2011 Rewind: Eagles Try, Magpies Fly

September 12, 2021September 12, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Class and Experience Sees Collingwood Home

West Coast gave their all but lacked the extra edge, poise and finish needed to book a preliminary final birth in a 20-point defeat to Collingwood.

The Eagles were never out of the game, but never looked completely in the game in what Eagles coach John Worsfold called a ‘learning experience’.

Ten Eagles were taking part in their first final as opposed to the Magpies who had 18 of their premiership stars from the previous years triumph.

Luke Shuey best exemplified the step up needed in finals when he was caught with the ball three times in the opening half, as the experienced Magpies pressured the young Eagles into numerous skill errors and wasted opportunities.

Shuey had finished runner up in the rising star award to Essendon’s Dyson Heppell in what turned out to be a two-horse race earlier in the week, and for much of the first half seemed overwhelmed by the play around him. However, he improved as the game went on and was one of the Eagles’ best.

But while Shuey led an Eagles midfield that applied themselves to the final siren, they were outshone by Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury who led a masterclass.

Swan, who was considered one of the favourites for the Brownlow medal, collected 43 disposals, including nine clearances, nine inside-50s and a goal. Pendlebury was the perfect sidekick, with 38 touches, seven inside-50s and five clearances. The duo worked off each other perfectly, with Pendlebury picking up 25 of his 38 possessions in the first half, before Swan carried the side home with 27 disposals after half time.

The two teams named near full-strength sides ahead of the game, with the Eagles selecting Daniel Kerr and Will Schofield to return from injury, while the Magpies welcomed back Nick Maxwell, Leon Davis and Heath Shaw.

The teams may have looked strong on paper, but there was still plenty of doubt for the two sides going into the game. Chris Tarrant, Travis Cloke and Ben Johnson had all finished with issues from the thrashing to Geelong and Daniel Kerr was still under a serious cloud for the Eagles.

The doubts on Kerr would be confirmed when he was a late withdrawal ahead of the opening bounce. Patrick McGinnity, who had lost his place at selection, was reinstated. Collingwood were also forced into a late change when Ben Reid injured a groin at the final training session of the week. With patchy weather expected, the Magpies replaced a tall with a small in rookie forward Alex Fasolo.

The visitors came into the match as major underdogs but they started the better of the two sides with the first four scoring shots of the game. Josh Kennedy and Quinten Lynch both kicked majors as West Coast established an early 2.2 to zero lead.

Nic Naitanui and Dean Cox presented as the biggest challenge for Collingwood and while they claimed an advantage in the ruck knocks, the Magpie midfield soon got the upper hand at the stoppages.

Sharrod Wellingham opened the Magpie account to reduce the Eagles lead to eight points at quarter time, before Collingwood turned the game their way in the second term.

The Magpies booted six goals for the quarter as Pendlebury, Swan, Jarryd Blair, Leon Davis and Ben Johnson kick-started the black-and-whites. Davis and Johnson were particularly damaging out of the back half, along with Heritier Lumumba, as they carved and weaved their way through the Eagles press.

**Naitanui was dominant at the ruck knocks for West Coast but the Eagles couldn’t get the upper hand at the stoppages**

Leading by 13 points at the main change, the Magpies extended their lead to 26 after goals to Jarryd Blair and Andrew Krakouer. That remained the margin at three-quarter time after Mark LeCras and Travis Cloke traded goals heading into time-on and Collingwood appeared to have done what they needed to, to put the finals upstarts away.

West Coast, though, refused to accept what most others expected.

Even with Cox subbed out during the third term with back spasms, the Eagles found their ascendancy in the middle off the back of Naitanui as the Eagles found consistent forward position for the first time in the match since the opening term.

Quinten Lynch got the Eagles rolling after just 38 seconds when West Coast won the opening centre clearance, before adding a second for the quarter (and third for the match) when he took clean possession from a boundary throw in and snapped truly.

The Eagles continued to push and Jack Darling’s goal at the beginning of time-on had West Coast within seven points and a grandstand finish was on the cards. But Collingwood’s class and experience again came to the fore and they settled in the final minutes to earn the coveted week off.

Worsfold was proud of the commitment of his players but acknowledged the difference between a seasoned opponent and where his young Eagles had come from. Simple misses by Shuey and Scott Selwood as West Coast had all the momentum in the final quarter would prove costly.

“It felt like we were just a little bit short of the class of Collingwood, not the effort but the class. I think we matched them for intensity and effort, but they showed the way with clean ball handling, clean ball use.”

“We just made some errors at times that might have got us more inside 50s, more scoring opportunities and we didn’t quite capitalise”, Worsfold said.

The key to the game lay in the middle of the ground where the Magpies were able to control the stoppages despite Naitanui and Cox’ tap ascendancy. The Eagles eclipsed their opponents 50-29 in the hit-outs, but Collingwood turned the tables at the stoppages, winning the clearances 53-31.

Luke Ball nullified Priddis’ influence at the first possession, limiting Priddis to just four for the match. Nic Naitanui and Luke Shuey combined for 14 clearances – half of the Eagles’ total – but too much was left to too few at the inside-ball contest, where Collingwood had a greater spread of contributors.

**Dane Swan was dominant in the Collingwood midfield with 43 disposals**

That prevented the Eagles from getting forward and setting up their defensive press, leaving much of their attack to come from the back half of the ground.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse lauded his side’s ability to claim a decisive win in the Eagles strongest part of the ground. “They are very, very good at stoppage work and we knew we wouldn’t be in the plus as far as hit-outs go.”

“We needed a contest. We got a contest… we won quite convincingly on these figures… which is a credit to the boys.”

That forced the Eagle tall forwards to work further up the ground, where Kennedy and Darling struggled to have an influence. The pair kicked the Eagles’ first and last goals in the game, but did little for the rest of the game as they were well contained by Chris Tarrant and Alan Toovey.

And where the Eagles were unable to counter from defence, the Magpies were able to bounce from half back, with a number of the Magpie defenders racking up high possession numbers. Leon Davis finished with 33 disposals, Heritier Lumumba and Heath Shaw each had 30 and Ben Johnson collected 26.

Their performances were even more meritorious considering the disrupted preparations for many of them. Davis and Maxwell had missed the defeat to Geelong, Tarrant and Johnson had queries over their fitness and Shaw was playing his first game after serving an eight week ban for betting on AFL matches during the season.

Up forward, it was the smalls who did the damage, with Sharrod Wellingham booting three first half goals and Andrew Krakouer the other multiple goal scorer for the Magpies. Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes were both defeated in their battles against Eric Mackenzie and Darren Glass.

Priddis led the Eagles with 24 disposals, while laying 13 tackles, with Chris Masten (22 disposals, seven tackles) and Scott Selwood (21 disposals, eight tackles) the next best. West Coast laid 100 tackles for the game which both symbolised their ability to meet Collingwood’s attack at the contest, but also that the Magpies players were often a step ahead in the contest.

The two coaches noted the pressure in the game, with Worsfold calling it a ‘pretty intense game’.

“A lot of pressure and we didn’t cope with the pressure as well as we believe that we can. Our players will learn from that.”

Collingwood were joined in the preliminary finals by Geelong, who overcame an early slow start to account for the Hawks. Hawthorn paid for their early inaccuracy when they had the game on their terms, with the Cats systematically working their way towards a 31 point victory in the final three quarters.

Hawthorn were due to meet Sydney in the second week of the finals after they provided the upset of the weekend. The Swans got an early jump on the Saints before St Kilda pegged them back to trail by eight points at the final change. However, four goals to one in the final term saw the grand finalists of the past two seasons out in the first week of finals, following an inconsistent season.

West Coast were due to play Carlton in their knockout semi-final, setting up a mouth-watering clash against their former premiership captain in Chris Judd. In front of over 90,000 fans crammed into the MCG, the Bombers were no match for the Blues who steamrolled their way to a 62 point win.

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.

Eagles Fall Short Against Benchmark

May 27, 2021May 28, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Magpie Magic the Difference

After an encouraging start to the season, West Coast tested themselves up against the best of the competition – and found they still had a way to go as Collingwood cruised to a 52 point win.

West Coast matched the reigning premiers at the stoppages and had just two less inside-50s, but the Magpies’ superior class and ability to produce magical moments showed the gulf in the two sides.

Dale Thomas was the standout on the ground, producing a mark-of-the-year and goal-of-the-year contender to go with 30 disposals and two goals. Thomas worked all over the ground, pushing back in defence with six rebound 50s while also floating forward to hit the scoreboard.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse praised the performance of Thomas after the win, as well as Leon Davis who finished with 25 disposals and seven rebounds. Few sides have been able to break the Eagles forward press in 2011, but the Magpies were able to burst through with speed, through the likes of Thomas, Davis, Heritier Lumumba and Heath Shaw.

Malthouse was full of admiration for West Coast in the lead up to the match for their rapid improvement on 2010, but after the win proudly acknowledged his side’s ability to eliminate the strengths of the new Eagles.

“When you analyse their contested ball, they hadn’t been beaten I don’t think this year. Their first quarters (travelling interstate), they’ve always won them.”

“We took both of those away from today, which is good.”

Much had been made about a host of Collingwood players in the lead up to the match with Davis one of a number of Magpies under a cloud. Dane Swan and Leigh Brown were limited to walking laps for much of the week, while Davis and Heath Shaw were both rumoured to miss.

However, all four lined up with the only change for Collingwood being Alan Toovey replacing Tyson Goldsack in defence.

West Coast also made the one change with Brad Sheppard called up to replace Sam Butler who suffered a thigh injury during training.

The Eagles couldn’t have asked for a better start with Josh Kennedy outmarked Chris Tarrant and slotted the opening goal after just 27 seconds. But Collingwood made the most of their chances through some remarkable individual efforts.

Steele Sidebottom rolled Collingwood’s first from the boundary line, Thomas hacked the ball out of mid-air for the Magpies’ second before Alan Didak swivelled through four Eagles for three in a row. Scott Pendlebury added a fourth to have the Magpies out to a 19 point lead at quarter time.

The Eagles had their best period of the match in the second term, but the Magpie defence held firm with Daniel Kerr adding the only goal for West Coast in the quarter. The deficit had been reduced to 10 points midway through the term before a quickfire three-goal burst to the Magpies extended their lead to 27 at the major break.

**Adam Selwood was one of the best for West Coast**

Collingwood continued to stretch their lead through the second half, taking their advantage out to beyond ten goals during the last term, before West Coast booted three of the final four goals in the match to add some respectability.

Despite the poor showing against the competition benchmark, Worsfold remained upbeat after the match, keeping to the tune that the season was all about improvement.

“The margin is disappointing but the effort and matching Collingwood in certain areas shows that we are bridging the gap between the absolute best in the competition and where we’re at.”

Worsfold also boldly declared he was keen to coach on beyond this season when his current deal is set to expire. Having survived calls to be sacked over the preceding 18 months, Worsfold said he was as eager as ever to continue coaching, buoyed by the sharp improvement the club had seen across the opening ten rounds of the season.

“If we hadn’t shown any improvement, I would be guiding this team along and getting them as well prepared as I could for someone to take over.”

“Where I’m at is, when this season finishes, I’d love to sit down with our management and our board and find out the direction that, one, the club wants to go and, two, my direction.”

“If they match up and we’re all happy, then I’d expect to push forward with it.”

Matt Priddis was industrious as ever with 32 disposals and eight clearances, with Adam Selwood (27 disposals) and Daniel Kerr (24) the next best for West Coast. Josh Kennedy was the only clear winner up forward with three goals opposed to Chris Tarrant while Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui again were supreme in the ruck.

The Magpies held 2^nd spot on the ladder with the win, with Geelong remaining undefeated after they easily accounted for former champion Gary Ablett’s Gold Coast side. The Eagles dropped to back to seventh on the ladder, with the Dockers falling to eighth after they lost their third match in four weeks, thrashed by St Kilda.

Sydney moved past both WA sides when they scraped past a horribly inaccurate Kangaroos side by one point. Hawthorn and Carlton both recorded simple wins over the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne to shore up their places in the top four, while Essendon sat fifth with the bye.

Richmond missed out on a chance to move into the top eight past the Eagles and Dockers when they fell to bottom-placed Port Adelaide by 15 points. That saw the Power jump out of last and coupled with Brisbane’s surprise 40 point win over the Crows, the Suns were relegated to the foot of the table.

While West Coast didn’t get the result, there was a noticeable name in the 25-man squad. Jacob Brennan was listed as an emergency, moving one step closer to becoming the first son of a former player to play for the Eagles.

Brennan was the final choice for West Coast at the 2010 National Draft, selected in the footsteps of father Michael who played 179 games with the club. Jacob’s selection in the Eagles squad was interesting timing after Trevor Nisbett earlier in the week professed frustration over the limitations of the current father-son eligibility that had cost the Eagles the chance at selecting several under-18 WA players in recent drafts.

Brandon Matera and Alex Rance had both been selected by other clubs, while promising defender Jordan Lockyer was another who the Eagles wouldn’t have first crack at due to the restrictive father-son rules imposed on the two WA clubs.

Under current rules, former players must have either played 100 AFL games with the Eagles or 150 WAFL games prior to the Eagles formation in 1986, to qualify as father-son selections. Nisbett had lobbied to the AFL that inaugural squad members should automatically be eligible for the father-son rule, claiming that many of the players selected in 1986 were older-aged recruits who would never have been able to meet either of the playing parameters.

As such, West Coast could have had first option at Brandon Matera (son of Wally) and Jordan Lockyer (son of Andrew). Nisbett’s suggestion was subsequently rejected by the AFL, leading the Eagles CEO to lament West Coast had missed out on a generation of father-son players.

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 Lock In Double Chance

September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

West Coast Hold Third With Final Quarter Fightback

As the clock ticked into time-on of the third quarter at Kardinia Park, the Eagles’ double chance hopes looked shot.

A goal to Trevor Poole had extended Geelong’s lead out to 31 points over a sluggish West Coast side that had been unable to match the Cats throughout the afternoon. Elsewhere, results were not favouring the Eagles.

With the Magpies thrashing North Melbourne and the Demons holding a handy advantage heading towards three quarter time over the Hawks, West Coast were poised to drop to fourth to face reigning premiers Hawthorn in an elimination final in the first week of the finals.

But the Eagles of 1990 have developed the steely resolve of their back-pocket coach and by game’s end, West Coast were celebrating another incredible win in the clubs short history.

Goals to Craig McGrath, Peter Sumich and Chris Waterman in the final six minutes leading into three-quarter time reduced the margin to 18 points, to give West Coast hope and put the stutters into the Cats and their fans.

Then Brett Heady – who had been well beaten by Geelong’s best player on the afternoon, Ken Hinkley – bobbed up to kick two quick goals to start the final term when Hinkley was forced off the ground with injury.

Karl Langdon also added a brace of goals in the final term as West Coast steamrolled the home side five goals to one, securing a seven point victory.

And it was a returning big man who seemed to be the catalyst for the Eagles comeback.

Laurie Keene hadn’t been seen at AFL level since Round 2 1989 as he battled knee and lower leg complaints but was named after stringing together a number of games with Subiaco. Keene had travelled with the squad to Brisbane the week before and was promoted to the senior side after Mick Malthouse lost patience with the ruck pairing of Phil Scott and Dean Irving.

Scott held his place but Irving was omitted from the team that defeated Brisbane, along with Phil Narkle and Dean Turner. Joining Keene into the team were Paul Peos, who was selected for his first match since suffering a knee injury in round 3, and Dwayne Lamb who made a surprise return just two weeks after breaking his forearm.

Lamb took to the field with an arm brace and was assigned the job of minding Cats centreman Paul Couch. Scott started in the ruck, with Keene forward and John Worsfold was matched on dangerous Cats forward Gary Ablett.

Geelong had endured a horror season, with just eight wins for the season and would have been excused for having their minds on Mad Monday, rather than the clash with the Eagles. But it was Geelong who started the game like there was something on the line.

Stoneham controlled the ruck, allowing the likes of Neville Bruns and Garry Hocking to drive Geelong forward where Ablett was all over Worsfold. The Geelong forward had six shots on goal in the first quarter alone, but was wasteful with 2.3 and one that sailed out of bounds.

The Cats had only a four point lead at quarter time to show for their early dominance, but they were able to grow their lead over the next two terms with Ken Hinkley controlling the play at half back and the Malekellis brothers joining Hocking and Bruns in winning plenty of the ball through the middle.

Malthouse persisted with Worsfold on Ablett and Lamb had the better of his duel with Couch, but many other Eagles struggled to work their way into the game. Steve Malaxos, David Hart, Dean Kemp and Craig Turley had limited impact in the game, while up forward Peter Sumich was well held by novice Cats defender Mark Neeld.

Sumich had limped off with a hamstring concern the week before against the Bears, but played against Geelong with Malthouse adamant during the week that there was nothing wrong with the Eagle spearhead.

It took the move of Keene into the ruck to swing the match.

Keene took over from Phil Scott in the ruck midway through the third term and his influence at the stoppages was immediate. Chris Lewis and Scott Watters were able to gain an upper hand at the clearances and the Eagles started to generate meaningful forward entries.

**Scott Watters produced his best game of the season against the Cats**

The Eagles would finish with eight of the last ten goals in the match, confirming third spot – the position they had held on the ladder since round 14 – and were set for the clubs’ second ever final against Collingwood.

The win to West Coast said as much as the loss did about Geelong.

For the second week in a row, the Cats had lost at home late in the game after giving up a decisive lead. The Cats had capitulated on multiple occasions during the season and this match was the fifth time instance where Geelong had lost despite having more scoring shots.

For Geelong, the writing on the wall for season 1990 may have been in the humiliating 115 point round one loss to Hawthorn, in the Grand Final replay.

Cats coach Malcolm Blight was pointed in his criticism of the football club. “I’m starting to think that if a side gets close to us, history shows they can beat us.”

“That’s going to be the biggest thing for the Geelong Football Club to overcome.”

The return of Keene also added a new element to the West Coast side, with Blight stating ‘he gave the Eagles a look they haven’t had all year’.

Chris Lewis was again one of the best for West Coast with 20 touches and two goals, while Dwayne Lamb marked his remarkable return with a team high 26 disposals. Lamb also nullified the influence of Paul Couch, with Blight dragging his Brownlow medallist from the ground during the third term.

Scott Watters recorded his highest possession count for the season with 23 and had appeared to time his claim for a senior spot to perfection, having returned to the league side the week before against Brisbane.

Chris Mainwaring worked his way into the game with 24 disposals and Paul Peos also produced a strong showing in his return from injury with 22 touches on the wing.

Neville Bruns was a four-quarter performer for the Cats with 24 kicks and 11 handpasses and Ken Hinkley was the Cats’ best before he hobbled off early in the final term, having accumulated 30 disposals and nine marks.

Garry Hocking picked up 24 touches, Barry Stoneham collected 20 disposals and nine marks in his battle with Phil Scott and then Keene in the ruck, while Gary Ablett was the prime forward in the match, booting 6.5 from 15 disposals.

All spots were up for grabs heading into the final round, but with West Coast overcoming the Cats, there were no changes to the final make-up of the top five.

Essendon secured the minor premiership with a 35 point win over the Saints, who were once again without Tony Lockett. The Bombers trailed at half-time, but a seven-goal final term got the Bombers the win. The match was most notable for the appearance of all four Daniher brothers in the same team; the first time a quartet of brothers played together in the same team.

Collingwood did it easy over North Melbourne, coasting to an 89 point win to finish second on the ladder. With the result determined by half-time, most of the interest surrounded whether Kangaroos full forward and Coleman medal incumbent John Longmire could reach 100 goals for the season.

Longmire had started the match with 96 goals for the season, but his accuracy in front of goal deserted him, returning an inaccurate 2.8 to fall two goals short of the ton.

Melbourne and Hawthorn stayed in fourth and fifth with the Demons holding to a 12 point win, upsetting Hawks captain Michael Tuck’s record-breaking 404^th AFL game. The Demons led by 39 points at three-quarter time, but had to withstand a fightback from the Hawks in the final term. The result meant that the two teams were set to play again the following week in the elimination final.

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse acknowledged the achievement of rebounding from a poor 1989 season to reaching finals in 1990, but declared his side would have much to improve on ahead of the Magpies.

Malthouse was also confident that Keene had put the ongoing injury issues of the past 18 months behind him, and could be an important cog in West Coast’s finals campaign.

1990 Rewind: Lewis Magic Lifts West Coast

August 28, 2020August 28, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles Get Necessary Win In Penultimate Round

In a game that failed to reach great heights, West Coast got the four points against the Brisbane Bears to keep their hold on third place, with just one regular-season game left.

The Eagles were solid, rather than spectacular in the win, opening up a 20 point lead at the first change before going on to a 41 point result in front of just 7,286 fans at Carrara.

And while those that did come to the ground would have seen the match play out as expected between a team vying for the double chance and another team near the foot of the ladder, they were treated to one of the great individual performances of the year.

Chris Lewis had endured a frustrating start to the season when a hamstring injury and then an ankle problem restricted the midfielder/forward to just one quarter in the opening five games.

A fortnight with WAFL club Claremont built some match fitness before Lewis returned to the Eagles side, hitting his stride in the second half of the season. In ten matches from round 11, Lewis averaged 23 disposals per game and booted 15 goals as West Coast consolidated their spot in the top five.

Against the Bears in Round 21, Lewis put in a career best performance.

Running through the midfield, Lewis collected 28 kicks, 10 handballs, seven marks and booted three goals in a clear best on ground display. The Bears had no answer to the masterful showing from Lewis, who displayed his skills both in the stoppage and out in space and had a hand in creating a number of scoring opportunities.

The Eagles made a host of changes to the side that played the Bears, following their loss to the Demons a week earlier. Dwayne Lamb was forced out with a broken arm and Peter Melesso commenced his five-week suspension for stomping. The casualties from the defeat were Troy Ugle, Tony Begovich and Geoff Miles.

Into the West Coast line up were John Worsfold, who returned from serving a two week ban, Craig McGrath who was a late withdrawal the week before, as well as Scott Watters, Dean Turner and Murray Rance who forced his way into the side after six weeks in the WAFL.

The Bears made just two changes with Chris O’Sullivan and Brad Rowe replacing dropped pair Ray Windsor and Shaun Hart.

Laurie Keene made the trip with the Eagles squad as the travelling emergency, with Malthouse remaining cagey over whether the ruckman would make his return from injury. Keene had been sidelined since the second match of 1989 and even Bears coach Norm Dare predicted pre-match that Keene would be included in the Eagles side.

“I can’t believe Keene would come all this way and not play.”

Keene wasn’t a late inclusion with Malthouse giving the pairing of Dean Irving and Phil Scott a chance to bounce back from the beating they copped against Jim Stynes the week before.

And while both lowered their colours to ex-Eagle Alex Ishchenko, it mattered little as Lewis led the strong showing from the West Coast midfield. David Hart and Stephen Malaxos complemented the silky skills of Lewis with the inside grunt, while Craig Turley and Chris Mainwaring provided the linking run on the wings.

Up forward, Peter Sumich booted four goals, taking his total to 73 for the season, equalling the club record set by Ross Glendinning in 1988. However, Sumich would finish the afternoon on the bench. In only his second game back from missing a month with a hamstring, Sumich once again felt a twinge with the Eagles medical staff taking no chances on their spearhead.

**Chris Lewis was sublime for the Eagles against Brisbane**

For Malthouse, the defensive effort was the most pleasing aspect, having conceded 100 points in each of the previous two games.

“The idea was to restrict their scoring, which is something we’ve not done in the last two weeks. The Bears only got eight goals – that’s exactly the result we wanted.”

“They had some good runners but we were able to shut them down and we broke through their defence enough times to kick a winning score.”

Pleased with the performance of his defence, Malthouse had special praise for the returning Rance who restricted Bears full-forward Roger Merrett to just nine disposals and a goal.

“It was just about his (Rance) best game this year. Not because of how many kicks he got, but because of who he was playing on and the way he handled himself under pressure.” Malthouse went on to say it was the best game Rance had played at the club.

Rance himself tallied 15 disposals and seven marks to finish as one of the best for West Coast. David Hart relished not having a tag for the match to gather 31 disposals through the middle, while Steve Malaxos picked up 29 touches.

Guy McKenna had 25 disposals off half back, while Craig McGrath provided the perfect foil for Sumich in the forward line with 21 touches, nine marks and 2.3. Chris Waterman – who held his spot after being a late inclusion the week before – was also one of the Eagles’ best with 19 possessions, nine marks and a goal.

Mark Withers was the leading disposal winner for the Bears with 27, while David Bain and Scott McIvor each picked up 26 touches. With the Bears’ key forwards well held by the tight West Coast defence, only Michael Richardson and Matthew Campbell finished as multiple goal scorers with two each.

Bears coach Norm Dare admitted he was flat after the match believing many of his players already had their eye on the end of the season. The Bears were relegated to last on the ladder and were set for the wooden spoon, after Sydney stunned the Cats by two points at Kardinia Park.

The win kept West Coast in third, with all of the finals incumbents registering wins in the penultimate round of the regular season. Essendon stayed top, despite being jumped by Footscray. The Bulldogs opened up a four goal lead at the first change, but the Bombers had hit the front by half-time, before rolling away to a 24 point win.

That kept the Bombers a win ahead at the top of the ladder, with Collingwood putting in the most impressive performance from the top five, thrashing Fitzroy by 86 points. The Demons and Hawks kept their own double chance hopes alive with efficient wins over Richmond and Carlton.

Melbourne broke free of the Tigers with a five goal second quarter, to run out steady 36 point winners, while Jason Dunstall kicked six goals for the Hawks in their 31 point win over the Blues.

While West Coast mostly tailored through their win against the Bears, the performance wasn’t a concern for Eagles coach Mick Malthouse, pointing out the eight hour trip from Perth to the Gold Coast was an acceptable factor.

The air strike that had debilitated much of the national travel system meant West Coast had to make stops in Adelaide and then Sydney, before eventually reaching their destination in Queensland. Conditions at the ground were also tough with hot, blustery winds greeting the teams at Carrara.

“Fatigue was a big factor. It’s a long journey, it’s a big ground and we haven’t played in that sort of heat for a long time.”

“A win, is a win, is a win – and that’s all it was.”

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.