Tag: matthews

1990 Rewind: Not Done Yet

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Malthouse Declares Eagles Will Bounce Back From Replay Thrashing

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse boldly declared his side’s season wouldn’t end in the following weeks semi-final, after succumbing to Collingwood in the qualifying final replay.

West Coast were blown out of the game in the opening term and apart from a ten minute period late in the third quarter, never appeared likely to work their way back into the game.

After the match, Malthouse refused to concede the Eagles would struggle to get past Melbourne in the semi-final, despite needing to return to Waverley Park for a fourth straight week. The Demons had enjoyed the luxury of the week off as West Coast and Collingwood did battle for a second consecutive week.

“The players have a history of character and we have rebounded before. I am confident of beating Melbourne.”

The Eagles though were sluggish as the travel back and forth from Perth appeared to have taken its toll.

West Coast made two changes from the drawn match, with Chris Waterman dropped and Scott Watters unable to take his place after failing a fitness test on the morning of the match. Peter Wilson was recalled from a fractured cheekbone suffered against the Tigers in Round 19, with Troy Ugle the late inclusion for Watters.

Despite concerns over an ongoing knee injury, Chris Mainwaring held his spot on the wing. Steve Malaxos was another who held his spot despite growing speculation over his position in the side.

Collingwood also made two changes with forwards Craig Starcevich and Brian Taylor both dropped. Despite Leigh Matthews’ claims during the week that the Magpies would need a more fleet-footed side, like-for-like players Michael Christian and Denis Banks were the players selected in their place.

Taylor, in particular, could feel aggrieved for his omission after his crucial last quarter involvement saw him kick two goals as the Magpies salvaged a draw. After being left out of the side, the burly full forward announced he would retire at seasons end.

West Coast lined up much like they had the week before, but Leigh Matthews threw his Magpies’ side around to unhinge many of the Eagles’ match ups. James Manson was preferred in the ruck ahead of Damien Monkhorst, regular defender Gavin Crosisca played across half forward and Mick McGuane was recast as a tagger on Chris Lewis.

The Magpies also went small up forward with Gavin Brown and Peter Daicos operating out of the goal square, dragging running defender Guy McKenna to the last line.

Steve Malaxos started in the middle opposed to Collingwood captain Tony Shaw while David Hart also started in the middle with the task of running with Tony Francis.

The match started fiercely when Peter Sumich opened the scoring. Paul Peos’ shot on goal faded towards the goal line with the full forward able to mark over two Collingwood defenders. From the tight angle, Sumich ran around and kicked the Eagles’ first major, but was felled after snapping the goal by Magpie Michael Christian.

Christian was reported for his late hit as a melee involving 20 players broke out in the Eagles forward line. Spotfires continued to erupt around the ground, but it would be Collingwood who would settle into the game better.

The Magpies booted eight of the next nine goals in the quarter, opening up a six goal lead.

And it was the work of Manson in the ruck, who did much of the damage. The lanky ruckman had the better of Dean Irving at the tap, but also exposed the Eagles ruckman around the ground.

With Collingwood benefitting from the breeze in the opening quarter, Irving stationed himself in the Eagles defence. However, Manson enjoyed the freedom through the centre of the ground, running forward to boot two goals in the term, while also having a hand in many of the Magpies other scoring chains.

Gavin Brown and Tony Francis also kicked two majors for the quarter as Collingwood swiftly moved the ball around the ground. Peter Daicos and Darren Millane also hit the scoreboard, with Peter Sumich adding a second goal for West Coast.

The Eagles started strongly in the second term, taking control at the stoppages in the centre square. Laurie Keene took over in the ruck as the Eagles claimed the first four centre clearances. Karl Langdon opened the scoring before Mick McGuane answered after taking a strong mark as he is crunched by John Worsfold and David Hart.

Laurie Keene responded for West Coast, but Collingwood finished the term stronger. Craig Kelly had been shifted forward after starting in defence on Craig McGrath, kicking truly after out-marking Michael Brennan and Brett Heady. Peter Daicos added a second and Gavin Crosisca finished off an impressive first half with a goal that saw Collingwood’s lead reach 49 points at the major break.

Matthews continued to shuffle his players around, preventing West Coast to find a rhythm in the game. Kelly went back to defence in the third term, as did Denis Banks and Shane Morwood, with Matthews dictating the match ups in the battle of the coaches box.

For West Coast, too many players struggled to get into the game. Chris Lewis was blanketed by McGuane, with Malthouse moving the dynamic midfielder into the forward line in a bid to shake the tag. Peter Wilson struggled to handle the pace of the final in his first game in six weeks and the Eagles forward line was virtually non-existent.

Craig Turley was one of the few good players for West Coast

Little much changed to start the third term, with Daicos and Brown each booting their third goals of the match to stretch the Magpies’ lead to a game high 60 points. But with Collingwood coasting to victory, West Coast roared back into the contest.

Ron McKeown, who had had the better of Sumich, limped off with a corked thigh which unsettled the Magpie backline. Michael Christian had been resolute across half back, mainly playing loose in defence, but was forced to mind Sumich.

The Eagles slammed on five goals in eight minutes to put the pro-Collingwood crowd on edge.

Trailing by 30 points with a quarter to play, Peter Sumich had a golden opportunity in the opening seconds of the final term to continue the Eagles momentum.

But as had been the case the week before, Sumich failed to capitalise. Leading new opponent Shane Morwood back to the goal square, Sumich valiantly flailed his left leg at an awkwardly bouncing ball, failing to make even the slightest contact that would have brought West Coast within 24 points.

Instead, Gavin Brown marked a torpedo effort from Peter Daicos at the top of the goal square to steady the Magpies. Collingwood booted the only five goals of the last quarter to run out comfortable 59 point winners – ultimately a fair margin between the two teams on the day.

The result marked the Magpies first finals win since 1984 and the first victory in a final for coach Leigh Matthews. “Most definitely a relief. We’re playing for a Grand Final spot whereas we could have been playing for survival,” a happy Matthews said after the game.

Conversely, a despondent Malthouse reflected on the missed opportunity of the week before.

“Last week was there to be won – I’m a realist.”

“A lot of our players didn’t reach the level they did last week, but it’s been a magnificent experience so far for the players. We always looked second to the ball… and that is a state of mind.”

While acknowledging that his players looked tired, the Eagles coach maintained faith that his side would bounce back against the Demons.

“They (finals) don’t stay the same, they don’t decrease, they always get tougher, week in, week out, and these players have now experienced the intensity of two in a row.”

The difference between the two sides proved to be the spread of contributors as Collingwood had a greater share of the workload. Michael Christian finished as the leading ball winner for the Magpies with 24 disposals and eight marks, while midfielder Scott Russell and wingman Graeme Wright were the next best with 23.

All up, Collingwood had ten players hit the scoreboard with Daicos and Brown the best of those with four each.

Tony Shaw had the better of Steve Malaxos in their individual duel, as did Tony Francis opposed to David Hart. Denis Banks kept Karl Langdon to just ten disposals and a goal and Mick Gayfer provided plenty of run alongside Christian at half back.

For West Coast, only a handful could match the output of the week before. Craig Turley was arguably the Eagles’ best collecting 22 disposals and kicking a goal and winning his contest with Doug Barwick. Laurie Keene was influential when he replaced Dean Irving in the ruck with 21 disposals, 12 hit-outs and two goals. Keene and Sumich (four goals) were the only multiple goal scorers for West Coast.

Dwayne Lamb finished with 26 touches to lead the disposal getters for West Coast, but couldn’t quell the impact of Scott Russell for the Magpies, while Lewis toiled through the game to pick up 20 touches playing between half forward and the midfield.

The double chance had turned into a triple chance, but West Coast now found their season on the line with the Demons waiting.

1990 Rewind: Finals Chaos As Eagles, Magpies Draw

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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.

Peter Sumich laments his late miss

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: Making Up The Numbers

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Eagles Rise To Third After ‘Worst Loss Of Year’

West Coast coach Mick Malthouse questioned his side’s mental toughness after a feeble 26 point defeat against the Magpies.

Malthouse bluntly declared after the match his side would be ‘wasting everyone’s time if they turned up in September’.

“On today’s performance, we have got to come to the realisation that we might just be filling up a place in the final five,” Malthouse said. “We’ve got to do some very hard thinking and a lot of hard work to overcome our deficiencies playing against top sides.”

After consecutive wins against Hawthorn and Fitzroy, the Eagles took an unchanged side to Victoria Park, and had an early win when they won the toss and kicked with a strong wind in the first quarter.

The Eagles booted the first four goals of the game, but didn’t do enough with the wind advantage, leading by just ten points at the first break. Peter Daicos booted both of Collingwood’s goals in the first term against the wind.

West Coast then managed to kick the opening goal of the second term, through David Hart, but the Magpies displayed their expertise in the conditions and at the ground, to kick the next six goals and take a 20 point lead into the main break.

Damien Monkhorst was proving the difference in the game as he took control in the ruck. Monkhorst dominated the Eagle pair of Dean Irving and Phil Scott, regularly giving his midfielders first use of the ball. Tony Shaw was the greatest recipient of Monkhorst’s dominance, picking up 13 disposals in the second term, as well as booting a goal.

Up forward, Daicos added three majors to the brace he booted in the first quarter, as he got the better of first Dwayne Lamb, and then Guy McKenna.

The half-time break may have stalled the Magpies’ run, but it did little to reinvigorate the Eagles when the two sides ran out to start the second half. Collingwood booted the first three goals into the wind to extend their lead out to 40 points, before the Eagles added some late respectability in the quarter.

The margin was still only 21 points at the final change, but West Coast had been out of the contest since early in the second term, with Collingwood coasting through the final term.

Daicos finished with six for the match taking his season tally to 57 – equal to Peter Sumich who could only kick one major on a dirty afternoon. Sumich battled against the tricky conditions and the close-checking efforts of Magpies full-back Ron McKeown.

Tony Shaw collected 42 disposals for the match, but wingman Darren Millane was arguably best on ground with 32 touches and three goals. One of Millane’s efforts was one of the goals of the year, when he accepted a sweeping handpass from Gavin Brown 50m from goal, only to be confronted by both Troy Ugle and Peter Wilson. Millane managed to evade both players and goal on the run, in an almost symbolic exhibition of the two sides on the day.

Graeme Wright picked up 25 touches on the other wing, Scott Russell chimed in with 21 and Monkhorst finished with 19 possessions and 10 marks, to go with 18 hit-outs.

The Eagles, on the other hand, had few winners.

Rookie Dean Kemp topped the ball winners with 29, while captain Steve Malaxos worked tirelessly through the middle to gather 26 disposals. Stevan Jackson booted three goals in his return to the side, while Craig Turley booted two as the visitors’ only other multiple goal scorer.

Malthouse acknowledged that too many players weren’t up for the challenge against one of the competition’s pacesetters.

“It was our worst loss of the year. We need to be tougher collectively.”

Despite the disappointing showing, the Eagles climbed one rung up the ladder, courtesy of the thumping handed out to Melbourne by the Kangaroos.

North Melbourne racked up the double century in their 127 point thrashing of the Demons, slicing 13% of their percentage and shunting them down to fourth. John Longmire was the chief destroyer for the Kangaroos booting a personal best 14 goals.

The Eagles and Demons sat two games behind Collingwood and Essendon, who easily defeated Fitzroy at Princes Park. The Bombers and Lions were tied at the main break, before the Bombers slammed on 16 goals to four after half-time to run out 83 point winners.

Hawthorn reclaimed their spot in the top five after they swept the Cats aside, with St Kilda dropping a crucial eight point match against Footscray. The result saw the Saints slide from fifth to eight, falling behind the Bulldogs and Blues, who were ten goal winners over Sydney.

1990 Rewind: Malthouse Begins

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Off-Season of Change Brings Winning Start

The 1990 season promised a new beginning.

The AFL was officially born with league headquarters re-branding from the VFL to recognise that the competition was now national, with clubs located in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

The West Coast Eagles had also undergone significant changes since a disappointing 1989 campaign.

John Todd was replaced as coach after two seasons, with Victorian Michael Malthouse taking over the reins following six seasons at Footscray. The Bulldogs had only made the finals once during Malthouse’s tenure as coach, falling agonisingly short of a Grand Final appearance in 1985 in Malthouse’s second year.

The Bulldogs had remained competitive since, hovering just outside the final five, before crashing to second-last in Malthouse’s final year in charge, as the club battled football extinction. The Bulldogs would exist in their own right for season 1990 – saved from merging with Fitzroy – but Malthouse sought a new challenge across the Nullabor.

The transition between Todd and Malthouse hadn’t been a smooth one; news of Malthouse’s appointment had been leaked before Todd was formally told he would not be offered a new contract, with the Eagles hierarchy scrambling together a press conference on the afternoon of October 3, 1989 to present Malthouse as the clubs third coach.

Malthouse would not be the only key change for the Eagles heading into 1990.

Brian Cook was appointed CEO, after two years with the WAFC, and Trevor Nisbett was appointed football manager. On-field, Stephen Malaxos was named captain with John Worsfold vice-captain and the club was able to establish Subiaco Oval as its permanent training base, having operated out of a number of different locations across their first three seasons.

Leading up to the clubs opening game against Collingwood, the signs were positive the Eagles could return to finals action.

The Eagles lost narrowly to Essendon in their Fosters cup opening game, but were given a reprieve in the competition after Brisbane failed to travel down for the pre-season competition. West Coast played the Bears’ opponent in North Melbourne, and narrowly lost again. The Eagles lost both games by three points, with poor kicking for goal to blame in both defeats.

West Coast then hosted the previous seasons Grand Finalists in practice matches to round out the pre-season. Both were resounding victories. The Eagles thrashed the Cats by 89 points and then followed up that performance with a 12 goal win over the Hawks.

West Coast named a fresh squad to tackle the Magpies, who were one of the premiership favourites heading into the season. Collingwood had made the finals the previous two seasons under Leigh Matthews, but had been bundled straight out in both years. With a number of key recruits over the off-season, many believed the Magpies were ready to take the next step.

The Eagles named four players for their AFL debut. Peter Matera – the Eagles first selection at the 1989 draft – Dean Kemp, Dean Irving and Brad Gwilliam were all selected for their first matches, while Peter Wilson was also picked for his first game with the club, having switched across from Richmond.

John Worsfold was left to lead the club, after new captain Steve Malaxos was forced to miss the game with a broken foot. Malaxos had suffered the injury, stepping on a picket at his home, missing the start of the season.

The Magpies named new recruits Tony Francis and Scott Russell, who had both joined the club from the SANFL, but prized addition Paul Hawke and defender Michael Christian were both unavailable due to hamstring injuries.

The two sides had met in the final round of the 1989 season, with Collingwood easy 49 point winners.

But in a clear sign of how much the Eagles had progressed in one summer, West Coast extended their lead in every quarter to run away with a 46 point win.

In a bruising encounter that had plenty of moments of spite between the two sides, it was an all-in brawl midway through the third quarter that set the course of the final outcome. Collingwood first-gamer Tony Francis lashed out at Eagles defender Murray Rance as the two tumbled over the boundary line, sparking an altercation that involved most players from both sides.

Play was held up for several minutes as the umpires tried to separate the players and when the two teams did get back to playing football, it was the Eagles who settled quicker. The Eagles booted the next three goals to stretch their lead out to 34 points, and while Collingwood responded with the last two goals in the term, a five goal to two last quarter sealed an impressive win for the home side.

Peter Sumich starred up forward with six goals, but it was the improved defensive attitude that pleased new coach Mick Malthouse most. Collingwood could manage just eight goals for the afternoon, with Michael Brennan shutting out full forward Brian Taylor and Murray Rance the better of Craig Starcevich.

Sumich led the way up forward with six goals

Dean Laidley had the better of Jamie Turner, while John Annear found a new role in defence, marked with the task of minding Gavin Brown.

The Magpies struggled throughout the day with the man-on-man structure that Malthouse implemented, as well as the intense pressure around the ball.

“They (the players) didn’t talk about how much they’d won by or who kicked the goals. The first thing they said when they came in was the tackling was terrific”, an excited Malthouse proclaimed after the match.

“They acknowledged each other and it’s important that they think that’s one criterion of success, either at Subiaco Oval or Melbourne.”

Troy Ugle was stationed in the back pocket for the Eagles and provided plenty of dash through the first half, before being forced off the ground when he was caught under the pack of the melee, injuring an arm in the process. However, he returned to the field in the forward line for the final quarter, booting a goal and setting up two others in a best-afield display.

First-gamer Dean Irving combined well with Phil Scott in the ruck with the duo proving too strong for Collingwood pair Damien Monkhorst and James Manson at the stoppages. The Eagles midfield benefitted from this advantage with Paul Peos the leading ball-winner with 25 disposals and Chris Mainwaring next-best with 22.

Dean Kemp had 20 touches on the wing to get the better of Graeme Wright and Dwayne Lamb restricted Peter Daicos to just six kicks and a goal.

After having his colours lowered by Paul Tuddenham in the first quarter, acting captain John Worsfold was released into the middle, where he finished with 19 disposals and gave plenty of drive along with Karl Langdon, who collected 21 touches and booted two goals roaming between half forward and the centre.

For Collingwood, only captain Tony Shaw (24 disposals), newcomer Scott Russell (22) and Darren Millane (21) showed they were capable of matching the fierceness that West Coast brought to the contest.

It only got worse for the Magpies, with Francis later suspended for six games for kicking Rance. In his tribunal hearing, Francis remarked that he had been provoked when he felt Rance brush his groin area, and while he admitted responding with a kicking action, believed that he had missed Rance. The Eagles defender supported the claim by Francis that he didn’t make any contact, but that didn’t stop tribunal chairman Neil Busse rubbing the Collingwood midfielder out until round 8.

The Eagles themselves weren’t immune from the tribunal, with runner Rob Wiley charged for his involvement in the melee. Wiley was sanctioned and fined $1000.

While the result proved an awakening to the rest of the competition, Malthouse remained calm, saying there was plenty for his side to work on.

“If you come away from round one with a win, and plenty of work to do, that’s good.”

1994 Rewind: Eagles Remain On Course Despite Magpie Scare

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The Eagles survived a Gavin Brown inspired comeback to defeat the Magpies by two points and progress to a home preliminary final.

West Coast weren’t expected to be troubled by the eighth placed Magpies, but scraped over the line when Mick McGuane dropped a chest mark within scoring distance, seconds before the final siren. Trailing by 24 points at the final break, Collingwood surged home with the aid of the Fremantle Doctor, narrowly falling short of a famous finals victory.

The Magpies only booted six goals in the first three quarters, but doubled their tally in the final term with Brown booting three, on his way to a match haul of five.

In a match filled with controversy, umpires twice failed to hear the siren at the ground, allowing play to continue well beyond the signal for the end of the quarter. On both occasions West Coast posted scores with a Don Pyke behind at the end of the second quarter allowed to stand despite the siren blaring for nearly 10 seconds before umpires heard it. Play was also allowed to continue beyond the three-quarter time siren, with Chris Lewis slotting a goal, only for umpires to then correctly annul the score ahead of the fourth quarter.

The errors around the siren almost proved catastrophic in the two point margin.

Despite arriving in Perth off consecutive losses to St Kilda and North Melbourne in the final two rounds of the regular season, the Magpies were confident they could replicate their 37 point victory from when the two sides met earlier in the season.

Surprisingly, the hero of their Round 13 victory, Andrew Tranquilli, was not initially named in the Magpies line-up, with Gary Pert returning to the side after missing the final game with a groin strain. Pert passed a vigorous fitness test to take his place, while Tony Shaw was also included despite concerns over a hamstring strain.

Mark Fraser was included along with Pert, replacing Paul Sharkey and Brett James. However, Tranquilli made his way into the final 21 as one of two late inclusions, with Sharkey reinstated after being dropped. The duo came in on the morning of the game, replacing Tony Woods and Kent Butcher.

The Eagles made two changes to their side named on Thursday night, with Dean Kemp and John Worsfold returning in place of dropped duo Paul Symmons and Drew Banfield. Banfield could consider himself unlucky to lose his spot having played all 22 home and away games, with Mick Malthouse saying team balance was the reason behind his omission.

After releasing their squad, the Eagles were still on tenterhooks until the following afternoon, with five players fronting the tribunal for their roles in the spiteful clash against Footscray the previous weekend. West Coast were able to breathe a sigh of relief when Glen Jakovich, Peter Sumich, Chris Lewis, Tony Evans and Jason Ball were all cleared to play.

Gavin Brown won the toss but gave West Coast first use of the strong afternoon breeze that favoured the end where the WACA’s famous cricket scoreboard sat. The move initially worked with West Coast failing to capitalise early under the pressure of Collingwood’s physical intent.

Even before the opening bounce, the emergency umpire was required on the field to disperse players and Don Pyke sought treatment from the Eagles medical staff after a crunching hit. When the Eagles’ first goal did come, it was via a relayed free kick after Mick McGuane bowled over Chris Mainwaring.

McGuane was doing his best to distract Mainwaring, as one of a number of enterprising moves from Leigh Matthews to stifle the Eagles’ prime movers. Usually playing through the centre, McGuane started on a wing in a defensive role on Mainwaring, while the hard-running Fraser went to the other wing on Matera in an attacking move.

First year forward Trent Hotton was preferred to spearhead Sav Rocca at full-forward, with Jason McCartney lining up at centre half forward on Jakovich. McCartney’s role was purely as a decoy, dragging Jakovich into the deep pockets of the WACA. Nathan Buckley lined up on a half forward flank opposed to McKenna but became the pseudo centre half forward with McCartney pushing wide.

When Tony Francis was released into the Magpies forward 50 to goal on the run, the Magpies had drawn level with West Coast and Brown’s decision at the coin toss was looking a masterstroke. However, the Eagles were able to finish the term with a flurry of goals to take a 12 point lead into quarter time.

Shane Bond ran into an open goal, Peter Sumich kicked his second for the term and after Nathan Buckley launched a long bomb into the wind, Chris Lewis out-bodied Gavin Crosisca to mark and goal to close out the term.

The quarter time break brought further changes for the Magpies. Tony Shaw had lasted less than a minute before the hamstring went, with the former captain resigned to the bench for the rest of the afternoon. Shane Kerrison came onto the ground in his place and was given the task of minding Dean Kemp, while Jon Hassall was sent to Tony Evans, with the Eagles duo running riot in the opening quarter.

The Eagles maintained the status quo for the second term extending their lead by two despite defending against the wind. Jason Ball kicked the opening term after marking a Sumich set shot on the goal line, before Trent Hotton roved a marking contest to keep the Magpies in the game. Brett Heady got out the back to kick the Eagles second for the quarter but the Magpies were able to respond again through Gavin Brown with just 44 seconds remaining in the term.

The first missed siren of the afternoon came at the half-time break, with play allowed to continue deep in the Eagles forward line as the siren wailed in the background. No umpire on the ground heard the siren, with play only coming to a stop when Don Pyke scrounged home a behind. The score stood.

West Coast took complete control in the third term, but it took two magical moments from Peter Matera to get some separation from the Magpies. The Eagles were inaccurate early, kicking four straight behinds with Peter Wilson also sending a shot out on the full. Brett Heady finally found the major opening before Matera put his first stamp on the game.

The Eagles wingman had worked into the game after a slow start opposed to Mark Fraser, picking up nine disposals in the second quarter. After Chris Lewis missed yet another shot on goal, the Magpies clearance from the kick-in only went as far as Jason Ball on the wing. His quick handpass released Matera who sent a long shot on goal from inside the centre square which sailed post high on the wind and lifted the mood of an anxious home crowd.

Tony Francis got an immediate response after receiving a free kick at the next centre bounce and then a 50m penalty paid against Jakovich. Unable to get into the game in the first half, Jakovich was swung forward during the third term but he was forced back to the backline just minutes later when Ashley McIntosh went down with a hamstring injury.

Collingwood grimly hung on in defence for the rest of the term, with Damien Monkhorst providing extra support sitting in the Eagles forward 50. In the final minute, Matera provided his second highlight of the term.

Gathering a loose ball on the wing, Matera went on a jinking run, weaving his way past several Collingwood opponents before finishing from 40m on the run. Umpires again failed to hear the siren when it called for three quarter time, with Chris Lewis kicking truly from the pocket. Originally given a goal, the decision was overturned by the non-officiating umpire in the middle of the ground who had heard the siren ring before Lewis got boot to ball.

Peter Matera was electric in the third term

West Coast managed 3.7 for the quarter and for all of their dominance, the 24 point three quarter left Collingwood in the game, with the advantage of the Fremantle Doctor in the final term.

And the Magpies wasted no time to get themselves back into the game with three quick goals to start the final quarter. The Collingwood skipper had moved to the goal square, with McKenna as his new opponent, kick-starting his side with the opening goal. Tony Francis booted his third for the game after Mainwaring is captured in the Magpies forward line, with Brown then kicking his second for the term after a relayed free kick was paid against Peter Matera.

After being caught holding the ball in the middle of the ground by Mark Fraser, Matera – incensed by the umpires decision – flatted Tony Francis well after he disposed of the ball, injuring his back in the process. Brown reduced the margin to just seven points, while Matera hobbled off the ground, joining McIntosh in taking no further part in the game.

Chris Lewis provided a settler to take the Eagles lead back out to 13 points, but two errors in as many minutes from the normally unflappable McKenna had Collingwood within a point of the lead. Failing to get the ball over the boundary line on the half back line, McKenna gave up possession of the ball to Brown with a chain of handballs ending with Tranquilli who slotted home on the run from the pocket.

From the Magpies’ next forward entry, McKenna again had the ball and looking to rush through a behind, sent the ball out of bounds alongside the behind post. The defender was pinned for deliberate out of bounds and Brown was able to snap home his fifth goal of the match from the resultant free kick.

The Magpies had cut the Eagles lead to just one point with still eight minutes to play, but the Eagles defence held strong against the wind. David Hynes was standing tall in his battle with Damien Monkhorst and with the clock continuing to count down, released the Eagles with a 30m spike from a ball up on the wing.

Chris Lewis pounced on the loose ball across half forward and after an exchange with Peter Wilson, sent a scrubby ball towards the top of the goal square. Collingwood defender Craig Kelly couldn’t hold onto the mark, allowing Brett Heady to swoop and run into an open goal. With under two minutes remaining, the Eagles lead was eight points, but there was still plenty to play out.

Jason McCartney had the Magpies back within two after being set free through the middle of the ground and with only seconds on the clock, Collingwood had one final thrust forward.

Jon Hassall won a free kick on the wing and released Gary Pert with a handball, with the defenders long kick floating towards half-forward. Mick McGuane found himself best placed, but spilled the mark allowing West Coast to hold on.

After the match, Malthouse praised the spirit of his players in fighting the game to the end. “It was a great win for us. But we knew Collingwood were always going to tough it out. You don’t expect any different from Collingwood.”

Malthouse refused to accept that the distraction of the tribunal in the lead up to the game had had any impact, instead expressing disappointment over a number of ‘easy’ goals that kept Collingwood in the game.

Magpies coach Leigh Matthews was equally full of praise for his side, declaring that the brace of goals from Matera in the third term was the difference in the game. “I would go as far to say that is what beat us.”

“A couple of goals that come from just a pure, sensational one-off. A bloke grabs the ball from midfield and says ‘don’t worry about anyone else, I’m going to finish’, Matthews exclaimed.

“We got beaten by maybe just those two fantastic individual efforts by him at that point… I thought for the rest of it, we hung in there fairly well.”

The thrilling finish capped off an incredible weekend of results in the AFL’s first instalment of the top eight system. The Cats made it through their qualifying final against the Dogs courtesy of a Billy Brownless goal after the siren. Geelong got the blistering start with an eight goal opening quarter, but the Dogs clawed their way back into the game to trail by just two points at the final change.

In a see-sawing last term, Footscray appeared to be home when Simon Atkins put them in front with just 24 seconds remaining, but a Geelong clearance from the next centre bounce landed in the lap of Brownless. Brownless coolly finished to get the Cats over the line.

Earlier that day, North Melbourne and Hawthorn played the first ever final that required extra time, when the two sides were locked at 91 points apiece. The Kangaroos dominated the extra time period, kicking 3.5 to 0.0 in the additional playing time, with Wayne Carey guiding his team to victory.

The narrow defeat was exacerbated 24 hours later for the Hawks when seventh placed Melbourne upset the second placed Blues. After an even first half, the Demons exposed Carlton’s lack of pace to run away with a 27 point win and keep their finals hopes alive, when defeat would have ended their season.

That meant the sixth placed Hawks joined Collingwood on the scrapheap for 1994 and also saw North Melbourne join the Eagles with direct entry to the preliminary final.

Malthouse admitted the week off would be beneficial for the Eagles, with injury concerns over Ashley McIntosh and Peter Matera. West Coast would wait on the winner of the Melbourne/Footscray clash, but doubt remained over where the game would be held, with many Victorian based identities adamant that the MCG should host both preliminary finals to satisfy the AFL’s agreement with the MCC.

1994 Rewind: Rookie Tranquilli Inspires Upset

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Malthouse’s concerns would prove to be right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But we gained a bit today.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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