sailed out of bounds and for all their dominance, the Eagles had posted just 1.5 for the quarter.

Dean Turner then best exemplified the Eagles’ frustration when he cannoned into Ezard, well after the Bomber forward had taken a running shot on goal. Ezard’s effort missed, but the umpire awarded a second shot following Turner’s indiscretion, with Ezard able to boot his third goal and all but finish West Coast’s resistance in the match.

The Bombers added a further five goals in the final quarter to run out easy, albeit unconvincing, winners.

Malthouse admitted the heavy travel load had caught up with his side, but had nothing but praise, despite bowing out in penultimate week of the season.

“We looked and acted tired.”

“But I think the spirit was there to generate as much play as possible… it all caught up with them,” Malthouse said.

“The players showed enormous courage and fortitude… at no stage in six weeks of criss-crossing Australia was their a complaint. There was no sign of weakness during a severe test of the team’s character and competitiveness.”

Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy was happy enough with the performance, confident his side would bounce back from the thrashing by Collingwood the week before. “We were switched on early, and the players worked hard to get 18 wins this year and they did not want to let that slip.”

“I feel that will make us 10 percent better next week.”

Greg Anderson and Chris Mainwaring were both their respective sides’ best players, despite being opposed to each other on the wing for much of the afternoon. Anderson finished with 25 touches and booted 1.3, while Mainwaring had 19 disposals and booted a goal.

Terry Daniher and Mark Thompson also finished with 25 touches to lead the way at Essendon, while Tim Watson picked up 22 disposals and booted a goal. Simon Madden was another standout during the game with 21 possessions, 12 marks, 10 hitouts and two goals.

Alan Ezard and Mark Harvey each booted three goals.

At West Coast, Chris Lewis finished as the leading ball winner with 22 in his battle with Mark Thompson. Thompson was influential in the opening term, but Lewis had the better of the match-up over the remainder of the match despite Thompson still finding plenty of the ball. Lewis had been sublime through the second half of the season, with his consistent showing culminating in winning the club best and fairest, as well as being named in the All-Australian side (along with John Worsfold).

**Chris Mainwaring was one of the Eagles’ best despite barely being able to see by games end**

Dean Kemp picked up 21 touches and Brett Heady 20, as the two finished their impressive debut seasons with strong performances. Stevan Jackson offered plenty in the forward line with three goals from 14 disposals and six marks, while Peter Sumich would rue a wasteful day, finishing with 2.5.

Andrew Lockyer won his battle at centre half back on Paul Van der Haar, keeping the veteran Bomber to just nine disposals and two late goals. Craig Turley (17 disposals) and Guy McKenna (16) toiled hard despite their operating below their capacity.

The Eagles coach was openly proud of his side’s season, but the gains made in season 1990 were best summed up by opposing coach Kevin Sheedy. The Bombers coach – a former teammate of Malthouse’s at Richmond – praised Malthouse, saying he had added professionalism to the four year old club, while also lauding WA’s ‘sensational’ year.

Sheedy said playing four finals in a row was the equivalent of two finals series’ worth of experience, which would be ‘invaluable’.

“After physically and mentally going through it, the standard for West Coast has been set.”

The Eagles for their part had risen from a bit-part team out in the west, to one of premier clubs in the revamped competition in just one season. The addition of Malthouse had been an immediate success – and the board knew as much.

Days before Christmas, the Eagles announced that Malthouse had signed a three year extension to his initial contract, keeping him at the club until the end of 1994.

The ’90s had begun – as had the first Eagles dynasty.

1990 Rewind: Eagles Exorcise Demons

October 15, 2020October 15, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Historic First Finals Win For West Coast

West Coast set up a meeting with Essendon in the preliminary final after defeating Melbourne by five goals in the semi final.

Mick Malthouse’s drastic changes at the selection table paid off, as West Coast overcame a poor recent record against Melbourne to produce the clubs first ever win in a final.

One of those selections – Chris Waterman – produced a career best outing booting six goals across half forward.

Waterman was one of six changes for West Coast, with Eagles coach Mick Malthouse ruthlessly axing a quarter of the side that was demolished by Collingwood the week before in the Qualifying Final replay.

The most controversial omission was captain Steve Malaxos, who lost his place after a period of indifferent form. Malaxos had spent much of the previous two games against Collingwood on the bench, with Malthouse later saying the Eagles needed greater leg speed and running power on the wide expanses of Waverley Park.

Joining Malaxos out of the side were ruckman Dean Irving, who had been well beaten in both Collingwood matches, Troy Ugle, Craig McGrath, Murray Rance with a fractured jaw and Peter Wilson who would be a late withdrawal ahead of the game with a hamstring strain.

Phil Scott returned to the Eagles line-up, after being dropped on the eve of the finals, to partner Laurie Keene in the ruck, while Scott Watters returned after missing the replay with a knee injury. Stevan Jackson replaced McGrath up forward after ten goals with South Fremantle in the previous fortnight, while Waterman and Tony Begovich were added for their ability to run and spread.

When Wilson pulled out ahead of the game, Andrew Lockyer was called up, slotting into defence in place of the missing Rance. Guy McKenna had been in doubt after breaking a nose late in the loss to the Magpies, but held his spot, as did Mainwaring whose knee was becoming a week by week proposition.

**Stevan Jackson returned to the Eagles side to be one of their best**

Melbourne made no change when teams were announced but were soon to have their own late drama. Captain Garry Lyon was pulled from the side on the morning of the game after he suffered a corked thigh colliding with teammate Steven O’Dwyer the day before at training. Todd Viney was called up to the side.

Despite being without Lyon and midfielders Brian Wilson and Alan Johnson, the Demons were still hot favourites to progress to the preliminary final.

It took just 90 seconds for West Coast to show they weren’t going to just whimper away.

Kicking into the wind, the Eagles had two goals on the board – both to Chris Mainwaring – before Melbourne had even worked out their direct match-ups.

As well as bringing in a host of new players, Malthouse also moved his side around as he sought to catch the Demons off guard. Mainwaring started at half forward and his quick brace forced a shuffle of the Melbourne defence with Steven Stretch moved from the wing to replace Matthew Febey.

John Worsfold also started forward, as did Chris Lewis as the Eagles looked to avoid an early tag. Lewis still had Stephen Newport for company, but was influential early as West Coast established an important 13 point lead at quarter time.

Andrew Obst had been instrumental in Melbourne’s win over the Eagles in Perth several weeks earlier and Malthouse wasn’t keen on letting the midfielder run unattended again. Guy McKenna shifted into the midfield in a run-with role, holding Obst to just 12 disposals for the game.

Laurie Keene led the ruck, with Phil Scott taking the resting ruckman in the back pocket, while Andrew Lockyer had first crack at Darren Bennett.

The Demons tried to repeat the physical approach that had seen them defeat West Coast twice during the regular season, but the Eagles kept their focus on the ball.

The 13 point advantage exploded to 45 points by the main break, with the Eagles booting six goals to none with the wind, and the match was as good as done.

Melbourne outscored the Eagles in the second half, but West Coast were never in danger of giving up their spot in the Grand Final playoff.

West Coast would have to get past Essendon if they were to make their first ever Grand Final, after the Bombers were comprehensively beaten by Collingwood in the other semi-final.

Kevin Sheedy denied the Bombers would be affected by the additional layoff because of the drawn Qualifying Final leading into the match, but they appeared sluggish going on to lose by 63 points. The Magpies led by 12 points at half time, but ten goals to two after half time saw Collingwood qualify for their first premiership decider in nine years.

While West Coast could feel satisfied with the history-making first ever finals win in the clubs history, there were concerns to come out of the five goal win.

Scott Watters had arguably been the Eagles’ best player in the first half, but spent the entire second half on the bench with a groin complaint. Guy McKenna suffered a suspected broken arm after clashing with Earl Spalding in the dying minutes of the game and three Eagles wound up on report from separate incidents in the game.

Chris Lewis was placed on report for charging Graeme Yeats and Stevan Jackson was reported for striking Jim Stynes. Both players would get off at the tribunal during the week, but Dwayne Lamb wasn’t so fortunate.

The Eagles tagger was also charged for reporting Stynes, copping a one week ban. Lamb, and many of the other Eagles, were still seeking retribution from the last match between the two sides which saw Stynes break Lamb’s arm with an attempted soccer off the ground.

The Eagles gave it to Stynes, every chance they could, and it appeared to work as Keene controlled the stoppages and provided plenty of attacking run off Stynes around the ground.

The move appeared to work with Melbourne unable to get any direction or structure on the field with their captain missing and their ruckman ineffective.

At the feet of Keene, Craig Turley, Dean Kemp and David Hart had plenty of the ball as they overwhelmed their Demons counterparts. For the second week in a row Turley was one of the best for West Coast, revelling in the centreman role in the absence of Malaxos.

Turley finished with 26 disposals, one behind Mainwaring who had a team high 27 possessions to go with his two goals at the start of the match. Hart, Kemp and Brett Heady all tallied 21 while Keene himself finished with 23 touches, four marks and ten hit-outs.

**Scott Watters was one of the best for West Coast but finished on the bench injured**

Up forward, the change in dynamic did wonders with West Coast kicking their highest score since round 19. Waterman was the surprise packet with six goals from 17 disposals and nine marks, while Peter Sumich booted four and Stevan Jackson three, the trio combining for 13 of the Eagles’ 19 goals.

Sumich and Jackson also each booted five behinds, with Jackson also gathering 21 disposals and five marks – highlighting the dominance of the Eagles’ tall forwards.

The Demons had few players who shone, with Simon Eishold and Greg Healy the leading ball winners with 20 disposals. Stephen Newport gathered 16 disposals and seven marks after starting in a tagging role on Chris Lewis. Newport was then replaced by Glenn Lovett, but Lewis had the better of both players as his blistering second half of the season continued.

Rod Grinter booted four last quarter goals when he was shifted forward, with Ricky Jackson, Graeme Yeats and Darren Bennett each kicking two.

Demons coach John Northey called his side’s performance ‘pathetic’, with Melbourne unable to live up to their favouritism billing heading into the match. “In finals football, you have to find something extra all the time, and our players weren’t prepared to do it.”

Northey believed that the underdog status had worked in the Eagles’ favour, after two testing weeks against the Magpies.

“When everyone is kicking us in the guts, we have something to prove, but as soon as we become favourites in something, we have always faltered, and not just once, it has happened many, many times,” expressed a frustrated Northey.

For Mick Malthouse, the performance was justification for their season and followed his earlier comments the week before that West Coast would bounce back. “I think a lot of people underestimated the fighting spirit of this group.”

“We didn’t make the finals series for the sake of making the finals series.”

Malthouse also believed the first ever finals win would be a great fillip for his side as they continued their push for a maiden flag.

“It (a finals win) is fantastic for the players… this year we have won in Sydney for the first time, the MCG for the first time. These are all little hurdles all along that are being looked at by the players.”

The Eagles coach also denied it was a risk making the mass number of changes ahead of the game, with many of the inclusions having a strong say in the final result.

“If it hadn’t come off, I suppose it may have been the biggest gamble of my coaching career,” Malthouse wryly admitted.

1990 Rewind: Finals Chaos As Eagles, Magpies Draw

September 29, 2020September 30, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Sumich Shoots Wide On Siren

West Coast and Collingwood opened the 1990 finals series with a dramatic draw in the Qualifying Final, flipping the entire finals series on its head.

Peter Sumich had the chance to win the game in the dying seconds, but his missed set shot from close range in the left forward pocket, left the two teams matched on 13.12 (90) as the final siren rang.

The result – the first draw in a final since the 1977 Grand Final – was set to throw the finals series into disarray, with the Eagles and Magpies due to return to Waverley Park the following weekend to determine who would progress to the first semi-final to tackle the Bombers.

Melbourne were awaiting the loser of the replayed match, after they knocked reigning premiers Hawthorn out of the premiership race with a nine-point win in front of nearly 75,000 fans at the MCG.

The Demons now also had the added benefit of a week off ahead of the second semi-final after winning through the elimination final. Conversely, Essendon – who had earned the week off in the first week of the finals for finishing top at the end of the home-and-away season – were now facing a second straight week off, complicating their preparations for their first final.

Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy dismissed suggestions the protracted series would work against the Bombers, despite the prospect of over three weeks between their final round match against the Saints and the first semi-final. “We have played 22 home and away games this year, four Fosters Cup games and eight practice matches. I don’t think we need to worry about fitness.”

While the AFL were estimating an additional $800,000 would be generated from the extra match to be played, they were also forced to busily reschedule many of the planned events over the coming month. The Grand Final was now set to be played a week later on October 6, however the date for the Brownlow medal wasn’t expected to change.

The Magpies were heavy favourites heading into the match, off the back of their two largest wins of the season in the final two rounds. The Magpies took in an unchanged side from the win over North Melbourne, despite a couple of key injury concerns.

Darren Millane stayed in the side despite fracturing a thumb against the Kangaroos, as did ruckman James Manson who trained lightly leading up to the match due to an ongoing groin issue. The Magpies also had Denis Banks and Shane Kerrison available to return from injury, although neither was recalled for the clash against the Eagles.

Full-forward Brian Taylor also kept his spot, despite an indifferent two seasons at the club. Taylor had managed just one game in the back half of 1989 due to a knee injury (coincidentally against the Eagles) and had featured in just five further matches in 1990, returning to the side in round 21 against Fitzroy.

The Eagles made just one change with Dean Irving returning after being dropped for the final round match against Geelong. Controversially, fellow ruckman Phil Scott was the one to make way after playing all 22 games during the home-and-away season.

For Mick Malthouse, it was a heart-wrenching decision. “This was the toughest decision I have made in seven years of coaching.”

“Phil accepted the decision like the professional sportsman that he is.”

Craig Turley also held his place despite concerns over a groin problem. West Coast were considered outsiders – namely by the Victorian media – with ten players playing in their first final. The Eagles were also playing only their third game ever in club history at Waverley Park; their other two appearances had both resulted in losses.

Steve Malaxos won the toss and sent his side the way of the breeze in the opening term, but the more experienced Magpies were able to settle first. Taylor had an early chance in the game, hitting the post with his first shot, before sending his second effort on goal out of bounds on the full.

His presence on the game forced an early positional change in the match, with Murray Rance and Michael Brennan swapping. The larger Rance headed to the goal square to match on Taylor, with Brennan shifting to centre half back on Craig Starcevich.

Dean Irving was stationed as a loose man in defence as Collingwood continued to push the ball forward, but while West Coast were able to limit the damage on the scoreboard early, the Magpies’ opposing ruckman Damien Monkhorst was allowed to dictate play and provide the link playing loose through the middle of the ground.

Monkhorst would be involved in the chain that delivered Collingwood the opening goal of the game. Chris Mainwaring was caught holding the ball across half forward, by opponent Mick McGuane, with Collingwood able to transition quickly to the other end of the ground.

Graeme Wright received the handpass from Monkhorst through the centre square, and kicked inside forward 50, looking for Taylor. However, Peter Daicos was able to read the spoil from Rance and after a handpass exchange with Starcevich, Daicos found some space to slot the important first major.

Gavin Brown added a second after being held by Guy McKenna in a marking contest, before West Coast worked their way into the game. Laurie Keene wobbled through the Eagles’ first on the run, before Brett Heady made it two goals in succession.

Brown added a second for the quarter, and third for the match for the Magpies, but his effort was cancelled out by Peter Sumich from long range leaving West Coast five points behind at the first change.

Mick McGuane was the clear standout at quarter time, picking up 16 disposals on the wing for the term opposed to Chris Mainwaring. His red hot start continued into the second term when an early shot on goal cannoned into the post. The Magpies managed several more efforts without success, before Sumich swung the game back in favour of West Coast.

Sumich goaled twice from long range to draw the Eagles level, before Karl Langdon sent through his own long bomb from beyond the arc to put West Coast in front.

However, that only seemed to spark the Magpies into gear.

Brian Taylor was dragged to the bench and the more mobile Craig Starcevich became the prime target up forward. Peter Daicos continued to present a threat, as did Gavin Brown who was now operating out of the goal square.

The Magpies booted the final three goals of the term to open up a 12 point lead at the main break. Collingwood were also guilty of wasting their chances on goal, having had seven more scoring shots for the half than West Coast.

Both coaches made moves to start the second half, as they looked for the all-important edge in the match. Ron McKeown replaced Craig Kelly at full back on Peter Sumich and Worsfold took Daicos in the Eagles defensive half.

And as the match grew in intensity, so did the sublime skills of its participants.

Dean Kemp drew the Eagles within a kick with a pinpoint goal from the pocket, before Daicos responded with a 40 metre snap. Peter Sumich add his fourth of the match, again from long range, and Chris Waterman kicked truly after being found on his own in the forward pocket, to see the Eagles reach parity.

West Coast were now in control of the game, led by Dwayne Lamb who gathered 12 possessions for the quarter, and Scott Watters, who had nine. James Manson put the Magpies back in front against the run of play after a sloppy turnover in defence, but the Eagles continued to generate opportunities.

Brett Heady, Chris Mainwaring and Dwayne Lamb all missed before Chris Lewis typified the class of the game, with a truly outrageous goal to put the Eagles back in front.

Ron McKeown was captured in defence by Kemp, with the ball spilling towards the boundary line where Lewis was able to swoop, gather, brush off the tackling attempt from Scott Russell before snapping through an incredible goal on his non-preferred foot in amongst a nest of Magpies.

Further adding to the difficulty of Lewis’ effort, Lewis had also lost his footing during the play, stranded on his knees before being able to lift back to his feet and kick an important goal for the Eagles.

Lewis had been instrumental in the second quarter in keeping West Coast in touch with Collingwood as they built an early advantage and now, as the match closed in on three-quarter time, the Eagles were the ones with all of the momentum.

**Chris Lewis continued his excellent** **form from the second half of the season in the drawn final**

Heady would miss a chance after some clever play by Lewis at half forward, where he was able to pluck the ball away just as Collingwood were set to clear from defence, before Heady and Sumich would then clash competing for the same mark. Dwayne Lamb would also miss a chance to get a shot on goal after fumbling at the top of the goal square.

A swift chain of passes from defence ended with Doug Barwick kicking truly to give Collingwood an unlikely two point lead, against the run of play, with a quarter to play.

The two point deficit became a ten point lead for West Coast early in the final quarter after Heady and Lewis each booted majors in quick succession. The Eagles runners – the likes of Watters, Lamb, Chris Mainwaring and Guy McKenna – had controlled the tempo of the game since half-time and the Magpies were struggling to keep pace.

Mick McGuane had faded out of the game after his blistering first quarter and found himself on the pine, while James Manson had been sent from attack to defence to quell Karl Langdon who had been in everything during the third term.

Trailing, Leigh Matthews reinstated Brian Taylor to the field after spending the second and third terms on the bench and the move paid immediate dividends. Taylor was able to claim a diving mark in front of Murray Rance, and goal, to reduce the Eagles lead to four points.

A few minutes later, Taylor added a second after Rance caught him high in a marking contest, and Collingwood had worked their way back into the lead.

The Magpies appeared to have done away with the Eagles challenge when Peter Daicos extended their lead with an effort that managed to top Lewis’ freakish effort in the previous term.

The Eagles attempt to exit their defensive 50m arc came unstuck when Guy McKenna missed John Worsfold with a pass, after a strong mark in the Magpies’ goal square. Gavin Brown was able to win the loose ball back near the boundary line, feeding a handpass up the line to Darren Millane, who instantly handpassed over his shoulder to Daicos deep in the forward pocket.

With the outside of his right boot, from the wrong pocket, Daicos magically worked the ball to land at the feet of the goal umpire and extend the Magpies’ lead out to eight points with just five minutes remaining.

West Coast though continued to push.

A desperate effort from Steve Malaxos across half forward prevented Collingwood from clearing out of defence, with Langdon able to snap truly from a boundary throw-in. Waterman dragged a shot on goal from deep in the pocket, reducing Collingwood’s lead to a solitary point before the final last play that had the game in the balance.

Chris Mainwaring twice failed to find an Eagles target in the forward half before Darren Millane attempted to clear out of defence. However, Eagles runner Rob Wiley inadvertently kept the ball in the Eagles forward line when he got in the way of Millane’s handpass resulting in a boundary throw in.

Langdon won the ball from Keene at the restart with his attempt on goal floating across the face into the opposite pocket where Sumich was able to mark over his shoulder. His final kick would become instantly folklore.

All up, the lead changed eight times during the match, and while the teams may not have been separated at the completion of four quarters, the same couldn’t be said for the attitude of the two coaches.

While Leigh Matthews was relieved to have a second chance at the second chance, his counterpart in Malthouse was left ruing the missed opportunity.

“We didn’t make the most of the opportunities. When the game was there to be won, we didn’t grab it.”

Malthouse expressed frustration that West Coast couldn’t take advantage of the lead they built during the final quarter and run out to win the game. “I feel bitterly disappointed. We didn’t achieve what we came here to achieve.”

The Eagles coach was also unwilling to accept much of the post-match praise from the Victorian media, who joined in with Matthews’ assessment that the Eagles were stronger contenders for the flag than many scribes had suggested.

“They were always going to play better than the public perception of them – that almost inevitably is the case,” Matthews said.

“It was never going to be easy. We didn’t think we played well, but we live to fight another day and that’s the way we are looking at it.”

The Collingwood coach refused to admit they were fortunate to make it out with a draw, but said they were ‘thankful’ to get another crack. “With a draw you tend to be disappointed because you haven’t won – until you tell yourself you haven’t lost either.”

“We feel quite positive about having another chance.”

The ramifications of the draw would lead the AFL to change how drawn matches were decided, with the Commission voting to introduce two five-minute periods of extra time for all finals, other than the Grand Final.

For now though, West Coast and Collingwood had a week to prepare to do it all again and Malthouse had one message for those who had decided to jump on the Eagles bandwagon.

“Do us a favour and write us off,” Malthouse declared.

“Maybe they (the media) have underestimated the fierceness and willingness to contest. We showed today what we are capable of doing.”

“As far as I’m concerned it’s half time in the match. It’s a 14-day game.”

1990 Rewind: Eagles Fail Demons Challenge… Again

August 22, 2020August 23, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Final Five Set, But Double Chance Remains Up For Grabs

West Coast missed out on securing the double chance in the finals when they lost to Melbourne in a heated encounter in front of a packed house at Subiaco Oval.

The Demons ended the Eagles’ 15-game winning streak at home – stretching back to round 11, 1989 – with a comprehensive 36 point win.

A win would have pushed the Eagles two games clear of the fourth-placed Demons, with two rounds to play, but the race to finish in the top three and secure the double chance in the opening week of the finals was set to be decided over the final two weeks of the home and away season.

Further compounding the loss, West Coast could have climbed to equal top of the ladder after Essendon and Collingwood both suffered defeats 24 hours earlier.

The Bombers, minus a host of stars from their last gasp win over Collingwood the week before, fell to arch-rivals Carlton by 20 points, with Blues captain Stephen Kernahan booting seven goals. The win kept Carlton’s slim finals hopes alive, but the satisfaction of victory was quickly extinguished when news filtered through of Hawthorn’s stunning win over the Magpies at Waverley Park.

Jason Dunstall kicked 11 goals as Hawthorn romped to an 83 point win, virtually assuring the Hawks of a ninth-straight finals appearance. North Melbourne’s defeat of Footscray left the Kangaroos, Blues and Bulldogs all two wins and a hefty chunk of percentage behind the fifth-placed Hawks, essentially setting the participants for the 1990 AFL finals.

Nearly 36,000 fans piled into Subiaco for the blockbuster clash between two of the form teams of the competition. West Coast had won their previous five matches, while the Demons had rediscovered their early-season form to claim four wins on the trot.

The Eagles made two changes when teams were announced, with full-forward Peter Sumich returning after three weeks out with a hamstring injury. Phil Narkle was the other inclusion, with Peter Wilson sidelined with a broken jaw and Don Pyke dropped after just one game in the seniors.

Melbourne also made two changes, with John Howat and Brent Heaver both dropped and Garry Lyon and Steven Febey coming into the line-up. The Eagles were then forced into a third change when forward Craig McGrath withdrew ahead of the bounce, allowing Chris Waterman to make his first appearance of the season.

Waterman had endured a frustrating season on the sidelines after fracturing his ankle in a pre-season match, but had worked his way back into contention for AFL selection after strong form with Subiaco.

Demons coach John Northey had made the trip to Perth the week before to watch West Coast tackle the Tigers and his side followed the lead set by Richmond by approaching the game with physical intent.

Melbourne’s ferocity at the ball – and the man – saw them jump the home side with full-forward Darren Bennett finishing off the midfield ascendancy.

Jim Stynes took immediate control in the ruck against Dean Irving as Melbourne repeatedly sent the ball forward in the early exchanges. The Demons wasted their early chances, starting the match with three behinds, but Bennett soon gave them reward on the scoreboard.

Bennett booted the first four goals of the game, forcing Mick Malthouse to frantically shift around his under-siege defence. With Sumich back in the Eagles goal square, Peter Melesso started at full-back, but he lasted barely ten minutes before Michael Brennan replaced him on the last line.

Melesso was swapped to centre half back on Earl Spalding, Guy McKenna went to Garry Lyon and Steve Malaxos was sent to the back pocket.

Trailing 4.5 to nil, the Eagles worked themselves into the game late in the term, with Peter Sumich booting their only goal for the term.

Melbourne then started the second term as they did the first, with Bennett adding a fifth goal and Ricky Jackson crumbing from the top of the goal square to stretch the Demons lead out to six goals. Andrew Obst was dominant out of the middle of the ground off the back of Jim Stynes’ work in the ruck, while Steven Stretch and Graeme Yeats gave the Demons plenty of drive on the expanses of Subiaco.

But a late hit on Rod Grinter by Chris Mainwaring seemed to spark the home side into action.

The Eagles booted four goals heading into time on to reduce the margin down to 11 points. Troy Ugle came off the bench, as he has done on many occasions through the year, to have a hand in several chances and Dean Irving switched from the ruck to centre half forward where he took several strong marks and kicked the first of the goals to start the Eagles run.

Against the momentum of the game, Melbourne added two late majors. Andrew Obst set up Earl Spalding to run into an open goal, before Ricky Jackson finished off a chain of handballs from the next centre bounce to give the Demons an important break of 21 points at the main break.

The third term would prove to be one of the most exhilarating and controversial quarters of the year.

After being well held during the first half by McKenna, Garry Lyon was switched to the half back line, with Tony Campbell sent forward. Campbell kicked the opening goal of the quarter, but Karl Langdon responded after Jim Stynes failed to adequately clear the Demons defence.

Campbell then went to defence in a direct swap with full-back Danny Hughes who was struggling to contain Peter Sumich, despite the Eagles’ full-forward failing to maximise his chances on goal. The change had immediate effect with Hughes marking strongly in front of goal and converting.

Goals to Yeats and Stephen Tingay followed with Melbourne’s lead reaching 40 points.

The Eagles kept pressing with Waterman goalling twice, but for all of West Coast’s effort, the Demons were able to find a response. Seven goals to five in favour of Melbourne had them head to the final break with a 32 point advantage with the two teams as tensions between the clubs flared.

In the final seconds of the quarter, Jim Stynes’ swinging attempt to kick the ball of the ground only managed to connect with Dwayne Lamb’s arm, forcing the midfielder off with a suspected broken forearm. Chris Lewis was able to goal from the resultant free kick and at the next centre bounce, the Eagles players made their thoughts known when Stynes was collected at the ruck tap.

The animosity continued beyond the three quarter time siren between the players as a secondary melee broke out, while Demons coach John Northey and Eagles trainer Ian Monck also clashed as the pair were making their way to the respective huddles.

**Dwayne Lamb finished with a broken arm after a stray kick from Jim Stynes**

Any chance of a West Coast fightback in the final quarter was snuffed out early when Andrew Obst and Stephen Tingay kicked the opening two majors to all but end the contest. The midfield pair finished with 19 and 17 disposals, respectively, to be two of the best for Melbourne.

Jim Stynes was the architect, overwhelming both Irving and Phil Scott in the ruck and providing the Demons midfield with first use out of the stoppages. Simon Eishold was the leading ball winner for the Demons playing through the middle and across half forward with 26 possessions, while Brian Wilson was the next best with 24.

David Hart was initially assigned to Wilson, but couldn’t curb his work out of the middle, with Tony Begovich given the task after half time. Bennett finished with six goals for the afternoon, but his four-goal burst to start the match would provide the buffer Melbourne held for much of the afternoon.

Steve Malaxos was the leading possession winner in the game with 32, while midfielders Dean Kemp and Chris Lewis each collected 26. Lewis also booted three goals, as did Chris Waterman and Peter Sumich, who had a mixed afternoon.

Sumich almost summed up the Eagles’ afternoon in the final term when in the space of a minute, the full-forward fluffed two set shots. The first failed to make the distance from gettable range, while his second attempt only managed to go as far as the man on the mark.

The Eagles spearhead finished with 3.5 in his return match, but it could have been a double-digit haul if he made the most of all of his chances.

The fallout from the match continued in the days after.

Emerging Eagles utility Peter Melesso copped a five week suspension after being reported on trial-by-video for ‘assaulting Earl Spalding with his boot’ shortly before half time.

Footage showed Melesso stepping on Spalding as the centre half forward was on the ground, with Melesso arguing the contact was accidental. However the tribunal found Melesso guilty, leading chief executive Brian Cook to call the ‘whole AFL tribunal and video system frustrating’.

To further incense the Eagles, no action was taken on Stynes despite his swinging foot potentially costing Dwayne Lamb the rest of the season with a broken arm. Both club and player considered legal action over the incident, but ultimately chose not to, settling on a request to the AFL to re-define the law around kicking in danger.

Monck and Northey would both receive written warnings from the AFL over their stoush at three quarter time.

With the opportunity lost to cement the double chance, the Eagles now had to secure their place in the top three by getting wins on the road in the final two weeks against Brisbane and Geelong.

1990 Rewind: 2nd Spot Opens Up For West Coast

August 13, 2020August 14, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles Survive Tiger Scare

Richmond got the early jump, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent West Coast from romping to a 45 point win at Subiaco.

The Tigers booted seven goals in the opening quarter to open up a four goal lead at quarter time, but the Eagles took control in the final three terms to close in on second spot.

The lowly Tigers weren’t expected to present much of a challenge to the finals-bound Eagles, who were priced as short as $1.06 during the week, but they got the better of the early match-ups to stun the home team and fans to get an early break.

Michael Mitchell was electric in the first quarter, while Stuart Maxfield had the better of Chris Mainwaring on the wing and Matthew Knights provided the drive out of the centre.

The Eagles were also uncharacteristically clumsy in defence as Richmond pounced on a number of errors from the West Coast backmen.

At quarter time, Eagles coach Mick Malthouse moved the magnets and found the right balance, with West Coast booting 7.6 for the quarter and orchestrating a 38 point turnaround.

David Hart moved from Trent Nichols to Mitchell, Brett Heady went to half-forward and Dean Kemp shifted into the middle.

Heady was one of two inclusions for West Coast, who lost vice-captain John Worsfold during the week to suspension. Worsfold was slapped with a two week ban for striking Sydney midfielder Greg Williams. Dean Turner was the other change, omitted in favour of Don Pyke, who was recalled for just his fourth game of the season.

Leading by 14 points at the break, Richmond closed the margin to just six with the first two goals of the term but the Eagles booted five of the next eight goals into the breeze to hold the lead going into the last quarter.

Troy Ugle came off the bench after half-time, to boot three of the Eagles’ five for the third term. The Eagles then ran away with the game in the last term, with their second use of the breeze.

West Coast registered 16 scoring shots for the term and their inaccurate effort of 7.9 prevented the margin from being higher. The Tigers, for all their effort at the start of the game, fell off the pace as Eagle players did as they pleased in the final quarter.

Twice Guy McKenna drifted forward to boot goals, finishing as one of the best players for West Coast after a jittery opening quarter. Defenders Geoff Miles and Phil Scott also drifted forward to hit the scoreboard as the last quarter descended into one-way traffic.

Chris Mainwaring was another to finish as one of the Eagles’ best after lowering his colours early in the game to Maxfield. Malthouse persisted with Mainwaring on the wing, and the Eagle had a hand in many of the Eagles’ scoring opportunities.

Stephen Malaxos again finished as the Eagles’ prime possession winner, tallying 27 through the middle, as did Kemp. Craig Turley picked up 24 disposals, while David Hart was able to gather 22 and kick three goals, while also putting the clamps on Mitchell in the final three terms.

Hart was one of four players to finish with three goals for West Coast, who were still without spearhead Peter Sumich and had a goalless performance from Craig McGrath up forward.

Hart, Ugle, Heady and Karl Langdon all booted three goals, while Chris Lewis could have had a day out but could only return an inaccurate 2.4. The Eagles spread the load of the scoreboard, with 12 Eagles kicking majors.

**Dean Kemp was one of the best for West Coast**

Jeff Hogg booted four majors for the Tigers, while Matthew Knights chipped in with three goals to go with 22 touches as his side’s standout player. With Dale Weightman copping a four week ban during the week for a late hit on Fitzroy midfielder Paul Broderick, Craig Lambert stepped into the vacant centreman role picking up a team high 26 disposals.

The major disappointment for West Coast was the likely season-ending injury to half-forward Peter Wilson. Wilson suffered a double fracture in his jaw after he was crashed into by former teammate Richard Nixon during the third quarter, prompting Malthouse to question the incident with the field umpires during the three-quarter time break.

After the match, Malthouse expressed happiness over the win, but admitted that his side needed to show a lot more improvement.

“We have a fair way to go to be the side we all want to be.”

“The true test is against the top sides. They are the ones that expose the team’s old mannerisms.”

Interestingly, Richmond coach Kevin Bartlett agreed with Malthouse’s summation that West Coast had plenty to improve on. “I didn’t think the Eagles played well at all. If we could have bolstered our side with some of our injured players, we could have made it a lot tougher.”

The Eagles remained third on the ladder following the win, but joined the Magpies on points, after Collingwood fell to Essendon in a top-of-the-table clash.

Such was the anticipation for the match, in what was strongly predicted as the Grand Final preview, the AFL broadcast the game live on television into Victoria – the first time a match had been shown live against the gate, excluding Grand Finals, since 1970.

And the match didn’t disappoint, as Essendon withstood a late Magpie fightback and a debilitating injury list to hold on for a six point victory. The Bombers broke out to a six goal lead by early in the second term and still held a 28 point lead with a quarter to play.

But the Bombers had just 15 fit players through the final term as Collingwood booted four goals to close in on the lead. Neither side could find the goals in the final ten minutes of the game, as Collingwood relentlessly attacked and Essendon resiliently defended.

James Manson had two simple chances late in the game to put the Magpies in front, but butchered both opportunities, allowing Essendon to hold on at the final siren. The result meant Essendon held onto their spot at the top of the ladder, but were now a game clear of the Magpies and Eagles.

Melbourne continued their push for the double chance when they coasted to a 67 point win over Sydney. Ricky Jackson and Darren Bennett combined for 11 majors as the Demons primed themselves ahead of a trip to Perth to take on West Coast in a crucial game for both sides.

The Hawks rounded out the top five with an impressive 36 point win over St Kilda, which all but snuffed out the Saints’ finals chances. A nine-goal second term proved the difference in the game, with Jason Dunstall booting five goals for the victors and Tony Lockett four in the battle of the heavyweight forwards.

Footscray appeared to be the last team fighting for a finals spot after North Melbourne defeated Carlton by 34 points. The Kangaroos kicked six goals to nil in the opening term and maintained their lead through the remainder of the match, leaving both clubs sitting two games behind Hawthorn with four matches to play.

The Bulldogs leapt up to sixth, one win behind the Hawks, when they got the job done against Fitzroy, winning by 35 points. In the other match in the round, Brisbane climbed off the bottom of the ladder when they thrashed a pathetic Geelong by eleven goals. Roger Merrett booted eight goals for the Bears, with the result relegating the Swans to the foot of the table.

1990 Rewind: No Scoring Blues For Eagles

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Second Quarter Burst Proves The Difference

The Eagles may have wondered where their goals were going to come from in their clash with Carlton at Princes Park, but they need not have worried as they tallied their highest score of the season so far in a 31 point win over the Blues.

The Eagles started the game without their three leading goalscorers from the season – Peter Sumich, Brett Heady and Karl Langdon – but found the spread of contributors they required to post a winning score.

Eleven Eagles kicked majors, with Craig McGrath and Peter Wilson leading the way with three apiece.

In a high scoring encounter, both sides opened with five goals, and each side managed eight goals after half time, but it was a seven goal burst to the Eagles in the second quarter that steered them to their 12^th win of the season.

The victory also marked the Eagles’ first win over Carlton at their home ground in the third clash between the two teams at the Blues’ home ground.

West Coast coach Mick Malthouse believed the win would do wonders for the confidence of his side. “There was just that lingering doubt in the back of their minds about whether we could win here. I would hope that we have turned that corner.”

The Eagles made two changes with full-forward Peter Sumich ruled out with a hamstring injury and Brad Gwilliam dropped after just one game back with the senior team. Despite the absence of Sumich, Stevan Jackson was surprisingly overlooked as his replacement, having served his one match ban.

Instead Peter Melesso was picked for his first senior game in 1990 after a consistent season with East Perth. Dean Kemp also returned after a fortnight sidelined with a hamstring strain.

The Blues also made two changes with important players Fraser Brown and Peter Dean included for dropped pair Simon Verbeek and Tim Rieniets.

Carlton had won four of their past five games to have them outside the top five on percentage, with the only blemish a nine-goal defeat to league leaders Collingwood. With Hawthorn and Melbourne expected to account for their opponents in Brisbane and Fitzroy, a win at home against West Coast was imperative to stay in touch.

Jackson would find his way into the Eagles side ahead of the opening bounce, when Karl Langdon was a late withdrawal due to illness.

With losses in their last four visits to Melbourne, a strong start from West Coast was required, and the two teams traded blows in the first quarter, booting five goals apiece. The Eagles controlled much of the early play, but Carlton were able to maximise their opportunities up forward.

But in the second quarter, it all turned the way of the visitors.

Stephen Malaxos was once again the catalyst, as West Coast got the upper hand in the stoppages. The Eagles captain teamed up with Craig Turley, in the centre as the Eagles continually surged the ball forward to hit the scoreboard.

Conversely, the Blues started to struggle under the Eagles man-on approach and were made to pay for costly mistakes down back.

The Eagles had customarily built their season on their rebound from defence and their ability to outgun the opposition, but West Coast employed a far tighter approach on their opponents, and the Blues cracked.

Malaxos put the Eagles two goals clear early in the term when he marked an errant kick out of the back pocket from Tom Alvin, before Melesso marked his return to senior football with a goal after Jon Dorotich dropped a defensive mark in the goal square.

Fraser Murphy twice responded with goals in the quarter, first after Melesso’s major, and then again after Dwayne Lamb goaled, but the Eagles finished with the final three goals in the term in what would be a match-winning break.

Craig McGrath ran onto a clever handball from Troy Ugle to boot the first, before Craig Turley goaled from a long range effort after some quick transition play by Chris Mainwaring and John Worsfold through the middle of the ground. Dwayne Lamb then added a second goal for the term after being found in space by Dean Kemp to put West Coast 33 points clear at the main break.

The Eagles applied the clamps through the second half as the margin hovered around the five goal mark for the rest of the game.

Dwayne Lamb claimed another victim for the year in his tagging role on Craig Bradley, restricting the Blues prime runner to 19 disposals. Lamb himself finished with 22 touches and two goal to be one of the Eagles’ best, with the centreline of West Coast getting the better of their counterparts.

David Hart ran with Andrew Phillips, Malaxos had the better of Adrian Gleeson and Craig Turley and Chris Mainwaring were too strong on the wings for Mil Hanna and David Glascott.

Guy McKenna led the Eagles possession winners with 28 from half back, with Turley the next best with 25 and two goals. Chris Lewis had 23 disposals through the centre, while Peter Wilson was ever-present with 20 possessions at half forward.

Craig McGrath appeared to relish being the focal point, producing the finest game of his short career with 22 touches and three goals.

In defence, Michael Brennan had the better of Simon Minton-Connell, although the Blues forward managed to boot three goals late.

**Peter Wilson gets a handpass away despite the attention of Stephen Silvagni**

Wayne Johnston was the clear best for Carlton with 32 touches in the middle of the ground, while Stephen Silvagni stood tough in defence in the first half before switching forward after half time. Stephen Kernahan booted four goals from 15 disposals and ten marks, in an intriguing battle with Phil Scott.

After the game, Alex Jesaulenko was upbeat about his sides’ hopes of still making finals, but the defeat to West Coast saw them complete the round in eighth spot, a game and percentage behind the Hawks.

Hawthorn held onto fifth spot after fighting their way past a tough Brisbane outfit. The Hawks early inaccuracy almost proved costly as the Bears raced to a 25 point lead at quarter time. Hawthorn booted 1.7 in the first term, before closing within 11 points at the main break as their kicking on goal improved slightly.

Nine goals to four after half time saw the Hawks home, with Footscray taking the Blues spot in sixth position when they held onto a valiant three point win over the top-of-the-table Magpies in one of the games of the season. Like the Hawks, Collingwood fell to an early deficit due to poor conversion, before just failing in their bid to steal the win.

At three quarter time, the Magpies still trailed by 26 points – despite having two more scoring shots – but they grabbed the lead late in the final quarter after rattling on five goals. However, Stephen Kolyniuk bobbed up for the match-winner for Footscray when he marked 45 metres out and audaciously ran around Graeme Wright on the mark to kick the decisive goal.

The result saw Collingwood lose top spot on the ladder, with Essendon moving back to the top following a thumping 79 point win over a dismal Richmond. Melbourne made it consecutive wins when they held off Fitzroy by 19 points to stay a game ahead of the Hawks and Bulldogs in fourth.

North Melbourne and St Kilda remained in the logjam for fifth spot with wins over Geelong and Sydney. John Longmire booted seven goals as North Melbourne held off the Cats in a high-scoring encounter, while the Saints were just glad to have their full forward playing again in a comfortable win over Sydney.

Tony Lockett returned for his first game in over two months, booting three goals. Stewart Loewe (five goals) and Nicky Winmar (four) were the major contributors for the Saints as they put the disappointment of consecutive narrow losses to West Coast and Carlton behind them in a 75 point thrashing of the Swans.

The Saints were two games behind the Hawks, but their superior percentage meant they were still a sneaky chance for finals with five rounds remaining in the season.

For West Coast, losses to Essendon and Collingwood in the previous two weeks had seen the Eagle close within a game of the pair, opening the chance they could still finish in the top two.

1990 Rewind: Job Done, Eagles Eye Pies

July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles One Point Away From Double Chance

Fitzroy made West Coast work, but the Eagles’ class rose to the top as they pulled away to a 37 point win at Subiaco Oval.

The Eagles led by just eight points at half-time against the lowly Lions, but a seven goal third quarter separated the two sides, consolidating the Eagles’ position inside the top five.

Peter Sumich booted six goals and Brett Heady four, while Dean Kemp put in the finest performance of his 12-game career to collect 35 disposals.

Sumich’s haul saw him move to the top of the Coleman medal, overtaking both Tony Lockett and Darren Bennett to lead the competition with 56. Lockett had been the pacesetter at the start of the season, booting 52 goals in the first eight games. But the Saints spearhead had been sidelined with a medial ligament injury since, allowing the likes of Sumich, Bennett and Kangaroos full forward John Longmire to make ground on the goalkickers list.

With the state-of-origin clash between Western Australia and Victoria taking place at the W.A.C.A. in the lead up to the Fitzroy clash, the Eagles had had a 16 day break following their win over the Hawks.

However, the gap between the two games hadn’t equalled a relaxing period for many of the players.

12 Eagles were selected for WA, with a further three – John Worsfold, Dwayne Lamb and Phil Scott – pulling out ahead of the match due to niggles lingering from the Hawthorn game.

Steve Malaxos captained the WA side, with key Eagles players Chris Mainwaring, David Hart, Chris Lewis and Peter Sumich partaking. Brett Heady was selected for his state debut after a stellar start to his first AFL season, while squad member Tony Evans (who had yet to join his Eagles teammates since being drafted the previous year) and under-19 sensation Glen Jakovich were also picked.

WA were favourites to beat the Victorian team, who had already been embarrassed by New South Wales and Tasmania in earlier state-of-origin matches, but the ‘Big V’ were able to restore some pride with a 37 point win.

Simon Madden claimed the Simpson medal with a dominant performance in the ruck, while Gary Ablett (six goals) and Paul Salmon (four) ably filled the positions that were normally reserved for injured pair Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall.

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse admitted the state-of-origin hadn’t been ideal for his club.

“It is a fact that interstate football affects the Eagles more than any other team in the competition.”

“While we are the only AFL side in WA, we will always provide a large proportion of players for the match,” Malthouse continued. “The disruption makes it extremely hard to prepare the side for a game during what is a vital part of the season.”

Malthouse suggested playing interstate matches as a pre-season carnival would be of greater benefit.

Following the interstate game, the Eagles had several players facing fitness tests to play the Lions.

Chris Mainwaring was the greatest concern, lining up for WA despite having scans on his knee. Guy McKenna (groin), Dwayne Lamb (achilles), Michael Brennan (groin), Karl Langdon (wrist) and Peter Wilson (groin) all needed to get through training, while Brett Heady suffered bruised ribs after being collected heavily front on by Simon Madden, while playing for WA.

When the teams were released, all were selected to play, with the suspended Craig McGrath the only change to the side that defeated the Hawks. Stevan Jackson – who had been dropped for the previous game after a poor run of form – was given the chance to reclaim his spot in the senior side as McGrath’s replacement at centre half forward.

Mainwaring would ultimately pull out ahead of the opening bounce, with Todd Breman coming into the side.

The Lions flew to Perth having found their best form ahead of the split round. Wins over Hawthorn and Sydney came either side of a competitive effort against the Kangaroos. And unlike West Coast, Fitzroy had enjoyed the benefit of a fully rested squad, with only ruckman John Ironmonger taking part in the mid-week interstate clash.

The Lions made two changes to the side that defeated the Swans in their last start by 45 points. Paul Broderick and Mark Trewella were both dropped in favour of Darren Kappler and David Strooper.

Interestingly, the Lions chose not to bring back full forward Richard Osborne, who had impressed in three consecutive reserves games in his comeback from a serious knee injury suffered the year before.

Regular defender Murray Rance started on the bench for the Eagles, with Phil Scott preferred at centre half back against Fitzroy superstar Paul Roos. At the other end, Alastair Lynch lined up at full back on Peter Sumich, while Kappler returned to the middle, opposed to Dean Kemp.

Despite half the side coming off just a five day break, there were no signs of sluggishness from the Eagles when they burst out of the blocks with the opening four goals, to establish a 21 point lead. Fitzroy soon closed down the contest and with Roos getting the better of Scott at half-forward, the Lions were able to work their way back into the game.

Fitzroy had almost 40 more disposals in the second quarter as they started to control the centre line. Matthew Dundas had 10 disposals on his own for the term up forward for the Lions, while Scott Clayton and Andrew Johnston had seven each as Fitzroy got on top through the middle.

Dale Kickett was relatively well held in the match, but his extraordinary checkside kick from the 50m arc helped Fitzroy bridge the Eagles lead back to eight points at the major break.

Twice during the third term Fitzroy drew within two points, but Troy Ugle sparked the Eagles up forward when he was switched from the back pocket. Ugle booted a goal and had a hand in four others as West Coast piled on seven for the quarter – five of which came in just nine minutes.

Leading by 39 points at the final change, the Eagles continued on with their momentum in the final term, but Wally Matera came off the bench to add three late goals and reduce the final margin.

The final quarter effort from Matera would prove costly for his former side. The Eagles were set to replace the Demons in third spot, but lost crucial percentage as Matera got off the chain, leaving West Coast sitting in fourth spot – just 0.07% behind the Demons.

In fact, just one more point would have been enough to elevate West Coast into the double chance positions.

Fitzroy coach Rod Austin conceded the Eagles’ burst in the third quarter was costly for his side. “We had done well to fight back, but we missed some opportunities – and that has been the story of the year as far as we’re concerned.”

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was understandably pleased with the win, but quickly moved the focus post-match to the upcoming clash against the Magpies at Victoria Park.

“You haven’t played football until you’ve played at Victoria Park.”

Malthouse admitted that there was plenty to work on ahead of the Eagles match against the second-placed Magpies, but believed a lack of continuity had affected his sides’ preparations.

“… the past three weeks have been indifferent, in as much as we rarely trained together.” Happy to get the win and take the four points, Malthouse said his side ‘used the ball correctly after half-time.’

As well as Kemp’s 35 possession game through the middle, he was ably supported by captain Stephen Malaxos who tallied 32 touches. Chris Lewis finished with 27 possessions and Brett Heady recovered enough to pick up 25 rotating through the middle and half forward.

Paul Roos did all he could to keep the Lions’ in the contest with 19 disposals, 11 marks and 3.3 from centre half forward, but there were too few who could sustain the pressure on West Coast for the full four quarters. Michael Gale and Tony Woods each picked up 23 touches to lead the ball winners for the visitors, while former Eagle Wally Matera finished with four goals and Roos and Matthew Dundas three each.

The Eagles sat two games clear in fourth spot with nine wins after Hawthorn fell to the Bulldogs by 17 points at Waverley Park. The Hawks were replaced by the Saints in the top five, after David Grant booted five goals to engineer a 33 point win over a flat Melbourne.

Four teams sat behind the Eagles on seven wins as the race to qualify for the 1990 finals appeared to be down to one final spot. St Kilda, Hawthorn, Carlton and Footscray were all in the battle, with the Blues’ win over Geelong appearing to end the Cats finals’ hopes.

The Cats again paid dearly for woeful goal kicking, booting 13.26 in a 19 point loss. Ken Hinkley was the biggest culprit for Geelong finishing with 2.7, while Robert Scott managed just four behinds. The result followed similar matches earlier in the year when the Cats dropped points to Richmond and Sydney because of inaccurate kicking.

At the top, Essendon and Collingwood stayed a game ahead of the competition with routine wins over Brisbane and Richmond.

Malthouse believed his side was well placed heading into the second half of the season, but knew the Eagles’ greatest test would come the following week against one of the premiership favourites.

“We’ve had a good win under our belts and a good week of training in front of us before we go to Victoria Park.”

1990 Rewind: Eagles Bounce Back Against Bears

May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles Get Four Points But Miss Percentage Booster

West Coast returned to winning ways when they comfortably accounted for the Brisbane Bears at Subiaco Oval. In a performance that warranted a triple-digit winning margin, poor kicking on goal meant the Eagles had to settle for a 59 point victory.

Peter Sumich booted four goals, as did Geoff Miles who was thrown forward in the second half. With such a complete performance, many Eagles stood out, but the performance that would have most delighted the West Coast match committee was that of Phil Narkle, who returned for his first senior match in over two and a half years.

Narkle – a member of the Eagles inaugural squad of 1987 – was delisted at the end of 1988 after injuries restricted the gifted wingman to just nine games in two seasons. Returning to the WAFL, Narkle managed some games with Swan Districts late in the 1989 season, with the Eagles throwing a lifeline ahead of the 1990 season, with their final selection at the pre-season draft.

Narkle’s last appearance for the Eagles had been the 130 shellacking against Sydney in Round 16 of the 1987 season.

Narkle shone in his first game back, picking up 22 disposals and booting 2.3 playing mostly from the forward pocket. Malthouse, in particular, was delighted by Narkle’s showing.

“I was tickled pink with Phil’s game, especially as he was a bundle of nerves beforehand,” a ‘rapt’ Malthouse said after the game.

“His pace and genuine crumbing ability gave us something that we lacked.”

Narkle was one of four inclusions for the Eagles, who swung the axe after their poor display against the Demons the previous week.

Chris Mainwaring earned an instant reprieve after being dropped to East Fremantle the week before, responding as one of the best players for West Coast. Scott Watters and Tony Begovich were the others brought in, with Craig Turley, Andrew Lockyer and Todd Breman dropped. Dean Laidley was finished for season 1990 having undergone a knee reconstruction during the week.

Begovich debuted for the Eagles after being selected at the 1989 National Draft, but his selection capped off a rampant rise. Begovich initially rejected the Eagles offer to join the club, choosing instead to remain with WAFL club Claremont, alongside fellow draftee Peter Mann.

However, a change of heart in the new year saw Begovich join his new Eagle teammates and a strong start to the WAFL season garnered his first senior AFL game. While he spent most of his first match on the bench, Begovich still managed to have an impact booting his first goal.

The need for Begovich was limited as West Coast controlled the contest from the get go.

The Eagles registered 13 scoring shots in the first term and the game could have been done at the first change if not for an inaccurate return of 4.9.

Chris Mainwaring slotted back on a wing and gave plenty of drive, as did rookie Peter Matera who produced a more rounded effort in his 3rd AFL game. Fellow rookie Brett Heady provided class through the midfield and at half forward, while Peter Wilson was industrious around the ground.

The Bears had arrived in Perth off the back of their second win of the season, by eight points over Sydney, with forward Cameron O’Brien the difference in the win with seven goals. However, he was completely blanketed up forward by Michael Brennan. Murray Rance was similarly effective on Bears captain Roger Merrett.

Guy McKenna provided the drive from the backline and with Karl Langdon and Stevan Jackson up forward, along with Sumich and later Geoff Miles, there was too much class across the ground for the Bears to contain.

The Eagles added another four goals in the second term, and put the foot down after half time with six majors to take their lead out to 60 points with a quarter to play. However 2.7 in the final quarter cost the Eagles a chance at a significant percentage boost.

Remarkably, the Eagles booted 8.13 in each half, to finish with one of their most inaccurate displays in the clubs history, a final score of 16.26, from 42 scoring shots.

Mainwaring, McKenna and Wilson all tallied 26 disposals to be the leading ball winners for the Eagles, with rookies Dean Kemp (22 disposals) and Brett Heady (21 disposals, two goals) also impressive. The only concern for West Coast was full forward Peter Sumich limping off midway through the third term.

Bears coach Norm Dare admitted his side were ‘just not tough enough’ in the contest with the result undoing much of the good work they had showed the week before.

Ironically for the Bears, their best players were also Eagles. Mark Zanotti, John Gastev and Alex Ishchenko had all been a part of the Eagles’ inaugural squad, but had worked their way east to the Bears in subsequent seasons.

Zanotti was the leading possession getter for the Bears with 25 from defence, while Gastev offered an avenue to goal with 18 touches and two goals. Ishchenko was the Bears’ best on the day, completely monstering Phil Scott in the ruck and getting the better of his former teammate around the ground.

Ishchenko finished with 18 disposals and 10 marks, while also having 25 hit-outs in the ruck, compared to just nine for Scott.

While happy with the win, Malthouse bemoaned the missed opportunities on goal. “We worked hard to set up goals rather than kick them.”

And despite the win lifting the Eagles back up to second spot on the ladder, a game clear of the chasing pack, Malthouse acknowledged the win would mean nothing if they lost to the Cats the following week.

“We have to defeat Geelong next week,” Malthouse declared. “That will put us three games up on them.”

“In the wash-up, after 22 rounds they (Geelong) will be vying as we will be, for a place in the five.”

It was déjà vu for the Cats when inaccurate kicking cost them what should have been a straight forward win against a side at the bottom of the ladder. A week on from their shock defeat to Richmond at Kardinia Park, the Cats booted 13.20 in their nine point loss to the Swans at the SCG, who had started the round in equal bottom.

The consecutive defeats had robbed the 1989 Grand Finalists the chance to sit comfortably inside the top five, instead languishing in eighth position, a game and percentage out of the top five. Carlton pushed past the Cats into seventh when they won their third straight match, thrashing the Hawks.

The Blues led from the outset and slammed their advantage home in the final term with an eight goal quarter securing a 67 point win. The Hawks would be the big losers of the round, dropping from 2nd on the ladder to 5th.

Essendon and St Kilda each climbed a spot with narrow wins over Footscray and North Melbourne, respectively, while the Magpies remained stayed in touch with the top five with a ten goal final term turning a 17 point three-quarter time deficit into a 45 point win over Fitzroy. The Demons remained the pacesetters at the top of the ladder with an easy win over the Tigers.

MCG Demons Return

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Melbourne Claim Points in Top-of-the-Table Fizzer

A week can be a long time in football.

Seven days on from their breakthrough first win at the MCG, the Eagles horror record at the ground was once again at the forefront when they were humbled by the Demons to the tune of 55 points.

The Eagles and Demons headed into their round seven meeting occupying the top two spots on the ladder, with 5-1 records, but the top-of-the-table clash proved a non-event as Melbourne ran away with the game in the first half.

The Demons opened up a three goal break at the first change and were never seriously troubled, finishing with a seven goal final quarter to blow out the margin, and regain their spot at the top of the table.

And there was plenty of insult to injury.

Inaugural Eagle Darren Bennett – who was let go by the club after just one season – did the damage up forward for Melbourne, booting six goals, while West Coast were also left reeling after Dean Laidley was carted off the ground in the second quarter with a knee injury that would rule the half-back flanker out for the rest of the season.

Laidley would be one of three players who would fall victim to a serious knee injury at the MCG in Round 7. North Melbourne pair Brenton Harris (playing in the reserves) and Darren Steele both went down the following day, as criticism over the state of the MCG playing surface grew.

Both Melbourne and West Coast had aired concerns over before the match, with the Eagles declaring they were lucky not to incur any injuries the week before against Richmond. Demons coach John Northey was particularly vocal about the dangers, but AFL communications manager Tony Peek played down the comments.

“We will be keeping a close watch on the situation”, Peek said.

Peek would come to rue those words, with three serious injuries in less than 24 hours. Footscray and North Melbourne joined the chorus of voices demanding action over the state of the ground, with recent attempts to fill holes in the ground with sand failing to deliver any improvement.

Following the Eagles’ defeat, Malthouse wouldn’t be drawn on the playing field, but expressed disappointment over losing Laidley. “It did not look good.”

Malthouse also delivered a blunt analysis of his team’s showing.

“We made far too many mistakes.”

“I thought we could do better and it was a learning curve for all concerned”, Malthouse continued. “We will make adjustments and be a better side.”

The Eagles made two changes coming into the match, with Troy Ugle and wingman Chris Mainwaring both dropped. Mainwaring had struggled in his two games since returning from a back injury, but was still a surprise omission, marking the first time in his 63-game career he had lost his position.

First-year player Peter Matera was chosen for his second game to replace Mainwaring, with Geoff Miles the other inclusion. Miles had failed to play so far this season as he recovered from a hamstring injury, named at full back.

The Demons also made two changes, as they battled somewhat of an injury crisis. Already without Steven Clark and Trevor Spencer for the season, Melbourne lost defender Sean Wight the week before with a knee injury suffered while playing for the reserves and veteran Alan Johnson was unable to prove his fitness in his effort to come back from a calf injury.

The Demons also lost Brian Wilson to a broken cheekbone during the loss to Sydney the week before, with Wilson ruled out, along with Jay Viney who was dropped. Rod Grinter and Glenn Lovett were the two inclusions.

The Eagles started brightly enough with goals to Peter Sumich and Stevan Jackson early in the first quarter, after Simon Eishold opened the scoring. But the Eagles soon became their own worst enemy as Melbourne capitalised on a number of errors in defence.

Michael Brennan twice turned over the ball coming out of defence, leading to Demon goals before Greg Healy led the race back to goal to toe-poke from the square after Murray Rance couldn’t mark at centre half back.

The Demons added a fifth to take their lead out to 19 points at quarter time. The Eagles’ ball use didn’t improve in the second quarter as Melbourne doubled their advantage to 38 at the major break. Dean Laidley had come off the ground after his knee crumpled beneath him, with West Coast leaving plenty to do for an unlikely victory.

The Eagles for their part responded at the start of the second half, booting the first three goals, as they closed to within 17 points. But they were left to rue several other missed opportunities and some poor kicking into their forward line.

“We could have got closer and it may have been a different story in the final term”, Malthouse said.

Having worn everything the Eagles could muster, the Demons responded with two late goal to take their lead out to 29 at the final change, and when Melbourne booted the first three goals of the final quarter, the game was all but won.

While Bennett was the major contributor on the scoreboard, the Demons had an impressive spread of goal kickers with 11 players registering majors. In contrast, the Eagles had just five goal kickers as they constantly broke down going forward.

Dashing Melbourne defender Graeme Yeats provided plenty of rebound from the backline, picking off a number of errant passes, while Rod Grinter was impenetrable in the back half.

The Eagles decision to only run with one recognised ruckman against Demon pair Jim Stynes and Steven O’Dwyer also proved costly as the Melbourne midfield were regularly gifted first use of the ball from stoppages. Phil Scott managed just five hit-outs for the match, compared to the combined tally of 23 of his direct opponents.

Andrew Obst and Simon Eishold were influential early, finishing with 21 and 15 disposals respectively, while Brett Lovett led the Demons with 26 touches through the middle. Stephen Newport (23 dipsosals), Steven Stretch (21) and Stephen Tingay (20) all gave the Demons plenty of drive, as West Coast often had to build their attacks from defence.

Dwayne Lamb was the sole winner for West Coast in the middle, collecting 20 kicks and 13 handballs. Stephen Malaxos picked up 26 touches and John Worsfold had 28 in a performance that drew praise from Malthouse after the game.

“He was outstanding, considering we only decided to play him five minutes before the game because of a nagging (leg) injury.”

**John Worsfold was one of the few winners for West Coast**

The result saw Melbourne reclaim top spot, a game ahead of Hawthorn and West Coast, who had fallen to third. However, a number of surprise results over the weekend meant the Eagles maintained a game advantage over the chasing pack.

Essendon were beaten by an improving Carlton, by 20 points, while St Kilda suffered a shock 18 point loss to the bottom-placed Fitzroy, despite seven goals to spearhead Tony Lockett. Despite the losses, the Saints and Bombers both held their spots in the top five, after Geelong blew a golden opportunity to move into the finals positions.

Hosting the second-last Tigers at Kardinia Park, the Cats booted a horrid 9.28 in a 14 point defeat, giving Richmond just their second win of the season. Collingwood were also left outside the top five when they fell to the Hawks in one of the rollercoaster games of the season. The Magpies trailed by five goals at half time, only to hold a 10 point lead at three-quarter time, before falling short by two points.

Following back-to-back games at the MCG, the Eagles were set for a fortnight at home against Brisbane and Geelong, but Malthouse was quick to dismiss the suggestion that the Eagles were happy relying on their perceived home ground advantage to bank the wins they needed for finals.

“We will end up on our backsides if we think [we are guaranteed those games]”, Malthouse warned.

“There are seven or eight sides vying for the top five and it might take at least 14 wins to make the finals.”