power

Hurn Gets Eagles Across Line as Blues Await

Shannon Hurn stepped up as an unlikely major goal scorer for West Coast as they did what they needed to do to get past a dogged Port Adelaide.

The two sides met in Round 2, where the Eagles recorded an 18 point win, but the margin was expected to be far greater in this match as the two sides headed in opposite directions through the season.

While West Coast were positioning themselves to challenge for the top four, the Power had slumped towards the bottom of the ladder where they were in a battle with the Gold Coast Suns to avoid the wooden spoon.

Coach John Worsfold discussed the need for West Coast to find alternative midfield mixes, suggesting that a number of fringe players could be tried through the centre against the lowly Power. Brad Sheppard and Koby Stevens were brought into the extended squad, but in the end just one change was made.

Tom Swift worked his way into the starting 22 with Chris Masten sent back to the WAFL to find minutes after spending much of the preceding few weeks alternating between being the incoming and outgoing sub.

The Power made two changes as Matthew Primus found himself under growing pressure over his side’s poor season. Primus had remained defiant to the growing backlash through the season with senior players left in the SANFL as youngsters were tried in their place. The likes of Chad Cornes, Brad Ebert, Steven Salopek and Jason Davenport had spent little time in the seniors and were again overlooked for the trip west.

Instead, Daniel Stewart and Dom Cassisi were recalled with veteran Jacob Surjan and rookie Andrew Moore dropped.

If the task wasn’t already daunting enough, the Power were also caught up in the flights drama that was gripping the country. Volcanic ash from an eruption in Chile had drifted and settled over the mainland causing many commercial flights to be cancelled. To avoid possibly getting stuck in South Australia, the Power were forced to fly to Perth earlier in the week, disrupting their normal routine.

The first half played out as expected with the Eagles building a 33 point lead to half time. Mark LeCras booted three goals and Josh Kennedy two, with inaccurate kicking on goal preventing the lead from being far greater.

Shannon Hurn led the ball winners for the half with 16, while Matt Priddis and Daniel Kerr (each 15) were prominent through the middle as the Eagles held the upper hand in the clearances.

**Shannon Hurn was a standout in the first half for West Coast before kicking two vital second half goals**

However, three goals on the trot to the Power straight after half time changed the complexion of the match. The Port Adelaide talls had had no influence in the first half, but Justin Westhoff and Daniel Stewart hit the scoreboard, as did Simon Phillips to drag the Power to within 14 points.

Nic Naitanui and Travis Boak traded majors before Shannon Hurn launched a booming long range effort for his second goal of the game to ease the nerves of the home fans heading into three quarter time.

West Coast would have felt more comfortable when Brad Ebert and Scott Selwood added goals inside the first two minutes of the final term to extend their lead out to 35 points but the Power made one final push.

Another run of three goals, in four minutes, had the Power back within 17 points and Eagles fans again on the edge of their seats. Port Adelaide kept pushing forward, with Danyle Pearce and Travis Boak taking control in the midfield.

Up stepped Hurn to seal the match.

The burly half back drifted forward, getting on the end of a ball just inside the 50m arc and casually snapping the ball through at goal post height. LeCras added a fourth and West Coast controlled the rest of the game to earn a 22 point win.

Matt Priddis finished as the leading ball winner for West Coast, with 28 to go with eight tackles and six clearances. Daniel Kerr tallied 27 disposals and seven clearances with Hurn and Rosa the next best with 25 possessions.

Tom Swift collected 23 touches to make a strong claim to remain in the Eagles side at his first chance of the season, while Luke Shuey was busy with 22 disposals, eight inside-50s and seven clearances.

LeCras and Josh Kennedy combined for seven goals, but it was a host of other unlikely contributors that hit the scoreboard to get West Coast across the line.

Hurn, Brad Ebert, Adam and Scott Selwood and Matt Priddis had booted just eight goals between them for the season, but all kicked goals against the Power with Jack Darling, Mark Nicoski and Quinten Lynch all goalless. It was the first time for the year that the trio didn’t manage to kick goals.

Travis Boak was the clear standout for the Power, finishing as the only multiple goal scorer with three from 24 disposals. Danyle Pearce gathered the most touches with 30 and Dom Cassisi finished with 24 disposals and 11 tackles as he and Boak engineered Port Adelaide’s second half revival.

Justin Westhoff had a solid second half after just four disposals to half time, while Hamish Hartlett had 18 possessions and eight tackles.

The victory saw the Eagles climb another rung to fifth on the ladder, overtaking the Swans who lost to Carlton. With Collingwood having the bye, Geelong moved two games clear at the top of the ladder making it 12 wins from 12 starts with a 28 point win over St Kilda. Hawthorn rounded out the top four with a comfortable 71 point win of the Suns.

Fremantle and Essendon both suffered untimely defeats that saw the battle for the final spots of the top eight open up. The Dockers were thrashed by Melboune to the tune of 89 points which saw the Demons join the Bombers on five and a half wins, two premiership points behind Fremantle in 7^th.

Richmond also moved to 22 premiership points with an easy win over the Lions and North Melbourne’s defeat of an inaccurate Essendon moved them into finals contention. Results meant the Eagles now were two and a half games inside the top eight with a top four spot up for grabs with a clash to come against Carlton.

Eagles Make It Two On The Trot

West Coast made it consecutive wins to start the 2011 season when they secured an 18 point win over Port Adelaide at Football Park.

The inaccurate Eagles edged their way to a three goal leading during the first half and maintained their advantage for most of the second half, holding out the home side after they twice closed within a goal during the final term.

Andrew Embley booted four goals to go with 32 disposals in a best afield display, while Josh Kennedy and Luke Shuey each kicked three. Kennedy had the better of Jackson Trengove early to boot his three goals by half time, while Embley and Shuey combined for the Eagles’ last six goals as West Coast became the first team since Collingwood in 2000 to win their first two games after claiming the wooden spoon the year before.

However, it was mixed fortunes for two of the Eagles most injury-prone players.

Daniel Kerr returned for his first game in nearly a year and picked up where he left off, gathering 25 disposals through the middle. Beau Waters, though, was set for a stint on the sidelines after injuring an elbow in one of the plays of the day.

With the Power closing in on the Eagles lead during the third term, and with the run of the play through the middle of the ground, Waters was able to tackle David Rodan, recover to smother a kick off the boot of Jaspar Pittard, before taking possession and finding Andrew Embley free at half forward to roll home a steadying goal.

The Eagles vice-captain missed the entire 2009 campaign after surgery on his left elbow, with the latest injury to his right. While West Coast were optimistic after the match, Waters would remain unavailable to the back end of the season.

Kerr was one of three changes for the Eagles, with Nic Naitanui and Patrick McGinnity both recalled after being late withdrawals the week before. Chris Masten and Mark LeCras were both sidelined with injury, with small forward Ashton Hams dropped.

Port Adelaide made just the one change after they were thrashed by reigning premiers Collingwood in the opening round. Veteran Chad Cornes came into the side in place of injured full forward Jay Schulz.

As they had done the week before, West Coast started strongly, but inaccuracy prevented the visitors from establishing a larger lead. Josh Kennedy and Quinten Lynch kicked truly early in the second term to stretch the Eagles lead to 22 points before Port Adelaide got their foot into the game.

Chad Cornes swung forward to kick the Power’s first for the term, with Robbie Gray kicking a brace to bring the Power back within five points. The Eagles then got on another run with Kennedy booting his third to send the Eagles out to a four goal advantage.

Gray added a third for the term to reduce the Eagles lead to 19 at the main break.

Mark Nicoski kicked from long range inside the opening minute of the second half to stretch the lead to 25, before the Power’s sub stamped his mark on the game. Jason Davenport was injected into the game during the half-time break in place of Dom Cassisi, booting three goals for the quarter as Port Adelaide refused to give up on their chase of the Eagles lead.

Three goals in a row – two to Davenport – had the home side back within nine points, before Waters’ inspirational play through the middle of the ground led to Embley and then Shuey, giving the Eagles breathing space.

Again Port Adelaide came, with Davenport adding his third and Chad Cornes kicking truly.

The Eagles had managed 12 more scoring shots in the first three quarters, but that only equated to a 12 point lead. Travis Boak – who had been well held by Adam Selwood – found the major opening to get the Power within a goal but Luke Shuey was able to answer.

And for each of the Power’s challenges in the final term, the Eagles were able to find the answer with Embley’s fourth in the dying seconds the icing on a fine win.

**Daniel Kerr was one of the best for West Coast in his return game**

Eagles coach John Worsfold was pleased with the win, but the victory was the least of what West Coast deserved having controlled large periods of the match. The Eagles finished with 60 more disposals, 18 more contested possessions and 13 more scoring shots.

Worsfold was also content with the return of Kerr through the midfield. “…he (Kerr) was always going to be a certain starter when he was fit enough to be in the side.”

“His attitude about getting back to wanting to play his best footy is great.”

Dean Cox again dominated in the ruck, combining with Naitanui to get the better of Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan. The pair notched 53 hit-outs to Brogan’s 13, although the Eagles weren’t able to translate the hit-out advantage in the stoppages, losing the clearances 33-40.

But with Mitch Brown keeping Justin Westhoff quiet, and the other Port talls unable to exert any influence in the forward half, West Coast were able to set up much of their scoring opportunities with transition football from the back half.

Matt Priddis collected 29 disposals through the centre, while Shuey’s 27 disposal, three-goal effort earned a rising star nomination.

The Eagles’ first win over Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval in nine attempts, since 1998, left them as one of just five teams with two wins from the opening two games of the season.

For Worsfold, the result was an important step as the Eagles continued to build from the bottom. “Obviously for us they’re all important wins.”

“So to come to Port and beat Port here, which has been pretty tough for us since Port’s existence, for this group specifically it’s a very good win for them, but for the club overall to beat Port here has taken a bit of time.”

“We came over here saying we still wanted to win. Just that belief within the group, I think, is a bit stronger.”

Tag: power

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