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: Eagles Cruise Past Crows

September 4, 2021September 4, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Simple Tune-Up For West Coast as Magpies Await

The Eagles wrapped up their 2011 home-and-away campaign with an effortless 95 point win over an uninterested Crows outfit, as they shifted their focus to finals action.

The win was West Coast’s 17^th of the season – equalling their record from the grand final and premiership seasons of 2005 and 2006. However, while they had finished in the top two in each of those years to secure multiple home finals, a 17-5 return was only good enough for fourth position in what finished as a lopsided ladder.

The Magpies claimed the minor premiership and were the Eagles’ next opponents, but the reigning premiers suddenly looked vulnerable after being humbled by Geelong by 96 points. The top-of-the-table clash soon became a fizzer as the Cats steamrolled Collingwood, highlighted by a ten goal second quarter.

The defeat was just Collingwood’s second of the season – both of which had come against Geelong – but the invincibility that had surrounded the Magpies for much of the year was starting to wear off as injury and off-field issues affected the back end of Collingwood’s season.

While the Eagles were expected to start as distant outsiders in the qualifying final, the Eagles were as well positioned as they could expect to be. There were no late complications ahead of the finals series as Adelaide offered little competition.

Jack Darling returned after two weeks sidelined with injury, with Sam Butler the other inclusion in a somewhat controversial selection. With defender Will Schofield expected to miss just the one week after fracturing a cheekbone against the Lions, it had been anticipated that premiership players Brett Jones would earn a game ahead of his likely retirement at seasons end.

However, Worsfold opted against the sentiment bringing Butler back into the side after recovering from a groin strain. Ashton Hams was the other change, losing his place to Darling.

The Crows made a host of changes for their final game of the season with Jack Gunston (shoulder), Andy Otten (concussion) and Brodie Martin (groin) all out with injury. Aiden Reilly was dropped with Ian Callinan, Richard Tambling, Ricky Henderson and Michael Doughty all brought into the side.

The signs were early that the Crows wouldn’t be able to match West Coast and they set about minimising the damage.

For a quarter it worked as West Coast bombarded their forward 50 arc for little reward. Brad Ebert and Mark Nicoski both kicked majors, but the home side were mostly frustrated as the Crows bunkered down.

On the flip side, the Crows were no chance of scoring as they looked to just exit out of their back half, but the Eagles backline just sat back and racked up the possessions as Adelaide players continually kicked the ball to them. Butler had 12 disposals for the term in his return game, Adam Selwood had 11 and Beau Waters 7.

Leading by 17 points at the first change, Nic Naitanui goaled inside the first minute of the second term as West Coast broke the Adelaide shackles. Kurt Tippett registered the first Adelaide score a few minutes later, but West Coast finished with seven of the last eight goals in the term to break the game apart and head into the major break with a nine goal advantage.

The second half was purely going through the motions, but another eight goals in the final term ensured West Coast would finish the regular season in emphatic fashion. Chris Masten added a second goal late in the game to take the Eagles lead into triple figures, but Adelaide avoided a 100 plus point loss in Mark Bickley’s final game as caretaker coach thanks to a late Taylor Walker goal.

West Coast posted 22 goals for the match, but pleasingly their strong offensive performance came despite a quiet showing from full forward Josh Kennedy. Kennedy managed just one goal from eight disposals and one mark as he was well held by Ben Rutten.

Instead eight Eagles managed multiple goals in the game, with Quinten Lynch, Scott Selwood and Mark Nicoski leading the way with three each.

After being restricted to just a handful of possessions the week before by Brisbane tagger Andrew Raines, Andrew Embley bounced back with a strong performance on the wing. Embley was the Eagles’ best with 33 disposals and eight inside 50s providing plenty of run on the outside. Inside the contest, Matt Priddis did much of the heavy work with 12 clearances from 23 possessions, while also laying 13 tackles.

Adam Selwood (28 disposals), Chris Masten (27, 7 clearances & 2 goals), Luke Shuey (25, 2 goals) and Quinten Lynch (22 & 7 marks) were all proficient as the Eagles dominated in most areas. West Coast recorded 23 more inside 50s in the game (59-36), controlled the clearances (60-43) and even with the huge margin still managed to lay more tackles than their opposition (79-65).

The Crows offered little, with Scott Thompson flying a lone flag in the middle of the ground. Thompson finished as the leading ball winner on the ground with 40 disposals and a goal with minor support from Nathan Van Berlo and Rory Sloane.

The only disappointment for the Eagles was a hamstring injury to Ashley Smith that saw the running defender subbed out during the second term with Andrew Gaff coming on. It was the sixth time this season that Gaff had started the game with the green vest.

Smith was set to be the only ill bill of health for West Coast, with Daniel Kerr, Matt Rosa and Schofield all set to be available for the first final against Collingwood.

While the Geelong-Collingwood result sent a shockwave through the competition, the rest of the fixtures essentially went as expected. Hawthorn held onto third place despite being pushed to the edge by lowly Gold Coast. The Hawks made 10 changes for the match as they openly focused on their first final against Geelong, and the reinforcements did what they needed to do in a nine point win.

The only finals match up that wasn’t know heading into the final round centred around sixth and seventh. While St Kilda and Sydney knew they were playing each other, the Swans could still pass the Saints and claim a home final, if the Saints couldn’t claim a win against the fifth placed Blues.

Sydney did what they needed to do, easily defeating Brisbane, but the Saints ensured the final would be played in Victoria, when they came from behind to beat Carlton by 20 points. The Blues led by 11 points at half time and extended their lead to 18 early in the third quarter when Zach Touhy goaled. However the Saints booted seven of the next eight goals to hold their position of sixth.

The Bombers rounded out the top eight, safe in the knowledge they would make the finals despite having a bye in the final round. Essendon were set for a blockbuster first week match up against Carlton, who similarly, were sure of completing the season in fifth.

The only other interest in the round came at the foot of the ladder where Port Adelaide were able to escape the wooden spoon with a dramatic eight point win over Melbourne. The Suns were relegated to last on the ladder in their debut season, with the Power recording their third win of the season in a historic match at the home of the SACA.

Following extended negotiations between the SANFL and SA Cricket Association, the Power were able to secure the first game played at the Adelaide Oval for premiership points in the AFL competition, marking the occasion with an entertaining eight point win over the Demons in front of nearly 30,000 fans – the largest non-Showdown home crowd they had had in over 18 months.

But for West Coast, attention now turned to September action for the first time since 2007 and they were set to play the team they last played in a final in Collingwood. With a double chance and a guaranteed home final in either the second or third week of the finals, the Eagles were riding the wave of momentum and the public sentiment towards a fairytale finish.

2011 Rewind: Eagles Crack Top Four

August 22, 2021August 22, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Second Half Surge Lifts Eagles Into Double Chance

West Coast finally cracked their way into the top four and prime position for the double chance come finals after careering away to a 57 point win over the Bombers.

The Eagles trailed by a point at half time, but fourteen goals after half time ensured West Coast would claim their 15^th win of the season and replace Carlton in the top four. The Blues lost their place after losing by two goals in an enthralling clash with the Hawks in the round opener.

West Coast welcomed back their captain and vice-captain in Darren Glass and Beau Waters, with defender Mitch Brown unlucky to lose his place and Patrick McGinnity serving a one match ban for breaching the AFL’s respect and responsibility policy.

The McGinnity investigation was the focus for much of the week, but John Worsfold denied it would be a distraction for the club. Worsfold endorsed the vilification code and declared McGinnity had learned from the incident. “Paddy understands very clearly what he did wrong and… he is remorseful.”

The Bombers arrived in Perth having won four of their past six games and looking to consolidate their spot in the top eight, but the make up of their side failed to take shape until late in the week.

Dustin Fletcher was initially left out of the side, but returned when Tayte Pears failed a fitness test. Michael Hurley was ruled out with soreness and Ricky Dyson was dropped, with Nathan Lovett-Murray, David Myers and Tom Bellchambers the three inclusions.

Bellchambers was called into the side, joining Paddy Ryder and David Hille meaning James Hird had three ruckmen at their disposal to counter the influence of Nic Naitanui and Dean Cox.

Ultimately, Hird’s decision would backfire.

Cox would finish as one of the best for West Coast as the Eagles overran the Bombers through the second half. Jack Darling was a late withdrawal ahead of the game (missing his first game of his debut season), with Chris Masten brought in as his replacement and having the additional runner in the game appeared to work in the Eagles favour.

West Coast held the edge from the start of the game, but some costly mistakes kept the Bombers in the hunt during the first term. Paddy Ryder scored the Bombers’ first two goals, the second coming from an interchange infringement against Dean Cox. After Quinten Lynch kicked the Eagles second goal, Cox entered the field of play ahead of time, gifting the Bombers a free kick and a 50m penalty resulting in a simple goal.

The Eagles registered seven scoring shots to just three, but only held a nine point lead with Essendon making the most of their few opportunities. The Eagles extended their lead to 16 midway through the second term before the Bombers got on a roll that saw them lead at the major break.

Essendon kicked four of the final five goals in the term with Stewart Crameri’s second putting the Bombers in front by a point at half time. The Essendon midfield were able to get a handle of the game late in the term with Brent Stanton, Jobe Watson, David Myers and Jake Melksham all gathering nine disposals for the term.

However any thoughts Essendon had of continuing their momentum at the resumption after half time was quickly extinguished as the West Coast press generated repeat inside 50 entries and shots on goal.

The Eagles recorded the first six scoring shots of the term and while they could only manage a return of 2.4, it was enough to stamp their authority in the game. Jobe Watson and Leroy Jetta bucked the trend to add two majors for the Bombers to draw them back within a point, but it would be the last punch thrown by the visitors – at least on the scoreboard.

The game had several flashpoints during the term after Jobe Watson was collected by Beau Waters. The pair came together across the Essendon half forward line, with the Essendon captain aided to the bench and the Eagle reported. Nathan Lovett-Murray then took it upon himself to throw his weight around but that only worked in West Coast’s favour as they finished with the final four goals in the term.

It only got worse for the Bombers as the Eagles slammed on eight goals in the final quarter to blow out the margin, while the accuracy that kept them in the game in the first half deserted them when they needed it most, finishing the game with six behinds. Along with Watson, Andrew Welsh was forced out of the game early, while Stewart Crameri’s season was in doubt after dislocating a shoulder late in the game.

For West Coast, Daniel Kerr and Luke Shuey were the keys after half time, with Shuey belying his 26 games of experience. Shuey tallied 23 disposals, with 11 clearances, 7 inside 50s and a goal as he went head to head against Essendon midfielder Dyson Heppell.

The pair were the two standouts for the rising star award, with Heppell just as impressive for the Bombers with 26 disposals.

Matt Priddis matched Shuey’s effort around the stoppages with 10 clearances to go with 27 disposals, while Kerr was next best for the Eagles with 25. Scott Selwood had 23 disposals and eight tackles, while up forward Josh Kennedy and Mark LeCras each booted four goals.

Brent Stanton and David Zaharakis led the Bombers with 27 possessions each, while Heath Hocking battled it out with 20 touches and 12 tackles. Paddy Ryder finished with three goals and Crameri two, to be the Bombers only multiple goal scorers in the game.

Despite the loss, Essendon held their spot in the eight as a number of other results went their way. Fremantle’s season continued to unravel when they were on the end of a 98 point thrashing by North Melbourne. The Kangaroos jumped the Dockers into ninth spot, but were six points behind the Bombers with two games to play.

Melbourne were officially out of the running for finals when they fell short against the Tigers by seven points, while the Bulldogs’ finals hopes were quashed despite a ten goal win over Port Adelaide. Barry Hall booted six goals for the Bulldogs, but his former side ensured they wouldn’t reach September action when they overcame horrible accuracy in front of goal and a three-quarter time deficit to defeat the Saints by 15 points.

The Swans did everything they could to throw the game away, trailing by seven points at the final change even though they had had eight more scoring shots. Four goals to one in the final term saw the Swans home, moving past the Bombers into seventh position.

Collingwood moved a game clear of the Cats at the top of the ladder with a three goal win over Brisbane. Geelong had the bye, but the two sides had sewn up the top two, with a final round meeting set to be the intriguing point of the season.

While the Eagles were now in the prime position to finish in the top four, Worsfold refused to buy into the finals discussion, which was expected to see West Coast tackle reigning premiers Collingwood in the opening week.

“It feels like we have two big games to go and fourth in Round 22 doesn’t mean anything. Round 24 is where we want to make sure we are in a good position. Nothing is ever a given. You have got to go out and earn it.”

Worsfold praised his side for handling the heat of the contest and earning a ‘solid win’ against a finals contender. “I thought a really good intense game in that first half, a lot of heat and obviously to come out and run out the game in the second half was very, very pleasing,” Worsfold said.

“We knew that they were a good inside stoppage team. There was some strong bodies in there, so there was a specific challenge for some of the players, especially in the third quarter and they performed really well.”

The Eagles were shaping nicely for a finals tilt and were given a further boost when Waters was cleared of his hit on Watson, with the tribunal deeming the action wasn’t a bump and the contact accidental.

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 Taken To The Line

July 24, 2021July 25, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Centremetres in it as Eagles Survive Late Docker Comeback

West Coast held on for a one point victory in one of the most gripping Western derbies seen between the Eagles and Dockers.

Fremantle goalsneak Hayden Ballantine had the chance to steal the unlikeliest of wins for the Dockers after the siren, with his long range effort from the boundary unable to clear the hoard of players positioned on the Fremantle goal line.

The result had important top eight implications for both teams, with the fine line in finish and margin keeping the Eagles in control of their top four destiny, while leaving the Dockers at the mercy of the chasing teams looking to force their way into September qualifications.

A win to Fremantle would have seen them join level with the Eagles on ten wins, but instead West Coast were able to open up a two game break on their closest rivals and keep the pressure on Carlton and Hawthorn for the double chance.

The frenzied finish belied the match and much of the build up as the two clubs remained cagey over their line ups.

Nic Naitanui and Jack Darling both failed to train during the week suggesting they could miss, while the Dockers were surprisingly touting the prospect of ruckman Aaron Sandilands returning despite a recurrence of a toe injury just three weeks earlier.

Mark Harvey then lit a fuse at the customary joint pre-match press conference between the two coaches when he declared the Dockers wouldn’t be caught out by West Coast as they had in the previous meeting earlier in the season.

Harvey suggested the Eagles had been ‘leaked intelligence’ before the match, which West Coast won by 33 points despite losing Daniel Kerr and Andrew Embley in the hour before the match. Further pressed, Harvey intimated the Eagles had gained information on personnel and planning which had aided them in claiming the win. Harvey was defiant in that the Eagles wouldn’t be able to rely on such assistance this time around.

A bemused John Worsfold added nothing to the accusations, other than to say he wasn’t aware of any leak. “I am not sure where all of that has come from.”

Much of the speculation during the week over line-ups ultimately came to nothing with both Jack Darling and Nic Naitanui picked for West Coast and Aaron Sandilands failing to come up. Daniel Kerr would miss a second straight week officially due to soreness with the Eagles taking precaution over their veteran midfielder.

Patrick McGinnity was the one change from the defeat to St Kilda the week before, replacing Koby Stevens. The Dockers made two changes, with Roger Hayden ruled out after breaking his leg against the Swans the week before, while 2008 rising star winner Rhys Palmer was dropped as doubt swirled around his future at the club.

Palmer had yet to sign a new contract with the Dockers with the expectation he would join the incumbent 18^th AFL side, Greater Western Sydney at the end of the season. Nick Suban and Ryan Crowley were the two inclusions for the Dockers.

Although West Coast started the match as strong favourites, the Dockers held sway through the first half.

The Eagles had been expected to hold a considerable advantage in the ruck with Cox and Naitanui over Jon Griffin and Zac Clarke, and while that was the case in the ruck knocks, the Dockers through Matthew Pavlich and Michael Barlow ensured they would match West Coast in the clearances.

The first half was a tight affair that provided little in the way of space or clean skills. Stephen Hill had a rare chance to run and carry when he bounced his way from half back through the middle of Subiaco Oval to kick the game’s opener.

Michael Barlow added a second for Fremantle to give them an early break, with Jack Darling adding the only other goal for the quarter following a crunching tackle by Darren Glass on the wing on Ballantine.

Two goals in four minutes early in the second quarter to Matt Priddis and Josh Kennedy put West Coast in front for the first time, but couldn’t muster much more in their forward half as Fremantle spent the quarter edging closer.

The Dockers managed one goal for the term, with Zac Clarke marched close to goal after Nic Naitanui initially infringed the ruckman in a marking contest and then failed to adequately hand the ball back in time.

The evenness in the game showed on the scoreboard with the Eagles holding a slender one point lead at the main break, but West Coast would exert their mark on the game from the third quarter. The Eagles had 10 scoring shots to just four, but inaccuracy prevented them from wrapping the game up.

West Coast booted 3.7 for the term but handed the Dockers simple goals with a turnover that ended with Adam McPhee and another 50m penalty to Zac Clarke for his second of the match. However, the Dockers were dealt a blow when Jon Griffin limped off with a knee injury, leaving Clarke to hold up the ruck against the Eagles pairing.

Dean Cox took full advantage en route to being awarded the Glendinning medal. Cox would finish with 42 hit-outs for the match, 27 of which came after half time as he fed the likes of Luke Shuey (26 disposals, eight clearances) and Matt Rosa (21 disposals, five clearances).

**Zac Clarke was left to lead the ruck for Fremantle after Jon Griffin went down**

The Eagles worked their way to a seven point lead at the final change with late goals to Kennedy and LeCras and the game looked as good as done by midway through the final term when Kennedy added a third and Luke Shuey out-pointed Barlow in the goal square to stretch the Eagles advantage to 22 points.

Fremantle appeared out of shots through the last quarter as the Eagles controlled the forward half possession and their lead should have been far greater. Cox and Kennedy both missed sitters in front of goal, LeCras kicked into the man on the mark and Kennedy sent another chance out on the full.

A dour contest seemed set to reach its anticipated conclusion before Fremantle sparked into life in the final minutes through the efforts of second-year midfielder Nat Fyfe.

Fyfe got on the end of an Eagles turnover on the wing to carry the ball to the Dockers forward 50 before launching a shot on goal that drifted wide but landed with teammate Stephen Hill to kick his second of the match.

A minute later, with the Eagles looking to play conservatively and run down the clock, Fyfe won a contested ball to set Chris Mayne into space, with the half forward running the ball all the way to the goal line to draw the Dockers back within nine points.

Fyfe then added a third successive goal when Darren Glass gave away the Eagles’ third 50m penalty for the afternoon. Suddenly, in no time, the Dockers had closed to within a couple of points and had all of the momentum.

West Coast, seeming comfortable for much of the quarter, were now in desperation mode as Fremantle continued to press forward. Mayne was denied a pack mark that had correctly been adjudged to come off multiple hands, before Luke McPharlin was unlucky not to receive a free kick for high contact at the top of the goal square.

The ensuing scramble in the goal square ended with Priddis rushing a behind to reduce the margin to two points and give West Coast possession with a minute to play. Alex Silvagni won the ball back on the wing, but his kick to half forward missed the target, allowing Quinten Lynch to gather and kick for space onto the opposite wing.

Fremantle had one final thrust forward as the clock counted down to zero. A long kick from Tendai Mzungu was unable to be marked by Barlow and as the ball bobbled around a pack of players, Rosa sought refuge towards the boundary line.

However, the umpire called deliberate and the final play of an absorbing contest rested with Hayden Ballantine after the siren.

Taking possession at the apex of the boundary line and the 50m arc, the kick seemed beyond the small forward, but Ballantine flushed the kick as well as he possibly could have. For the mostly Fremantle crowd, and the kicker himself, the ball seemed to have enough but the ecstasy of celebration quickly dropped to agony and despair as the kick faded late to fall into the mass of players and only register a behind – leaving the Eagles one point victors.

The after-the-siren drama saw rare emotion from Worsfold, who ran onto the field after the final score was confirmed to celebrate with his players. But, while happy with the four points, the Eagles coach reflected on poor errors and discipline that could easily have given up the result.

“We got the win but it was real hard work, real hard work.”

Three of Fremantle’s nine goals came directly from 50m penalties, while Worsfold also bemoaned the ease of some of the other scores they conceded. “Heaps to learn from it and to know we have got to get a bit better again.”

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey praised the resilience of his side, for pushing towards the end, although he admitted he held little hope for Ballantine to come through with the winner from beyond 50m.

“My immediate thought was that it was going to be hard to kick a goal from that far out. I was expecting he might try a torpedo. He nearly got there anyway but it doesn’t come down to that kick. It comes down to prior events.”

Harvey admitted his side allowed the Eagles to control possession too much through the second half, with West Coast tallying 110 marks for the game. “We probably allowed them to kick the ball around too much at times, especially down back.”

“It was a credit to our blokes to come off the trip we had last week and kick the last three goals.”

“I would like to think that we never know when the end is near.”

Cox tallied 22 disposals and a number of important marks in the final term as part of his medal-winning performance, although Shuey arguably was the Eagles’ best with his showing in the midfield. With both Matt Priddis and Andrew Embley well held by Crowley and Mzungu, Shuey picked up the slack around the stoppages, along with Scott Selwood, who won his battle with Matthew Pavlich, and Matt Rosa.

**Luke Shuey was one of the best for the Eagles with Priddis and Embley subdued**

Mark LeCras picked up 22 touches and booted two goals, both of which came in the third term. LeCras was largely contained by Garrick Ibbotson, but broke free in the second half with 14 disposals and a brace of majors. Beau Waters was inspirational with 23 touches and a courageous effort in the third quarter when he backpeddled into oncoming traffic to mark deep in defence as Mayne crashed into the back of him.

Josh Kennedy finished with 3.4 for the match, while in defence Darren Glass and Adam Selwood were resolute. Glass limited the impact of Chris Mayne while Selwood had the job on Ballantine. Matt de Boer was assigned the defensive forward role on half back Shannon Hurn, but Hurn was still able to collect 17 disposals and six rebound 50s as the Eagles defensive group held firm throughout the day.

Michael Barlow and Greg Broughton were the leading ball winners for Fremantle with 26 each with Barlow the Docker’s most consistent performer on the day, just three weeks after returning from a horror broken leg. Luke McPharlin won his duel with Jack Darling to have 20 disposals and seven marks and Fyfe lifted in the final term with eight disposals to finish with 19 touches and five inside-50s.

Importantly for West Coast, their pursuit of the top four remained on track, despite the strong wins of Carlton and Hawthorn over the weekend. The Blues smashed Essendon by 74 points with Eddie Betts booting eight goals and the Hawks had the better of Melbourne to the tune of nine goals.

As good as those wins for Carlton and Hawthorn were, the defeats for Essendon and Melbourne could not have been more demoralising. The Bombers tumbled out of the eight as a result with St Kilda taking their place courtesy of a 103 point thrashing of Adelaide that would see the end of Neil Craig as senior coach of the Crows.

Remarkably, the Saints had started the round 11 percent behind Essendon, but the two results orchestrated a 15 percent turnaround between the two sides that allowed St Kilda to move into eighth spot. Fremantle held seventh, while the Swans remained sixth with a comfortable 39 point win over the Bulldogs.

However, they remained six points behind West Coast, who also had a game in hand, to leave the fight for the double chance down to a race in five. Collingwood and Geelong continued on their merry way at the top of the ladder with the Magpies and Cats recording easy wins over Gold Coast and Richmond.

Saints Stun Eagles

July 17, 2021July 17, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

West Coast Miss Chance To Grab Top Four

A sluggish start and a floundering finish saw West Coast slump to a disappointing 21 point loss to St Kilda at Docklands.

The Eagles’ five game winning run came to a halt against the Saints, who paid tribute to their only premiership coach Allan Jeans before the match, following his passing during the week.

Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo starred from the outset, combining for 27 disposals in the opening term as the Saints piled on six goals to nil in a dominant start. When Ryan Gamble kicked his second goal inside the first minute of the second quarter, the Saints held a 43 point lead and the Eagles appeared all at sea.

It took the efforts of seventh-gamer Andrew Gaff, as well as youngsters Luke Shuey and Brad Ebert and the ruck pair of Nic Naitanui and Dean Cox to drag West Coast back into the game. Such was the showing of Gaff, it even prompted rival coach Ross Lyon to declare the rookie wingman as a ‘special talent’.

Gaff was recalled to the West Coast side for his first match since the Round 8 Derby and showed he had benefitted strongly from full match outings at South Fremantle in the WAFL after starting his career as the substitute in five of his first six games.

Gaff was one of three inclusions for the Eagles, who also brought in vice-captain Beau Waters for his first match since undergoing elbow surgery after round 2 and forward Quinten Lynch who sat out the previous weeks win over Geelong due to suspension.

Tom Swift and Patrick McGinnity were both dropped, while Daniel Kerr was left out of the side after battling soreness for several weeks. Despite leaving Kerr out, Eagles coach John Worsfold said he wouldn’t give players games off heading into finals, believing the two byes would be enough of a rest for his squad.

The Eagles had had 11 players play every game of the season up to Round 17 – more than the four teams sitting above them on the ladder combined. Geelong and Collingwood, in particular, had used the advantage of banking early wins in the season to give players additional breaks throughout the year.

The Saints named an unchanged line up to tackle the Eagles after consecutive wins over Port Adelaide and North Melbourne had lifted them to within a game of the top eight. The grand finalists of the previous two seasons had endured a below-par year, but showed signs of their best form in recent weeks with spots in the lower part of the top eight on offer.

St Kilda resisted the urge to recall ruckman Michael Gardiner to the senior side, despite the imposing presence of Naitanui and Cox for the Eagles. Gardiner played a half for the reserves the week before in his return from a long injury layoff with St Kilda choosing to remain cautious over his full return.

The Saints overlooked talls Justin Koschitzke and Jason Blake for the match, opting to take a running side into the game to combat the Eagles forward press. Koschitzke would end up coming into the side as a late inclusion for young forward Tom Lynch and he made sure Saints’ selectors wouldn’t regret the late call.

Koschitzke booted two first quarter goals and had a hand in another from six first-quarter disposals as the Saints burst out of the blocks. Koschitzke also provided strong support in the ruck as the St Kilda midfield overwhelmed their Eagle counterparts.

Montagna was everywhere in the first term with 17 disposals, while Dal Santo chimed in with 10 as they continually sent the ball into the Saints forward 50m zone. The Saints racked up 60 more disposals for the quarter (128-68), with Jason Gram (nine possessions), Raph Clarke (nine) and Dean Polo (eight) all influential.

When Gamble made it seven straight goals to start the match, all looked lost for West Coast.

Naitanui and Cox then took control in the ruck to give the Eagle runners first advantage and Andrew Gaff showed why he was rated so highly. The number four draft selection had nine disposals for the term and along with Brad Ebert (seven) and Cox (seven) led the West Coast midfield back into the contest.

**Andrew Gaff was one of the best for West Coast in his seventh AFL game**

Ebert got the Eagles on the board before Gaff also added a major for the term as the Eagles got to within half of the damage by the main break. West Coast then got the game fully on their terms as they kept the Saints scoreless in the third term.

Gaff added a second goal and Lynch put the Eagles in front for the first time in the game in the closing minutes of the quarter with a top four spot in the offing.

After doing nothing in the first term, something in the second and everything in the third, the Eagles gave it all up in the last with costly moments.

A tense opening fifteen minutes had seen Stephen Milne kick a long range goal to restore St Kilda’s lead before Naitanui produced a wondrous effort from a boundary throw-in in the forward pocket, where he took possession, raced clear of the pack of players and snapped truly on the run to have the Eagles back in front.

For West Coast, that would be the last significant contribution on the scoreboard.

At the other end, the Eagles defence would lose their way to cough up the four points. Eric Mackenzie had been solid on Nick Riewoldt all afternoon, keeping the Saints spearhead goalless but would sully his performance with two horror turnovers that would lead to St Kilda goals and consign West Coast to defeat.

Matt Priddis would finish as the leading ball winner for West Coast after signing a new two year contract during the week with 27, 17 of which came in the second half. Luke Shuey (24) and Matt Rosa (22) were the next best with Dean Cox also tallying 22 touches and Gaff a career best 21.

Gaff and Nicoski would be the only multiple goal scorers with the Eagles talls well held. While Gaff shone, fellow draftee Jack Darling struggled and appeared fatigued with just five disposals in three quarters before being subbed out and replaced by Koby Stevens.

Leigh Montagna was the standout on the field finishing with 34 disposals after his blistering start. Montagna would also be one of the direct recipients of one of Mackenzie’s turnovers to kick one of the sealing goals for the Saints. Jason Gram collected 31 touches and Brendan Goddard roamed half back for 30 possessions.

The win kept St Kilda’s finals hopes alive but it came at a cost with defender James Gwilt rupturing his ACL which would require a knee reconstruction.

St Kilda remained a game outside the top eight with Sydney dropping to eighth spot after falling to Fremantle in an absorbing game at the SCG. The Dockers took a grip in the game with seven goals in the third quarter to open up a 38 point lead at the final change before Sydney launched a comeback that ultimately fell short. The Swans closed to within one kick before Nick Lower stepped up in the final minutes to boot the Dockers only goal of the final term – enough to secure an 11 point win.

Essendon also remained clear of the Saints after succeeding at their own comeback attempt against the lowly Crows at Football Park. Adelaide stormed to a five goal lead in the first quarter and still held a 16 point advantage at the final break, after leading by 37 points during the second term. However, the Bombers ran out 11 point winners off the back of huge final quarters from Angus Monfries, Brent Stanton and David Zaharakis.

West Coast missed out on the top four spot after Carlton fell to Collingwood by 19 points at the MCG. The Magpies kept the Blues at arms length for most of the night, with Travis Cloke starring up forward. Geelong kept pace with Collingwood at the top of the ladder after they fought off a brave Brisbane side. The Lions stuck with the Cats for the first three quarters before Geelong racked up seven final quarter goals to coast to a 29 point victory.

Melbourne and North Melbourne maintained their push for a top eight spot with wins over Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs, while the Power were relegated to the bottom of the ladder after newcomers Gold Coast recorded their third win of the season with a rollercoaster win over Richmond.

The Tigers bounced to a six goal lead at quarter time before being clawed back in the second term as the Suns took a seven point lead to the main break. Richmond again took a commanding lead during the third term, heading for home with a 13 point advantage with a quarter to play, but five goals to one in favour of the Suns in the last ensured a 15 point win.

John Worsfold bemoaned his side’s inconsistency in the loss to St Kilda, but acknowledged the better side won on the day. “It’s a four quarter game and over four quarters, same as last week against Geelong, one team dominated for certain periods and the other got on top for other periods.”

“In the end the better team that does it that bit longer and a bit better, wins the game.”

Worsfold was at a loss to describe the poor start but praised his side’s efforts to get themselves back into the contest.

“We just couldn’t get our hands on the footy and they just ran rampant, used the ball well and kept possession in that first quarter, but we addressed a few things there and fought back pretty well after that.”

“In the last quarter it was pretty even, the game was up for grabs and a couple of mistakes cost us late in terms of the margin.”

Eagles Get The Cream

July 9, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

West Coast Withstand Cats Comeback

Thirty scintillating minutes either side of quarter time and some desperate final quarter defence saw West Coast get home by eight points over ladder-leaders Geelong in one of the games of the 2011 season.

Over 40,000 people packed Subiaco Oval on the Friday night to see the Eagles score their second straight win over a top-four side and continue their push to break into the double chance position.

The Eagles remained fifth following the win, but after serving their second bye the week before, now sat within four points of the Blues and Hawks, with an extra game up their sleeve.

Geelong arrived in Perth as the competition’s benchmark after first-year coach Chris Scott had guided his side to 13 wins from his first 13 games in charge – a VFL/AFL record – but had had their unbeaten streak ended the week before with a surprise four point loss to Essendon.

Scott talked up the Eagles in the lead up, declaring the trip to WA as the biggest challenge in the competition and the Cats could have been accused of having an eye on the Eagles ahead of their match with Essendon.

The Cats made the left-field decision to send several players to WA the week before, with Travis Varcoe and Joel Corey – who were both rested against Essendon – along with suspended midfielder Joel Selwood spending the week training with South Fremantle.

West Coast had their own tribunal issues ahead of the match with Quinten Lynch copping two one week suspensions for separate incidents involving Marc Murphy in the Eagles win over Carlton a fortnight earlier.

While Lynch would plead guilty to a striking charge, confirming his ineligibility for the Geelong match, the Eagles successfully challenged the grading of a rough conduct, reducing the level from high to medium which meant Lynch would serve just the one match suspension.

Lynch was joined by Sam Butler on the sidelines after the defender strained a quad in the final training session of the week. Patrick McGinnity and Koby Stevens were the two inclusions for West Coast, with Stevens making his first appearance of the season.

Geelong made three changes, with Varcoe and Corey returning, along with Taylor Hunt. The Cats were clear in their match selection as they chose a number of mid-sized runners to come into the side in place of tall forwards Mitch Brown and Tom Gillies. Andrew Mackie was the third exclusion for Geelong due to soreness.

Dean Cox started in the ruck for West Coast, but had partner Nic Naitanui beside him at the opening bounce with John Worsfold throwing the Fijian into the centre square alongside Daniel Kerr and Matt Priddis.

The Eagles brought the early intensity with a number of forward entries that had the Geelong defence scrambling. However, for all of the home side’s endeavour, the class of the Cats stood out as they capitalised on the rebound.

Geelong booted four of the first five goals in the game – including their first three from just four forward 50 entries – with James Podsiadly bobbing up for two of them.

West Coast on the other hand were blowing their chances, with Mark Nicoski (twice) and Naitanui both missing simple shots in front of goal.

With five minutes left in the quarter Geelong led 4.1 to 1.3 but West Coast finished the quarter with a flurry of majors to get reward for their dominance. And it was the two players who had been guilty in front of goal earlier in the term who sparked what would be an unanswered nine goal run.

Naitanui would be the fortunate recipient of an overturned free kick in the forward pocket after Jack Darling had sprayed a set shot out on the full. With Geelong set to take possession, Steve Johnson took unkindly to the attention he was receiving from Adam Selwood off the ball, gifting the ball back to the Eagles, where Naitanui snapped truly from the behind post.

Josh Kennedy eked through the Eagles’ third goal after a scramble near the goal square before Mark Nicoski produced a moment of magic.

Collecting the ball on the bounce near the boundary line and cornered by two Geelong defenders, Nicoski fashioned a checkside effort as he was falling backwards that purely defied his two earlier misses from dead in front. That put West Coast in front with Mark LeCras extending the Eagles lead to ten points at the first change in the dying seconds.

The final major told the tale of the first term.

The longer the quarter went, the less sure and composed the Cats defence appeared in the face of the Eagles forward pressure. With the seconds ticking down, Travis Varcoe had possession and looked to exit the ball from the defensive arc. Varcoe overshot his handpass which went directly to Mark LeCras, who then cut a swathe through two defenders and caressed the ball home for the Eagles’ fifth goal from the 50m line.

West Coast had enjoyed 77% of the play in their forward half and led the inside 50 count 18-8 with many of their early matchups were working in their advantage.

Adam Selwood was minding the enigmatic Steve Johnson, brother Scott was doing a similar job on Bartel and Darren Glass had kept the dangerous Daniel Menzel to just two disposals. Brad Ebert had been deployed as a defensive forward on Matthew Scarlett, with the intent of dragging the Cats full back out of the play.

If West Coast had been guilty of not maximising the glut of forward entries in the first quarter, there was no such issue in the second term as the Eagles piled on five goals in 17 minutes to stun the Cats. From sixteen points down entering time-on of the first term, West Coast had advanced to a 40 point lead entering time-on of the second.

**Mark Nicoski was dynamic for West Coast up forward with three goals**

Bartel eventually ended the Eagles run, but when Brad Ebert rolled home his first major just before half time after another poor turnover in defence by Geelong, this time by Taylor Hunt, West Coast had secured a 35 point lead at the main break.

The Eagles midfield were in complete control from the first half, with Andrew Embley (20 disposals, three clearances), Daniel Kerr (15 disposals, four clearances) and Matt Priddis (14 disposals, four clearances) all prominent.

For Geelong, only Cameron Ling with 18 disposals for the half showed resistance.

The Cats though weren’t the top side in the competition by accident and they proved as such in the early stages of the third quarter when they slammed on four goals in nine minutes to cut the Eagles lead back to 10 points.

Dean Cox provided a steadier but David Wocjinski reduced the margin once again heading into three-quarter time as the match started to take on a different look than earlier in the piece.

Where West Coast had virtually monopolised forward half possession and hunted the Cats when they attempted to control the ball, it was now Geelong that was generating multiple forward 50 entries with the Eagles trying to hold off their momentum.

The first goal of the final term was crucial to both sides, and it would be West Coast who would get the vital strike. With a ball up in their goal square, James Kelly took possession and looked to switch the ball towards the Chris Mainwaring wing. But the ball had barely travelled a metre off his boot before being intercepted by Mark Nicoski, who cleanly took the ball and drilled his third goal of the night.

Geelong continued to press but the first quarter efficiency had all but disappeared as they butchered a spate of chances in front of goal. Paul Chapman, Wocjinski, Steve Johnson and Steven Motlop all missed gettable shots and they were made to pay when Andrew Embley sealed the match on a breakaway move.

Having endured repeat forward entries, Darren Glass was able to mark a Podsiadly entry into the forward line and switch the play as West Coast found a way around the Geelong defence. Josh Kennedy was able to mark at half forward and spotted Embley alone in the forward pocket.

Having taken the mark, Embley inadvertently took a step forward – enough for the umpire to wave play on as Scarlett and Taylor came bearing down on the Eagles wingman. Corralled towards the boundary line and on the wrong side for a right footer, Embley ducked and baulked the pair before swinging home the sealer.

The Cats finished with the final two majors to keep fans on edge, but West Coast had done enough to keep Geelong at bay and record their 10^th win of the season.

A pleased John Worsfold commended the maturity of his side as Geelong mounted their comeback. “I think holding on to win with Geelong throwing everything at us in the second half to get back into the game… and the composure the boys showed through the last quarter. I thought that was great…”

“Beating Carlton was fairly important for us because we had some pretty closes losses against some of the other teams that… were going pretty well. It was reward for effort, I think, because we had pushed those teams and lost close games.”

“In the last two weeks we have pushed good teams and won.”

Chris Scott lamented his side’s poor second quarter, which ultimately cost them the game despite the strong second half performance. The Cats recorded 34 inside 50s after half-time, to just 13 for the Eagles and ended up winning the count 52-43 for the match, but had left themselves too much to do.

“Our first half was really bad, theirs was really good. We just didn’t do enough to stop the momentum. They kicked nine straight at one stage.”

“We left ourselves with too much to do, but our gusy are pretty tough and have great character. Even our young players are showing that they play the Geelong way when the chips are down and the disappointing thing is we just didn’t do enough.”

Joel Corey, Corey Enright and Paul Chapman all lifted their rate in the second half with rookie ruckman Nathan Vardy getting a handle of the stoppages. Cameron Ling finished as the leading ball winner with 30 disposals, while Chapman collected 13 touches in the final term to finish the match with 29. Joel Corey tallied 28 possessions and Harry Taylor had 23 disposals and nine marks opposed to Darling in defence.

Andrew Embley was outstanding for West Coast for four quarters, picking up 32 touches on top of kicking the sealing goal. Matt Priddis did much of the grunt work in the middle, while Shannon Hurn and Daniel Kerr each picked up 24 touches. Brad Ebert quelled the influence of Matthew Scarlett and chimed in for 20 disposals and a goal and Matt Rosa was important in the last quarter.

The Cats lost more than the four points on the evening, as they were usurped from top position following a second successive defeat. Collingwood overtook the Cats with a superior percentage after they demolished North Melbourne by 117 points.

Carlton’s surprise 27 point defeat to the Bulldogs, which had the Bulldogs on the edge of the top eight, now had the Blues prime for the picking in fourth spot. West Coast had the prize of the double chance firmly in their grasp but the ever-straight Worsfold continued to preach the evolution of his squad.

“Our goals have always been about continual improvement.”

“It has come pretty quickly in terms of this year, but we are still a long way short of where we want to be”, Worsfold said.

“But we are prepared to do the hard work it is going to take.”

West Coast Claim The 8-Pointer

June 27, 2021June 27, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles Firm For Top Four With Blue Win

For every team, there is a defining match of their season. Whether they are on the slide or on the rise, retrospect allows all to realise that that game was it.

In Round 14 of the 2011 season, the Eagles’ finals and premiership aspirations claimed legitimacy across the competition and with many pundits and scribes when they travelled to Victoria and toppled Carlton by 36 points.

West Coast had delighted their fans with strong showings in the first half of the season with the mix of blossoming youngsters and the returning form of some old hands suggesting the Eagles’ stay down the bottom of the ladder might finally be coming to an end.

But heading into the round 14 clash with the third-placed Blues, Carlton were warm favourites for most with the expectation the Eagles would receive a reality check. Both sides were in strong form with the Eagles winning five of their last six games, and the Blues having won seven of their past eight matches.

But the Blues were seen as the genuine challenger to Geelong and Collingwood for the flag were clear $1.15 favourites heading into the match.

Carlton coach Brett Ratten didn’t shy away from his sides favouritism heading into the game, adamant that the Blues would be able to handle the Eagles forward press that had confounded much of their opposition so far this season.

The Blues were dealt some blows leading into the game with ruckman Shaun Hampson, midfielder Ed Curnow and defender Nick Duigan unable to recover from injuries picked up in the win over Sydney the week before. Jarrod Waite also failed to gain selection with Carlton opting to give the key forward an extra week to recover from a hamstring injury.

Rhys O’Keefe was selected for his debut, with David Armfield and Robbie Warnock the other inclusions. Warnock was set to partner Matthew Kruezer in the vital ruck battle against Eagles pair Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.

West Coast took a far greater settled side into the match with Eric Mackenzie the one change. Patrick McGinnity made way with Mark Nicoski reaching 100 games in his eighth season in the AFL. McGinnity’s exclusion was somewhat of a surprise with the expectation that the tagger would go to one of the strong Carlton midfield, or even play a role down back against the mosquito fleet in the Blues forward line.

Mitch Robinson became the fourth out for the Blues ahead of the opening bounce, replaced by Mark Austin, but Carlton started strongly as they followed through with Ratten’s promise from during the week in the opening minutes.

The Blues had most of the forward play and laid seven tackles inside their front 50 as West Coast were served a taste of their own medicine. The Eagles valiantly held their own, conceding just the one goal, to Jeff Garlett.

While Carlton were looking to get the game on the ground, the Eagles had the upper hand in the aerial battle and midway through the first quarter, they got the game on their terms.

That advantage only increased when Carlton full back Michael Jamieson wrenched his knee on the wing, rendering him virtually useless. Jamieson attempted to play on, but his incapacitation resulted in a reshuffle in defence that aided the Eagle talls.

Bret Thornton was moved onto Kennedy, Jordan Russell was left to deal with the much taller Jack Darling and Lachie Henderson was switched from forward to defence. Nicoski and Kennedy goaled to put West Coast in front and while former Eagles captain Chris Judd drew the Blues back to level terms on the scoreboard, the match was clearly going in one direction.

Naitanui, LeCras, Rosa and Shuey all missed chances they should have kicked to see the Eagles to a narrow quarter time lead, but West Coast got the separation they warranted in the second term.

Dean Cox was controlling the tap as the Eagles slammed on six goals for the term. Matt Priddis and Daniel Kerr turned Cox’ ruckwork into clearances and the trio of talls in Kennedy, Darling and Lynch were proving too much for their opponents.

Lynch in particular was giving Carlton the blues all over the ground as he worked up and down the wings to drive the ball into the Eagles forward 50 and provide additional support to prevent it coming back out.

The tale of the two sides in the second quarter could be best described in a respective player from each side. While Michael Jamieson, like his Blues, spent much of the term hobbled around the forward line, Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui soared to sit on the shoulders of teammate Darling and Carlton’s Zach Touhy and provide a mark of the year contender.

Naitanui subsequently slotted the goal and when LeCras added his second for the term moments later, the Eagles had skipped to a five goal lead.

Lynch was the leading ball winner for the half for West Coast, with 11, while Daniel Kerr, Matt Priddis, Dean Cox and Ashley Smith each had 10 disposals. Carlton’s best performers were defenders Bret Thornton and Kade Simpson who had been exposed to a glut of ball in the Eagles forward half, while Heath Scotland was the lone performer in the Blues midfield.

For all of their efforts, thought, Carlton weren’t occupying a top four spot for no reason and in a flash after half-time, the match was again up for grabs. The Blues opened the second half with four goals in the first twelve minutes to claw back to within four points of the Eagles.

Carlton had earned the upper hand through the midfield, when Brett Ratten went the unorthodox route of sending Judd to tag Kerr. Scott Selwood had restricted Judd to just six disposals in the first half and with his prime mover having no impact, Ratten used his captain to nullify former teammate and still current friend Kerr.

The sight of the reigning brownlow medallist thrown into a tagging role remarkably wasn’t the strangest sight of the third term; rain began to fall, which wouldn’t normally be an issue at Docklands, except that whoever controlled the roof hadn’t run their eye over the weather forecast for the day and left it open.

Nonetheless, the move of Judd freed up Marc Murphy who got Carlton ticking, while Ryan Houlihan and Scotland provided the drive from the wings.

However, West Coast then showed they had the mettle to match the top sides.

The Eagles finished with four of the last five goals in the term to work their way to a 22 point lead. Ashley Smith and Will Schofield kicked two of those four, as West Coast pressed forward en masse.

**Nic Naitanui soars in the second term for one of the marks of 2011**

The final term was a battle with neither team gaining or giving ground, until late in time on when Jack Darling and Ashley Smith put the icing on a vital result.

The 36 point win may have only added four points to the Eagles tally on the ladder, but the result had far greater ramifications.

Heading into the match, the Blues had a one and a half game break on West Coast and a Carlton win would have almost knocked West Coast out of top four contention. Instead, the Eagles claimed the atypical eight-point match to heap the pressure back on the Blues and Hawks.

Matt Priddis as the best afield for West Coast, despite close attention from David Ellard, to collect 30 disposals, 10 clearances and six tackles. Sam Butler was a strong four quarter contributor to finish with 22 touches, as did Quinten Lynch who added 12 marks, eight inside-50s and two goals to his 22 possessions.

Dean Cox picked up 21 touches to go with 22 hit-outs and Ashley Smith kicked multiple goals with 21 disposals and nine marks from defence. Mark LeCras finished with three majors, while Smith, Lynch, Josh Kennedy and Mark Nicoski were the other multiple goal scorers.

Heath Scotland tallied 32 disposals and Marc Murphy 28 as many of Carlton’s important players were well held. Judd managed just four kicks and 13 handballs as Scott Selwood managed to apply the clamp. Bret Thornton had 26 disposals and 11 marks in defence, while Garlett and Betts booted half of the Blues’ goals, as Kreuzer, Walker and Henderson failed to trouble the scoreboard.

The Eagles performance left rival coach Brett Ratten in no doubt as to the potential of this season’s rapid risers.

“They outplayed us today. I thought they outworked us today all over the ground and it’s a credit to them.”

“I’ve seen them a fair bit and I think their work rate and what they’ve done as a team… they’ve backed it up week-in, week-out. And it’s a credit to Woosha and his group changing the game plan and getting the success he has so far.”

As well as moving to within two points of the top four, the Eagles also gained separation on the lower section of the top eight. West Coast pushed six points clear of the sixth-placed Swans after they fell to Collingwood by six points.

The Magpies held their spot in the top two ahead of Hawthorn who replaced the Blues in third spot with a thumping 65 point win over the Bombers, despite being without usual Essendon tormentor Lance Franklin. Geelong held sway at the top of the ladder when they extended their unbeaten start to the year to 13 games after defeating Adelaide by 52 points.

Fremantle overcame a half-time deficit to defeat the Lions, while Melbourne rounded out the top eight after they replaced Essendon following a 27 point win over Richmond.

Ahead of their second bye of the season, Worsfold played down comments he had made the year before when he declared the Eagles would be challengers for the 2012 premiership despite being on the cusp of the top four.

But the Eagles coach did admit that it was the most significant win for West Coast this season.

“Every win for us for where we’re building to as a young team is really important. We’re just looking to win our next game now as quickly as we can.”

“Our aim is to build a team that can challenge for a premiership… I think what people have seen so far is that there is a pathway that we believe in and we’re heading down.”

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.

Bomber Burst Undoes West Coast

May 9, 2021 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Third Quarter Lapse Proves Costly

There are two well known adages that are as old as the game itself. Poor kicking is poor football and the third quarter is the premiership quarter, where games can be won or lost.

Both of these proved true for West Coast when they fell to Essendon in round seven.

For three quarters, the Eagles controlled the contest and looked the better side. But the four points slipped from their grasp during a horrible 30 minute period after half time, when Essendon slammed on six goals to nil in the third term to open up the decisive break that would prove the difference between the two sides.

That the Bombers had the chance to sew up the win from one quarter was also down to the numerous chances that West Coast butchered during the first half, and then again in the final term as they valiantly tried to run the Bombers down.

For John Worsfold, the loss was a disappointing outcome from a match that presented the Eagles plenty of chances. “We had opportunities to make it either a closer result or get the result our way, but we weren’t good enough to take it… in the end… it was that third quarter where Essendon dominated for a period and we couldn’t kick a goal.”

After Essendon opened up the match with two of the first three goals, the game was played completely on the Eagles’ terms, with Daniel Kerr particularly outstanding. Kerr was in everything, tallying 14 disposals in the opening term, with four clearances, four inside-50s, six contested possessions and a goal.

Nic Naitanui also notched up a double figure possession total for the term with 10 and along with Matt Rosa (8 disposals) and Matt Priddis (6), the Eagles midfield provided plenty of opportunity for the Eagle forwards.

The Eagles were able to set up their press once again, at one stage cornering all 18 Bomber players in their forward 50. West Coast enjoyed the forward territory for the remainder of the quarter and their 13 point lead should have been far great.

It was much of the same to start the second quarter with Quinten Lynch extending the lead to 21 points. But all West Coast could manage further was a slew of behinds before Essendon worked their way into the match. The spark on the scoreboard came from an unlikely source with Heath Hocking booting two goals in four minutes. Stewart Crameri and David Zaharakis also booted majors and for all of the Eagles effort, scores were level approaching half time.

Brad Ebert and Josh Kennedy restored a two goal lead at the major break, but the 12 point advantage was poor reward for a half that had seen West Coast record 18 more inside-50s (34-16) and seven more scoring shots (18-11).

In a blink after half-time, the match was flipped on its head.

Kyle Reimers broke free of Adam Selwood’s watch to kick three goals in eight minutes as Essendon turned a 12 point deficit at the break into a 13 point lead. The Bomber midfield took a stranglehold in the midfield, with Jobe Watson and Heath Hocking controlling the stoppages.

Angus Monfries and David Hille made it six for the quarter and the Bombers turned for home with a four goal lead. Many of the Eagles early prime movers faded out of the game as Essendon were allowed to control the ball and the tempo in the match. The Bombers had 37 more disposals for the term as they worked through the Eagles press with a kick-mark method.

Crameri booted his third and the Bombers’ seventh in a row a minute into the final term with Essendon stretching their lead to a game high 33 points. Quinten Lynch broke the drought for the Eagles, which seemed to click them back into gear.

Such was the flow of the game, the Eagles had their chances, yet never seemed a realistic chance of hitting the lead in the final term. The Eagles finished with 9 of the last 11 scoring shots in the game but as they had done in the first half, butchered many of them to get as close as ten points before David Hille added his second goal after the final siren.

**Josh Kennedy did whatever he could up front but West Coast would fall short**

For Worsfold, another almost-result just added to his frustration. “We don’t want to keep playing OK and losing. For us as a club now, to show we really want to grow and get better and we are improving, we need to win some of these tough games against good opponents.”

For Essendon coach James Hird, the win was an important one as they looked to climb the ladder after a poor 2010 campaign. “That game should give both sides great confidence, both sides played some really hard, contested football.”

“I think they’re (West Coast) very well coached, they’re committed, they play hard football… it was a good game to be a part of for our players because they played a good football team.”

Captain Jobe Watson was the standout between the two sides, finishing with a game high 31 disposals, including nine clearances, six tackles and two goals. Heath Hocking played the sidekick with 15 disposals, five tackles and two goals, while Sam Lonergan (23 touches) and Jake Melksham (21) found the ball for Essendon as West Coast struggled.

Daniel Kerr still finished as the leading ball winner for the Eagles, finishing the match with 28 after collecting 14 in the first term. Matthew Priddis picked up 27 and Nic Naitanui had 24 touches to go with 27 hit-outs and seven clearances.

There were though, too many who failed to repeat the performances of the first five matches. Dean Cox was uncharacteristically subdued as Essendon challenged the Eagles duo with their own trio. Tom Bellchambers, David Hille and Paddy Ryder all spent time through the ruck and while Cox and Naitanui were dominant in the tap, winning the count 61-24, the Bombers were able to square the stoppages and limit the influence of the Eagle ruck pair around the ground.

It was a vital early result for Essendon and West Coast who entered the match on 14 and 12 points respectively. The loss saw West Coast fall back out of the top eight to 10^th, while Essendon were able to rise to fourth.

The Eagles sat behind Melbourne, Sydney and Richmond who all moved two points ahead of West Coast following wins in round seven. The Tigers ran away from Fremantle with a second half avalanche to record a 49 point win at the MCG, Sydney held off a fast-finishing Bulldogs team to squeak home by eight points and Melbourne bounced back from their poor showing against West Coast the previous week to thrash a hapless Adelaide by 96 points.

The Dockers slipped to sixth following their defeat to the Tigers, with Hawthorn overtaking them in fifth after a stock standard 32 point win over Port Adelaide. At the top, Geelong joined the Magpies on six wins when they thumped North Melbourne by 11 goals. Collingwood, who had the bye in round seven, held onto top spot with a superior percentage, with the undefeated pair remaining the benchmarks of the competition.

Carlton were leading the challengers in third spot after Andrew Walker kicked the late winner against St Kilda to see the Blues home by three points. In the other match of the round, Gold Coast claimed victory against Brisbane in the first ever derby clash between the two Queensland sides.

After Simon Black raised tensions between the two clubs over the defection of Jarrod Brennan and Michael Rischitelli over the previous off-season, it was the upstarts who had the final say in a high-scoring encounter. The defeat left the Lions on the bottom of the ladder, winless after six games this season.