MCG Demons Return

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

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

A week can be a long time in football.

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

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

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

And there was plenty of insult to injury.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We made far too many mistakes.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sumich Eight Eclipses Swans

May 2, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles Climbing After Third Straight Win

Eight goals from Peter Sumich helped West Coast to a commanding 61 point win over Sydney at Subiaco Oval. The Eagles recorded their third straight win to take their season record to 4-1, rising to third on the ladder.

The Eagles were sandwiched between the Hawks and Magpies, with all three teams on four wins, while the Demons remained the competition benchmark with their fifth win from five games after demolishing the Bears.

Sumich’s haul of eight came in two bursts during the game, mirroring the performance of West Coast through the match.

The Swans arrived in Perth without a win since round 1 and had lost key midfielder Greg Williams to a broken thumb the week before in their defeat to St Kilda. Sydney kept pace with the Eagles early in the game, before three goals to Sumich in time-on helped the Eagles build a 26 point lead at the first change.

West Coast remained in control of the game during the second term as they extended their lead to 43, before the Swans mounted a comeback after half-time. Sydney ruckman Michael Parsons took hold of the ruck combining with rover Gerard Healy to drive the visitors back within touching distance.

Healy had been well contained by Dwayne Lamb in the first half, but racked up 11 disposals in the third quarter as Sydney took over in the centre square. Healy had strong support from fellow midfielders Steven Wright (nine disposals) and Barry Mitchell (eight disposals) as the Swans slammed on five goals for the quarter to reduce the deficit to just 23 points at the final change.

Sumich had failed to add to his goal tally since quarter time, but another four goal burst in six minutes to start the final quarter snuffed out Sydney’s comeback effort. Three of those goals were set up by second-gamer Brett Heady, who was one of the Eagles’ best with 21 disposals and two goals.

Sumich kicked a fifth late goal for the quarter late in the term, finishing with a career-best eight for the match, equalling his effort against the Bulldogs in round five the year before.

Troy Ugle provided the perfect foil for Sumich up forward with three goals from 22 disposals and eight marks, while Peter Wilson (22 disposals) and Guy McKenna (21) were major ball winners for the Eagles. McKenna’s performance was even more striking considering the defender was forced off the ground during the third term with food poisoning.

**Troy Ugle was a focal point up forward with three goals**

McKenna’s departure from the game coincided with the Sydney’s strongest period of the game, as they converted centre square ascendancy into scores. But, unlike West Coast, the Swans didn’t have a reliable target in their forward arc, with Murray Rance a major roadblock in defence. Rance finished with 21 disposals and seven marks and had the better of a number of Swans opponents who were tried in the key forward position.

Malthouse again praised his defensive unit, admitting that it wasn’t his side’s best performance. John Worsfold stepped into McKenna’s role after he departed the field, while Dean Laidley was strong off the other half back flank.

For Sydney, Gerard Healy finished with 29 touches in his battle against Dwayne Lamb, while Barry Mitchell racked up 28 touches, although was less effective through the centre with Steve Malaxos for company. Neil Cordy tried hard in defence and Stevie Wright had 22 disposals to go with his three goals.

With the final quarter still fresh in his mind, Sydney coach Col Kinnear expressed disappointment in his sides’ ‘very soft’ finish. “As a realist, you can’t think of finals’, Kinnear said.

Mick Malthouse though was happy to take the four points from the underwhelming performance, as West Coast consolidated their position in the top five.

Eagles Continue Blues Misery

April 25, 2020April 25, 2020 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Eagles Coast To Thumping Win

West Coast made it three wins from four games when they easily defeated the Blues in their round four clash, in front of a record attendance at the WACA.

A crowd of 28,568 were on hand to witness the Eagles 50 point win, bettering the ground’s previous highest attendance at the Australia v Pakistan one-day international the previous summer.

The Eagles extended their lead at every change in the routine win, which was highlighted by the impressive debut of midfielder Brett Heady.

Heady had starred for Subiaco four days earlier in the Lions’ 50 point win over Perth, and despite the short turnaround, gathered 18 disposals and booted two goals in a notable performance first-up effort with West Coast.

The inclusion of Heady was one of three for the Eagles after their thumping win over Footscray. David O’Connell was selected for his first match of the season and Michael Brennan returned from a groin injury picked up in the round two defeat to St Kilda. Paul Peos was ruled out with a knee injury, while Brad Gwilliam and Dean Irving were both dropped.

After losing their first two games, the Blues arrived in Perth off the back of a 14 point win over the Saints. However the win came at a cost with both Mark Naley and Simon Minton-Connell injured and subsequently ruled out against the Eagles. Chris Bond was also dropped, with David Glascott, Ian Herman and Andrew Phillips all included.

With Minton-Connell sidelined and Stephen Kernahan used through the ruck with Justin Madden unavailable for selection, the Blues lacked any forward presence.

Richard Dennis kicked the opening goal after receiving a 50m penalty, but the Eagles had control of the play from early in the game. Only the strong defensive efforts of Stephen Silvagni and David Rhys-Jones prevented West Coast from hitting the front, but when Peter Sumich and Karl Langdon goaled right before quarter time, the Eagles had taken a lead they would not relinquish.

Three goals to one in the second term extended the Eagles’ lead to 20 points at the main break, but the lead could have been so much more if not for inaccurate kicking. Dean Laidley and Guy McKenna created plenty of drive off half back, the pair combining for 20 disposals in the second quarter alone.

Laidley had picked up 19 disposals by half time, while debutant Heady tallied eight touches in the second quarter, as did Stephen Malaxos and Dwayne Lamb. As West Coast flexed their superiority in the game, things got worse for the Blues when they lost Silvagni to injured ribs after a heavy collision, denying the Blues another of their key talls.

With his side needing a spark, Alex Jesaulenko swung Rhys-Jones to full forward and got an immediate response as Rhys-Jones booted three goals in six minutes to bring the Blues back within touching distance.

However, West Coast settled with the final five goals of the quarter to take their lead out to 38 points, before a six-goal final term ensured a comfortable win.

Sumich led the Eagles goal kicking with four majors, while Peter Wilson and Craig Turley each booted three.

Laidley finished with 30 disposals after his barnstorming first half and Stephen Malaxos was industrious through the middle with 29 touches. As well as hitting the scoreboard, Wilson and Turley were both productive with the ball, collecting 25 and 22 dipsosals respectively.

Dwayne Lamb shut down Craig Bradley on the wing, while the Eagles defence, led by Laidley, Guy McKenna and Murray Rance were again steadfast. After four rounds, the Eagles had conceded the least amount of points – 310 – in the league; 118 of which came in the loss to St Kilda.

“Our backline is functioning very well”, a delighted Malthouse declared after the game. “It’s early days, but its slowly and surely coming about.”

The win lifted the Eagles back into the top five at the expense of North Melbourne, who dropped out after a five goal defeat to Geelong. West Coast sat in fifth, percentage behind the Saints, Hawks and Bombers, with Melbourne still undefeated when they overturned a half time deficit to defeat Fitzroy.

With winnable games to come against lowly Sydney and Richmond, the Eagles were primed to consolidate their position in the finals placings, despite starting to build a concerning injury list.

Chris Mainwaring had missed a fortnight with a back fracture, while Chris Lewis and Chris Waterman both remained sidelined from injuries picked up in the pre-season. John Annear and Don Pyke were both injured the previous week playing for their respective WAFL sides after falling out of the Eagles line-up following the Saints defeat, while Tony Begovich and Andrew MacNish were also injured the previous week in the WAFL.

Geoff Miles hadn’t made an appearance at any level as he battled a hamstring injury and Paul Peos was expected to miss the majority of the season with a knee complaint.

West Coast Demolish Cats For 1994 Flag

September 26, 2019September 26, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad For Eagles

West Coast reinstated themselves as the kings of the competition when they crushed Geelong by 80 points to win the 1994 Grand Final.

Two years after an historic first flag, the Eagles steamrolled the Cats to their second premiership, erasing the disappointment of a failed 1993 season.

Dean Kemp claimed the Norm Smith medal for best afield and Tony Evans repeated his 1992 haul of three goals as West Coast booted their highest score in over two years.

Traditionally recognised as a defence-oriented side, the Eagles racked up 43 shots on goal in the Grand Final, a week after they posted 37 scoring shots against Melbourne. Ten Eagles in total hit the scoreboard as West Coast recorded the fourth largest winning margin in Grand Final history.

For the Cats, the defeat was their third loss in the season decider in six seasons, having gone down to the Eagles by 28 points in 1992 and the Hawks by six in 1989.

A shattered Malcolm Blight could offer no explanation after the match, saying there was ultimately nothing his side could do. “I could say a million things about what we might have done or could have done. But at the end of the day they were 80 points better than us, which is pretty hard to cop really.”

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse admitted he sympathised with the Cats, but was equally ecstatic with his side’s performance.

“I just love seeing the day for the club and all the players… I get a bigger kick out of seeing the players enjoy themselves.”

West Coast made just one change from the preliminary final, with Ashley McIntosh coming back into the team after missing with a knee injury. Mitchell White was the player to make way, after coming into the side as McIntosh’s replacement, but remained an outside chance on the morning of the game as West Coast debated whether to remove one of their ruckman.

However, the pair of David Hynes and Ryan Turnbull was retained to tackle John Barnes who was openly struggling with a lower leg injury. Geelong remained unchanged from their last-gasp six point win over North Melbourne, with Grant Tanner ruled out earlier in the week in his bid to recover from an ankle injury.

McIntosh started in defence on Bill Brownless, with Michael Brennan tasked with minding Gary Ablett. The Cats tried to throw the Eagles defence early, starting Ablett on the wing but he quickly moved to the goal square after failing to have an impact.

In a reverse to the 1992 meeting, it was West Coast who had the fast start, booting the first three goals in the game. Tony Evans, Chris Lewis and Shane Bond all kicked majors as the Eagles jumped to a 20 point lead.

West Coast had had all of the play out of the middle of the ground but the momentum of the game soon changed when Geelong piled on four goals in eight minutes. Tim McGrath and Michael Mansfield provided the dash off half back for the Cats with Paul Couch opening the Cats account.

Three more goals followed in quick time to give Geelong a seven point lead, before Brett Heady settled the Eagles just before quarter time to reduce the Cats lead to one point at the first change.

It would prove to be the only period of ascendency Geelong would have in the game.

West Coast resumed control at the start of the second term and only poor kicking on goal prevented the Eagles from having the game won by half time. Peter Wilson kicked consecutive goals to start the quarter as West Coast camped the ball in their forward half.

The Eagles created confusion at the Geelong kick-ins when they changed tack from their usual one-on-one set up to a zone defence. The usually precise Mansfield and Ken Hinkley were undecided with their re-entries preventing clean getaways from their back half, which had been a trademark through their finals campaign.

Twice in the second quarter West Coast picked off their kick-ins. Tony Evans intercepted a Ken Hinkley pass to mark and goal, before then having an intercepting hand that rebounded to Peter Sumich allowing the Eagles full forward to send the ball back over his opponent in Stephen O’Reilly.

The Eagles continued their dominance of general play but, remarkably, when Bill Brownless booted his third goal midway through the third term, the Cats were still within touching distance trailing by just 18 points.

However, three majors to Dean Kemp, Brett Heady and Peter Sumich extended their lead to six goals by three-quarter time and Geelong’s slimmer of Hope was all but gone.

The last quarter was a celebration for West Coast, as they slammed on eight goals to one to demoralise the opposition and the majority of the pro-Geelong crowd.

Symbolic of the day for West Coast and for their Norm Smith medallist Dean Kemp, their 17th goal came about purely by accident. Kemp’s kick inside 50 was intended for Chris Lewis who was crunched out of marking the ball by Tim McGrath, only for the ball to carry on its path and bounce harmlessly through for another goal.

Kemp was sublime for the Eagles on a day when they had a healthy number of contributors. The Eagles centreman had 23 disposals and booted two goals to outpoint Geelong captain Mark Bairstow, who had a dirty day. It also meant that Bairstow finished with the inglorious honour of once again playing on the Norm Smith medal, after lining up on Peter Matera’s wing in his five goal performance of 1992.

**Dean Kemp was best afield for West Coast**

Don Pyke collected 26 possessions through the middle and just had the edge over Geelong’s Paul Couch. One of Geelong’s prime movers was relegated into a defensive role as he tried to curb the influence of the Eagles centreline.

The Eagles defence was as impregnable as ever, led by Glen Jakovich (20 possessions) and Guy McKenna (23) across half back. Jakovich played his own game standing in the way of Geelong’s forward entries and proving too strong for both Steven Handley and David Mensch. McKenna provided the run from the backline as he outclassed Adrian Hickmott.

Michael Brennan blanketed Gary Ablett, with the Geelong superstar managing just one goal from five disposals and David Hart had the better of Leigh Tudor in the back pocket. Geelong’s only winner in their forward half was Billy Brownless, who exorcised some of his demons from the 1992 Grand Final when he was humbled by Ashley McIntosh.

Brownless kicked four goals for the Cats – he was the only Geelong player to kick a goal after quarter time – and took one of the great Grand Final marks when he soared over McIntosh and managed to hold onto the ball from a second attempt.

Michael Mansfield was arguably the Cats best player with 21 disposals out of defence and having the better of Shane Bond, while Tim McGrath also did his best to withstand the avalanche. Garry Hocking finished with 20 possessions after being forced off during the first term with a heavy cork and returning to the ground in the second half with heavy padding around his upper leg.

But it was a day that belonged to West Coast.

15 members of the 1992 triumph were now dual premiership players, while there was redemption for David Hynes and David Hart, who were the unlucky stories from two years earlier.

And even with two of the heroes from 1992, in Peter Sumich and Peter Matera, having subdued outings, there were plenty of others who stepped up. Sumich and Matera combined for 11 goals in the clubs first flag as West Coast had just four goal kickers for the day. This time around, nearly half of the team kicked goals, as the likes of Chris Lewis, Brett Heady and Jason Ball provided strong targets up forward.

Chris Waterman came onto the ground early in the second term after Chris Mainwaring was forced off with a corked hip and put in one of his finest performances with 18 disposals and two final quarter goals (to go with four behinds). Mainwaring himself was able to return to the field and pick up 18 disposals.

Mick Malthouse even broke with his own tradition in heading down to the bench with three minutes remaining. Malthouse had been reluctant to leave the box two years earlier, despite the urging of his coaching team, but with the game well in his side’s keeping, the Eagles coach revelled in the celebrations boundary side.

Malthouse admitted that he knew his side were home during the third quarter.

“We expected at some stage Geelong to give us a big quarter like they had over the last three or four weeks, so we were ready for it. We stuck to our basics, not to allow them to get that one quarter of football in.”

“At half-time I thought if we maintained our pressure, and we could hold them, we could do the job,” Malthouse said.

“So I guess three quarters of the way through the third quarter I thought we had them.”

Since taking over as senior coach at the end of 1989, Malthouse had steered the Eagles to no lower than fourth in five seasons, which now included two premierships from three Grand Final appearances.

The Eagles had massacred the Cats in one of the most emphatic premierships of the modern era and with that staked their claim as the pre-eminent club of the AFL.

1994 Rewind: West Coast Storm Into Decider

September 19, 2019September 20, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

West Coast made it to their third grand final in four seasons when they convincingly defeated the Demons by 65 points in the preliminary final.

The Eagles ended Melbourne’s fairytale finals run, who had knocked off Carlton and then Footscray after finishing seventh at the end of the home and away season. Garry Lyon had booted a record 10 goals in the 79 point massacre of the Bulldogs, but the Demons ran out of steam against a refreshed Eagles outfit.

Despite having a fortnight to recover, Ashley McIntosh was ruled out of the preliminary final, allowing Mitchell White to come in for just his sixth game of the season as cover in the Eagles defence.

The Demons also made just one change to the team that thrashed Footscray the week before with sharpshooter Sean Charles adding to an already potent forward line, replacing the omitted Glenn Molloy.

Ahead of the game, tensions were raised between the two sides when two Melbourne officials were spotted watching the Eagles train in what was supposed to be a closed training session. While the Melbourne ‘spies’ – football manager Richard Griffiths and match committee chairman Greg Wells – had no issue with being asked to leave, the response from West Coast drew some mirth from Demons coach Neil Balme.

Balme proudly declared after the teams were submitted on Thursday night that Melbourne would go in as named. The Eagles, however, remained guarded over their final line up, with Mick Malthouse calling the antics from Melbourne as ‘childish games’.

The final 21 for West Coast wasn’t confirmed until just before bouncedown with West Coast swinging two late changes. Drew Banfield returned to the team after being dropped for the clash with Collingwood while Ryan Turnbull was brought into the team having recovered from a knee injury suffered against the Blues in Round 22. Craig Turley remained as the Eagles’ third emergency, unable to reclaim his spot in the side after serving a two games suspension for striking Greg Williams.

Turnbull’s inclusion to join David Hynes in the ruck was designed to counter the Demons’ strong ruck combination of Jim Stynes and Dean Irving. Tony Godden made way for Banfield, with Turnbull replacing Brett Spinks who was battling a knee concern picked up in the qualifying final.

The Demons stayed true to Balme’s claim that there would be no changes to the squad, but he still did his best to catch the Eagles off guard with a number of positional moves.

Stephen Tingay had previously matched against Chris Mainwaring on the wing, but he swapped sides with Matthew Febey to go head to head with Peter Matera. Febey was stationed against Mainwaring in a more defensive role, as the Demons looked to slow down the Eagles ball movement.

Dean Irving started in the ruck, leaving Jim Stynes to operate off the bench, while Andy Lovell shifted to half-back, initially matching up on Brett Heady.

However, only the Tingay move had any real effect as West Coast dominated the quarter, kicking with the wind. Matera had been under a cloud since injuring a back during the last quarter against Collingwood and was unable to work defensively on Tingay who collected 11 possessions in the first term. Malthouse moved Banfield to the wing to quell Tingay’s influence at the start of the second quarter, pushing Matera to a half forward flank.

Everywhere else on the ground was owned by the home team.

Tony Evans and Dean Kemp were both prominent early, with nine first-quarter possessions while Chris Lewis had eight across half-forward. All of the Eagles forwards got into the game early with the weight of possession in their forward half.

Mainwaring was dynamic on his wing opposed to Matthew Febey and Brett Heady was both too tall and too elusive for Lovell across half forward. The Eagles took control around the ball, with Irving lacking influence in the ruck against David Hynes.

The Eagles racked up 11 shots on goal for the term, but wasted a host of chances. West Coast were 1.7 at one stage, before three late majors to Jason Ball, Tony Evans and Peter Sumich created a deserved advantage.

The Demons, on the other hand, could manage just one shot on goal with Glenn Lovett responding to Brett Heady’s opener into the wind.

The second quarter became an arm wrestle as West Coast held the Demons at bay in defence but continually struggled to take chances up forward. Brett Heady missed a simple shot at the top of the goal square, before Garry Lyon broke the drought when he broke free of Michael Brennan.

That goal came with a tinge of controversy after Sumich was unlucky to be penalised at the other end. Sumich had a free kick paid against him after he pushed Sean Wight in the chest before going on a lead, with the Eagles full-forward then giving away 50 metres for remonstrating with the umpire.

The Lyon goal only served to open the game up.

Brett Heady found Chris Lewis for the instant reply, before kicking two himself as West Coast opened up a 32 point lead closing in on half time.

The Demons then showed the form that had propelled them through the first two weeks of the finals with three goals in as many minutes to close out the half.

Sean Charles swooped on a Michael Brennan fumble to snap truly, with the Demons kicking a second goal less than 20 seconds later when Andrew Obst won the clearance and found Brett Lovett who was able to kick on the breeze from the edge of the centre square.

Charles then had his second goal for the match after Melbourne were able to string a chain of handballs from half-back, with Viney releasing Charles into an open goal after reading the ball of a marking contest in the Demons forward 50. Melbourne had closed within 13 points in a blink of an eye and had one final chance on the half-time siren.

Andy Lovell had been moved to half-forward after losing the reins on Brett Heady and found himself on the end of a Dean Irving miskick to mark 40 metres out directly in front. Lovell could have brough the Demons to within a kick, but he skewed his shot on goal to allow West Coast to hold onto a 12 point lead.

The Eagles had smashed the Demons 13-3 in the centre clearances and had nearly 40 more possessions around the ground, but their inefficiency in front of goal prevented them from having one foot already in the Grand Final.

West Coast’s shooting on goal only got worse in the third quarter, but by the final changeit no longer mattered.

The Eagles had piled on 6.7 to a solitary behind with their second use of the wind to establish a nine goal lead that they were never going to give up.

The warning signs for Melbourne showed early in the term, with West Coast posting a further four points onto their half-time score, including what could almost have been a late goal of the year contender.

Glen Jakovich had completely shut out David Schwarz across half-back, and after picking up a loose ball in the back pocket, the burly centre half-back bounced his way through the middle of the WACA to the rousing roar of the home crowd. Jakovich launched from the top of the Eagles 50 metre arc only to see his shot on goal hit the base of the post, resulting in one of the more memorable points in club history.

Brett Heady ultimately got the first goal for the Eagles in the term, booting three in the quarter to take his match haul to six. His fifth goal came from another turnover from Andy Lovell in defence as Melbourne’s day started to capitulate.

Stephen Tingay – who had been the Demons best player in the first half – limped off with a knee injury, while David Neitz was forced to the bench after being crunched by Sumich in a marking contest.

The Eagles added three goals to two in the final quarter to run away with their largest ever win in a final.

Eagle players celebrate another grand final

Malthouse was ecstatic post-match with the ‘almost faultless’ performance but was quick to point out that the job was still not done.

“Every club aims to make the Grand Final at the start of the season,” Malthouse said.

“Making the Grand Final is not good enough. Winning has got to be the aim.”

It was a deflating end for the Demons, who dared to dream after stunning finals wins over Carlton and Footscray left them one game shy of the big dance. Neil Balme admitted his team just couldn’t handle the occasion.

“I think our blokes just lost it. They lost all confidence in their ability to play footy.”

“They were shell-shocked.”

Melbourne struggled to have a winner on the ground, with West Coast’s defence supreme. Schwarz was virtually a spectator, with Mitchell White keeping Paul Prymke quiet. David Hart had the better of Sean Charles while John Worsfold and Guy McKenna provided their customary dash from half back.

Chris Mainwaring – who sported jumper number 43 after half-time due to blood rule stipulations – was the leading ball winner for the Eagles with 29, while Dean Kemp had the better of Jason Norrish, Andrew Obst and Andy Lovell with 25 disposals through the middle.

Brett Heady didn’t add to his six goal tally as he sat the final quarter on the bench. Peter Sumich finished with 3.3 despite a mixed performance, but Chris Lewis was electric with 20 disposals and a goal across half forward.

The Eagles Grand Final opponent had been decided earlier in the afternoon when Geelong defeated the Kangaroos in a classic encounter.

North Melbourne started the stronger of the two sides to lead by three goals at quarter time, but could have led by far more with straighter kicking on goal. The Cats then took charge with a seven goal to nil second term to lead by 24 points at the main break.

Geelong still led by 18 at the final change, but North Melbourne, with the benefit of a weeks rest, stormed home. The Cats drew level once again, before Leigh Tudor sent a wobbly kick to the top of the Geelong goal square in the dying seconds of the game. His kick landed in the arms of Gary Ablett, who sent the Cats into the Grand Final with a goal after the siren.

It was the second final in three weeks Geelong had won after the siren, with the Eagles and Cats set to square off two years after they clashed in the 1992 decider.

1994 Rewind: Eagles Remain On Course Despite Magpie Scare

September 12, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**Peter Matera was electric in the third term**

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1994 Rewind: Eagles, Bulldogs Thrown Into Tribunal Chaos

September 4, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

West Coast claimed their second minor premiership with a 71 point thumping of Footscray in the final round, but the win was marred by a half-time brawl that ultimately dragged the club through a farcical AFL investigation.

The Bulldogs arrived in Perth in third position on the ladder on the back of six wins in seven games, but were no match for a West Coast side that had been given a boost by reigning premiers Essendon 24 hours earlier.

The Bombers had already been ruled out of finals action for 1994, but they doubled down on the misery of Carlton’s 1993 Grand Final defeat, with an upset 18 point win over the Blues that opened the door for West Coast to reclaim top spot.

The bye in round 23 had allowed several Eagles to recover from minor niggles but the break wasn’t enough for John Worsfold who missed with a groin strain. Craig Turley was also out, serving the first game of a two week suspension, allowing Chris Waterman to return after several weeks in the WAFL. Brett Spinks was the other inclusion when teams were first named.

Before the bounce, the Eagles made two further changes. Ashley McIntosh, Chris Mainwaring and Glen Jakovich had all been reported as struggling heading into the game, but it was Ryan Turnbull and Dean Kemp who were given an extra week of recovery. David Hynes and Tony Godden were brought in, with Hynes grasping the late opportunity with both hands.

Hynes put in a best on ground performance, controlling the ruck against Bulldogs counterparts Ilija Grgic and Barry Standfield. Hynes had 24 hit-outs (to the Bulldogs pair of 17), to go with 23 disposals and a goal. Don Pyke proved to be the greatest beneficiary from Hynes’ dominance, picking up 24 touches and capping off a fine game with three second half goals.

Pyke was too good for Simon Atkins early, gathering eight first quarter possessions, before Bulldogs coach Alan Joyce swung seven-gamer Brad Johnson onto the Eagle ruck rover. Chris Mainwaring and David Hart topped the ball-getters for West Coast with 25 each, while there was a strong spread of goal kickers with Pyke, Jason Ball and Chris Lewis leading the way with three each.

Lewis was magical across the half forward line having a hand in several goals from his 17 disposals and eight marks, while the Eagles defence again stood strong, conceding just six goals to the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs had few winners on the day but Scott West and Tony Liberatore each finished with 18 touches through the middle, while Chris Grant had 11 disposals and seven marks roaming up the ground and also booted two goals.

West Coast jumped to a 20 point lead at quarter time, building their lead to 37 at the main break with only inaccurate kicking preventing the margin from being greater. The Eagles then booted four goals in each of the next two quarters, while the Bulldogs were held goalless in the last term. With the game in their keeping, West Coast turned their attention to the first final, resting a host of players in the final term, which saw them even finish with just 16 players on the ground.

The routine win was soon overshadowed when the focus turned onto the half-time brawl that involved most players on the ground.

The incident first began following a shirtfront on Brett Heady from Steve Wallis along the boundary line moments before the half time siren.

That caused remonstration between players, which quickly escalated as players rushed from all over the ground and even those that were on the bench.

With players tangled up, the brawl took a disturbing turn when Eagles spearhead Peter Sumich was taken into a headlock from rookie Bulldogs defender Danny Southern. Sumich blacked out on the ground and with the teams eventually dispersing and heading into the changerooms, the West Coast medical staff remained on the ground to tend to their full forward.

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse also remained on the field, opting to watch over Sumich until he was stretchered into the changerooms. Sumich would play no further part in the game, with the Eagles doctors eventually reviving the Eagles full-forward following several minutes on an oxygen tank.

Tensions remained high between the two sides through the second half, despite the one-sided scoreline. Southern – who had spent time with West Coast a couple of seasons earlier as he rehabilitated from a knee injury suffered while playing at Claremont – became the target of verbal abuse at the final siren from both Glen Jakovich and Jason Ball.

**Peter Sumich is attended too after being choked into unconsciousness by Danny Southern**

After the game, Malthouse described the brawl as a ‘blight’ on the game. “We come here to play football.”

“We can accept solid bumps and we can accept that footy is a physical game. But there were certain elements of today’s game that have surprised and disappointed us.”

No match-day reports were laid by umpires, with the clubs then the centre of an AFL investigation, led by Max Crawford. After Crawford spoke individually with both clubs, he found that no players should be charged, with AFL general manager Ian Collins supporting the findings and declaring both clubs would be fined $20,000.

However, Eagles officials were left stunned 24 hours later when the AFL overruled both Crawford and Collins to charge five West Coast players for their part in the melee. Glen Jakovich, Jason Ball, Tony Evans, Chris Lewis and Peter Sumich were all summoned to face the AFL judiciary five days after the game took place.

Jakovich copped two charges for striking Richard Osborne and Danny Southern, as did Ball who had two striking charges on Ilija Grgic and Chris Grant. Sumich was also charged for striking Grgic, while Chris Lewis and Tony Evans each received one charge for striking Doug Hawkins, who suffered a torn abdominal muscle during the fracas.

The Bulldogs weren’t spared with three players also called up to face the tribunal. Chris Grant was cited for striking Jakovich and Darcy MacPherson was cited for striking Lewis, while Danny Southern faced the more serious charge of conduct unbecoming for his headlock on Sumich.

West Coast general manager Brian Cook expressed the thoughts of both clubs, whose finals preparations were now under serious threat. “We are extremely disappointed and somewhat shocked. This has thrown our finals preparations into turmoil.”

The Bulldogs dropped to fifth at the completion of the home and away season, falling behind North Melbourne and Geelong who both recorded large wins in round 24. North Melbourne moved back to third when they comfortably accounted for the Magpies in the opening game of the round. The Kangaroos controlled the game from the outset, with eight goals to John Longmire delivering a 64 point win.

That left the Magpies nervously waiting on other results to stay in the finals hunt, but their place in the top eight was confirmed the following day when Richmond were trounced by Geelong. Despite being without Gary Ablett, the Cats were never troubled, running out 76 point winners as Bill Brownless replicated Longmire’s haul of eight goals.

Having suffered horrid defeats of 113 points to the Blues and 76 points to the Cats in the final two rounds of the season, it would be Richmond who were relegated to ninth position after Melbourne won a high scoring clash against the Swans to move back into the top eight.

The Tigers finished on 12 wins – the same as Melbourne and Collingwood – but had lost nearly 10 percentage points in the previous fortnight to finish well behind the Demons and Magpies. Geelong, on the other hand, found themselves inside the top four for the first time since Round 10 on the back of a late season revival after coach Malcolm Blight was at risk of losing his job midway through the year.

With Melbourne and West Coast recording wins on the Sunday, the first week finals schedule had been set. The Demons rose to seventh to book a first week final against Carlton, with North Melbourne to host Hawthorn and the Cats and the Dogs to square off.

That left eighth-placed Collingwood with the unenviable task of travelling to Perth to tackle the Eagles in a virtual elimination final, although who West Coast would have available for the game still remained up in the air.

With Footscray due to play their qualifying final on the Saturday night, the Bulldogs immediately sought an injunction with the Victorian Supreme Court to delay the tribunal hearings for Grant, MacPherson and Southern until the following Monday.

With the Bulldogs successful, West Coast considered a similar tack.

Ultimately, the Eagles decided to push ahead with the hearings with the five players to face the AFL tribunal less than 48 hours before they were due to play Collingwood.

Eagles Chairman Dwane Buckland denied that West Coast had missed the boat in joining the Bulldogs in submitting a joint injunction, as a war of words broke out between the two clubs.

The Bulldogs had responded in the wake of Malthouse’s post-match comments, calling their former coach’s words as ‘untrue, outrageous and defamatory’.

Footscray coach Alan Joyce was particularly pointed towards his counterpart. “I have been coaching in the AFL for several years now and I just wish other coaches, particularly Malthouse in Perth, would have the same degree of professionalism.”

General manager Dennis Galimberti went even further, defending the actions of Danny Southern and declaring it was the West Coast players who instigated the whole melee.

“The incident between Steve Wallis and Brett Heady was totally fair and within the rules of the game,” Galimberti said.

“As a result of the collision, several West Coast Eagles players ran a considerable distance to remonstrate with Wallis. That was the single thing that incited the events that followed.”

The Bulldogs were particularly critical of Malthouse speaking about the incident between Southern and Sumich, saying that it was inappropriate for comments to be made before the case was put to the tribunal.

Malthouse had stated that Sumich ‘was grabbed from behind by a bloke who came from their bench and was virtually strangled’

Malthouse retorted, saying he had never named Southern.

“You would have to be blind not to see the Channel 7 replay and determine the player responsible for Sumich’s condition,” Malthouse said. The Eagles coach also rejected suggestions he had confronted Southern at three quarter time. “I did not utter one word to Danny Southern. I can honestly say I did not utter one word to any Footscray player and I would never do that, never.”

Ultimately, West Coast decided to send their players to the tribunal, with the hearing taking place less than 48 hours before their finals match against Collingwood and the night after they had announced their squad for the game.

Buckland said that it was the view of the Board to have the matter dealt with before the clubs first final, to ensure that any potential penalties handed down could be served earlier in the finals campaign.

“If you are going to have a few players out, we’d prefer to have them out in a game we can afford to lose, rather than a game we can’t afford to lose.”

In the end, Buckland and the Eagles had nothing to worry about.

After a marathon four hour hearing, via video link up from Perth, all five West Coast players were cleared of any wrongdoing. The Eagles even called up Crawford as one of their own witnesses, to reiterate his view that no players should be charged over the melee.

**Eagles players leave the tribunal after having their charges thrown out.**

The Bulldogs would subsequently front the tribunal after the weekend with Grant and MacPherson equally cleared of any wrongdoing, while Southern was hit with a $10,000 fine.

After a week of disruption, West Coast were happy to move on from the whole situation and turn their attention into their match with Collingwood.

“Where it went off the rails I don’t know. And we are not going to pursue it,” a relieved Buckland declared.

1994 Rewind: Eagles Slide From Top Spot

August 22, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

At the completion of Round 23, the Eagles found themselves not atop the AFL ladder, a position they had held since Round 7.

With the bye in the penultimate round of the 1994 season, the Eagles watched Carlton obliterate the Tigers and take top spot. For much of the year, West Coast had had the advantage of an extra game on the rest of their finals rivals, but the top eight finally found parity with all teams now having played the same number of games.

The Blues usurped the Eagles in top spot, courtesy of a better percentage that had jumped in the past fortnight on the back of two thumping victories. After defeating the Eagles the week before by 10 goals, Carlton established themselves as the premiership favourites with a 113 point hiding of the Tigers. Fraser Brown was the surprise packet up forward with seven goals in a result that left Richmond desperately clinging onto their position in the top eight.

Just three weeks after they sat in the top four and seemed all but certain to end their 12 year finals drought, their poor percentage – which had taken a six percent hit in the Carlton loss – had them trailing a host of sides on 12 wins and just one game ahead of Melbourne in ninth position.

With a round to play, only three teams were assured of finals action in 1994. Carlton and West Coast had been the clear two teams for much of the season, with Footscray emerging late as a contender when they easily accounted for the Demons by 40 points. The win saw the Bulldogs jump up to third on the ladder, ahead of an enticing trip to battle West Coast in the final round.

Behind the Bulldogs, North Melbourne, Geelong, Hawthorn and Collingwood all sat one game behind on 12 wins (along with Richmond) following a varying degree of results. The Kangaroos easily defeated Fitzroy by 86 points in the opening game in the round, while the Cats and Hawks were forced to scrape out wins against lowly opposition.

The Cats trailed Sydney by 21 points at half-time in their game at Kardinia Park, before an eight goal third term had Geelong in front and seemingly in cruise control. However, the Swans wouldn’t give up the game, pushing the home side all of the way, with the Cats eventually eking out a 12 point win. The Hawks were also made to work in an 11 point win over Brisbane at the GABBA, three late goals enough to secure the win after Brisbane hit the front during the final quarter.

Collingwood missed a chance to cement a top four spot when they suffered a shock two point defeat to St Kilda. Tony Lockett booted eight of the Saints 14 goals in the game, to inspire the win, with the Magpies late rally to steal victory falling short.

The Magpies were due to face North Melbourne in the final round, with Geelong and Richmond also fixtured to meet, meaning the two losers were at the mercy of the ninth-placed Demons. Melbourne held a better percentage than all of the teams on 12 wins, bar the Kangaroos, and with a final round clash against wooden spooners Sydney, the Demons were heavy favourites to work their way back into the top eight.

For West Coast, the week off was used to address a number of questions.

Firstly, the long-running query over where West Coast would host their first final was answered, with the AFL confirming the WACA would be used for finals. After meeting with the WAFC and the WACA Board, and with an expectation that the ground’s capacity would be increased to 36,000 to accommodate fans, the AFL ticked off the venue. Despite the success of the first ever night final the year before, where Essendon and Carlton played off a thriller in the qualifying final, the Eagles match would not be a night game, instead scheduled for the unusual mid-afternoon time of 3.30 on the Sunday of the opening weekend of the finals.

On field, match committee eyes were focused on the WAFL as a number of key Eagles used the weekend to build match fitness. Brett Heady, Mitchell White, Tony Evans and Shane Bond had all endured interrupted second halves to the 1994 season and used the chance to get game time into their bodies.

Heady and White were two of 11 Eagles that took part in the WAFL match between Subiaco and South Fremantle, with the vast majority playing for the Lions. As a result, Subiaco went on to win by a record margin of 121 points over the Bulldogs, with many fringe Eagles also doing what they could to garner the attention of selectors.

Karl Langdon returned from a two week suspension to boot three goals, while the Subiaco midfield which consisted of Dwayne Lamb, Tony Godden, Matt Connell and Damien Hampson all found plenty of the ball. Jason Heatley – in his second game from a long term injury – cashed in on the Lions dominance to boot 10 goals, as the Lions racked up a total of 30.23 (203).

Godden in particular was the standout and his showing rocketed him into senior contention for the final game of the season. At the other end, David Hynes and Brett Spinks had little impact in the South Fremantle forward line, but there was little they could do in the thrashing.

Peter Sumich didn’t partake in that match for the Bulldogs, as one of a number of key Eagles who had injury concerns. Glen Jakovich, Don Pyke, Ryan Turnbull and Dean Kemp were all injured in the loss to Carlton, with Jakovich the major worry with a knee complaint.

John Worsfold was still to recover from a groin complaint, while Ashley McIntosh was battling an ongoing knee injury that was the biggest issue within the squad. The defender-turned-forward had been plagued for much of the year, and despite repeated assurances from the club that his lack of recent training had been purely precautionary, it was hard to dismiss the large knee brace McIntosh had been wearing.

For another Eagle, the break brought a close to a career, with Dwayne Lamb announcing his retirement the day before stepping out in the WAFL. An inaugural squad member, Lamb had had the distinction of being the first player to reach 50, 100 and 150 games with the club but had only managed five games with West Coast this season.

**Dwayne Lamb announced he would retire at the end of season 1994**

1994 Rewind: Eagles Crash To Blues

August 15, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

Mick Malthouse had just one thought following the Eagles 64 point drubbing to Carlton.

“The bye has come as a blessing in many respects.”

That a week off was the one positive from the top-of-the-table clash against Carlton said plenty about the performance. Jason Ball kicked the opening goal of the game, but it was all the home side from that point on, as Carlton booted 10 of the next 12 goals to storm to a 42 point half-time lead.

It fared little better through the second half as Carlton did as they pleased to move back within a game of West Coast at the top of the ladder and with a game in hand.

The result also produced a crucial 10 percent swing the between the two sides in the tight race for the minor premiership. The Eagles lost seven percent from the heavy defeat, dropping from 135.6 to 128.1, while the Blues improved from 126.4 to 129.3.

Following the defeat, Malthouse implored his players to regroup from the result ahead of their final home and away game of the season in a fortnights time, after their round 23 bye.

“No one likes to lose by 10 or 11 goals. Your confidence goes out the door.”

To compound matters, West Coast lost several key players with injury and had Craig Turley placed on report. Turley would later receive a two week ban for striking Greg Williams.

West Coast could have wrapped up top spot with a win over the Blues, but Carlton – who were desperate to atone for a shock eight point loss to Sydney the week before – were desperate to keep their shot at the minor premiership alive.

The Blues made four changes for the clash with Mil Hanna, Adrian Whitehead, Brett Ratten and young ruckman Matthew Allan all coming into the side. Forward James Cook was forced out with a heel injury, while Troy Bond, Brett Sholl and Stephen Oliver were all omitted.

The Eagles made no changes to the team that defeated North Melbourne the previous Friday night, despite injury concerns during the week over Chris Lewis and Ashley McIntosh.

West Coast lined up as expected, but David Parkin threw his side around in a bid to quell many of the Eagles playmakers. Andrew McKay was moved to half-forward in a tagging role on Guy McKenna, while the Blues also considered their match-ups for the Eagles midfield trio of Peter Matera, Dean Kemp and Chris Mainwaring.

Matthew Hogg was given the run-with role on Kemp, while offensive runners Craig Bradley and Anthony Koutofides lined up on the wing to go head-to-head with Matera and Mainwaring. Carlton coach David Parkin said the Blues had placed a focus on limiting the Eagles midfield drive.

“With both sides having such strong backlines we knew the game would be won in the midfield. We knew we had to harass players like Kemp, Matera and Mainwaring and not let them break away.”

Hogg kept Kemp to just four possessions to three quarter time, with the Eagle midfielder then moved into the forward line when he became hampered with an achilles injury. Koutofides had the better of Mainwaring, while Bradley’s run forced Matera to play defensively, depriving West Coast of attacking flair.

Bradley had 10 first-quarter possessions, and finished the term with one of the goals of the year. Taking possession on the wing, Bradley had several bounces running the outer wing, partaking in a one-two with Andrew McKay, and then curling the ball from 40m with a checkside from the boundary, just out of reach of a sprawling Jakovich on the goal line.

While the Blues perfected their plans for the Eagles midfielders, there was nothing West Coast could do to stop Greg Williams. The Carlton centreman was central to everything early and by quarter time he had made his mark on the game.

Williams had 13 possessions by quarter time and had directly created three of the Blues six first quarter goals. Craig Turley was given the initial assignment on Williams, but was on the bench midway through the term after going into the umpire’s book for striking. Don Pyke and Drew Banfield both spent time during the day on Williams but he proved unstoppable.

**Craig Turley copped a two week suspension for striking Greg Williams.**

Four goals down at the first break, Malthouse swung the changes in an attempt to get his side back into the game. Jason Ball was sent to full back to mind Stephen Kernahan, who had booted two goals in the first term on Glen Jakovich.

Jakovich was moved to his customary position at centre half back on Earl Spalding, with Michael Brennan coming off the bench in place of Mitchell White. Brett Heady – a surprise starter on the interchange – was also introduced into the game, but the moves did little to stop the Blues as Carlton’s midfield continued to control proceedings.

The Blues booted the first four goals of the quarter to race to a 49 point lead and all but end the contest, with a late Ryan Turnbull long bomb just before half-time breaking the drought for West Coast.

In the second half, West Coast were forced into preservation mode as they regularly lost players to injury. John Worsfold had a recurrence of a groin problem and was joined on the bench soon after by Jakovich who suffered a knee injury from landing awkwardly in a marking contest.

Ryan Turnbull then became the third player consigned to the bench with his own knee concerns, with Pyke (wrist) and Kemp (achilles) stuck on the ground to battle through their ailments. For Malthouse, the game had left plenty to ponder.

Instead of going into the bye in a position of strength, the Eagles now had a fortnight to patch players up before their final game against Footscray and then a finals campaign.

“We are under a lot of pressure because we have a lot of players who have received injuries. [The bye] gives us the chance to get a couple of blokes up. But I don’t know whether we are going to get them all up. That’s the trouble.”

Carlton’s win saw them move up to equal flag favouritism, along with West Coast, as doubts grew over the Eagles late-season form. The defeat was their third in six games and with fresh injury concerns, questions started to grow over the Eagles premiership contention. The shift in percentage meant that the Blues could now take top spot with a win over Richmond the following week, while West Coast had the week off.

David Parkin praised the response of his players, describing the win as one of the best of his career, while also acknowledging the unpredictability of the season.

“I guess to be beaten by the bottom side at its lowest ebb and then to come out and beat the top side, which is in pretty good form, is one of the things that makes Australian football so exciting.”

Greg Williams continued on from his blistering start, doubling his opening quarter tally by half-time and eventually finishing with 45 touches. The Carlton centreman tallied 17 kicks and 28 handballs and was central in many of Carlton’s forward entries.

Williams was the clear best on ground, but there were no shortage of best players amongst his teammates. Craig Bradley finished with 29 touches and two goals and was far too good for Matera, Barry Mitchell had 27 possessions and also booted two goals in his 200^th game, while Brett Ratten finished with 26 touches. Up forward, Stephen Kernahan completed the work of the midfielders with six goals and half-forward Tom Alvin chipped in with three.

For West Coast, it was hard to find a winner on the ground. Jason Ball toiled hard in defence against Kernahan and Tony Evans and Don Pyke each finished with 20 disposals, but too many Eagles had no impact on the game.

While West Coast and Carlton’s battle for top spot was set to go the whole way, the rest of the top eight was also still up for grabs with just one win separating third from ninth.

North Melbourne’s third straight loss – a 20 point defeat to Melbourne – saw them drop from third to sixth as Footscray, Collingwood and Richmond moved past them. The Bulldogs climbed to third when they saw off a late Brisbane challenge to beat the Bears by 10 points, the Magpies squeaked past Geelong by three points courtesy of a late Nathan Buckley winner and Richmond easily accounted for Fitzroy by ten goals.

Melbourne’s win over the Kangaroos saw them jump back into the top eight ahead of Geelong who fell from fifth to eighth, and Hawthorn who tumbled out of the top eight after they lost to Essendon by 52 points in a disappointing display.

1994 Rewind: Eagles Secure Top Two

August 8, 2019 ~ wcehistory ~ Leave a comment

West Coast ensured they would finish in the top two at the close of the home and away season when they held off a rampaging North Melbourne at the WACA, in the opening game of Round 21.

The Eagles put in one of their best defensive efforts of the year when they held the free-flowing Kangaroos to just three goals to three quarter time to lead by 40 points.

But the Kangaroos rallied, kicking the last five goals of the game to have the home side and the home fans nervous, with only some desperate defence in the final minutes putting a halt to a famous comeback.

The win meant that the Eagles sat four games clear of North Melbourne with three matches remaining to confirm a top two finish. However, West Coast were yet to receive confirmation from the AFL that a top two finish would equate to two home finals under the new top eight finals format.

Subiaco Oval was due to start comprehensive construction of the new Southern Stand immediately following the Eagles final round game against Footscray and the WACA had yet to be accepted as an alternative venue due to its smaller capacity.

The AFL were also locked into an agreement with the MCC that stipulated a final at the MCG every week, and while the remaining seven positions on the ladder were filled with Victorian sides, the AFL refused to confirm West Coast would receive a second home final beyond the opening week.

The situation mirrored the scenario that West Coast faced in 1991 when they were forced to travel for a semi-final against Melbourne and a preliminary final against Geelong, despite finishing top.

While that was still to play out between West Coast and the AFL, on the field two of the premiership fancies showed their best and their worst in front of an electric crowd of just under 32,000 people.

Both teams named strong line-ups with the Eagles bringing back three premiership players in captain John Worsfold and half-forwards Tony Evans and Brett Heady. Guy McKenna was able to take his place despite still nursing a broken nose from a Darren Jarman hit the week before, as did Ryan Turnbull who was limited during the week at training with a left wrist complaint.

The Kangaroos made just the one change to the team that narrowly lost to Geelong the week before, with midfielder Alastair Clarkson making way for utility Peter Mann. North Melbourne coach Denis Pagan admitted that the selection of Mann was in response to the 37 point defeat to West Coast earlier in the season, when the Eagles exposed the Kangaroos for lack of height.

Another inclusion to the Kangaroos side from the one that lost in round 6 was Corey McKernan who had been a revelation in his first season. The rookie ruckman/forward had added another dimension to the Kangaroos in 1994 and lined up in the forward half along with Wayne Carey and John Longmire in a three-pronged attack.

Jason Ball was given the task in defence of minding McKernan, with Michael Brennan taking Longmire and Glen Jakovich matching up with Carey in the next instalment of their individual rivalry.

Jakovich would emerge the winner out of their battle with a best on ground display. The Eagles centre half back finished with 29 disposals and seven marks as he often stood in the way of many North Melbourne forward entries.

He was well supported by Guy McKenna (19 disposals) and John Worsfold (20 disposals) as North Melbourne allowed the Eagles half-back line to dictate play.

The Kangaroos used Alex Ishchenko as a spare man in defence, replicating a tactic that had worked successfully against Gary Ablett the week before. With Ishchenko heading into the back 50 after contesting the centre bounce, the Kangaroo half-forwards pushed up the ground to neutralise the Eagle midfield.

That meant McKenna and Worsfold were often allowed to set up without an opponent, feeding off the loose balls created from spilled balls in the North Melbourne forward 50.

The Eagles also had plenty of winners through the middle of the ground as Dean Kemp, Peter Matera and Chris Mainwaring dominated the North Melbourne centreline. Kemp dismissed the tagging effort of Anthony Stevens to pick up 12 first-half possessions and also booted the only two goals of the second quarter as West Coast worked their way to a 22 point half-time lead.

While Kemp was less influential after half-time, Mainwaring got the better of Wayne Schwass with 18 second-half disposals to finish with a match haul of 25 (along with eight marks). Peter Matera tallied 23 disposals on the other wing and Don Pyke was just as effective with 22 touches.

After controlling the first half, the Eagles were dominant in the third term, but it took until late in the quarter when consecutive goals to Craig Turley – who started the game on the bench – gave the Eagles what appeared to be an unassailable lead.

At three-quarter time, Pagan reverted back to a more typical structure holding his half-forwards deeper and the Kangaroos got the rewards on the scoreboard. They opened the scoring in the first minute before Peter Sumich responded shortly after with his second major of the evening to restore the Eagles’ 40 point lead.

That would be the last significant score for West Coast in the game as North Melbourne flew home in a rush. The Kangaroos kicked the final five goals of the game and had their chances in the dying minutes. With the margin just nine points and still three minutes remaining, the Kangaroos butchered several forward 50 entries.

Jakovich twice was able to intercept North Melbourne, including one John Blakey kick when he had Carey 15m free in space. Jakovich had 12 disposals and took four marks in the final term alone as the Eagles defence stood tall in the face of repeat Kangaroo entries.

After the match, the mood of the two coaches could not have been further apart.

Denis Pagan was seething of his side’s performance, with many of his prime movers leaving their imprint on the game until it was too late. Corey McKernan, Wayne Schwass and Darren Crocker all lifted in the final term as North Melbourne rallied, but it mattered little to Pagan.

“We were pretty disappointing for three quarters, and to come back hard in the last quarter proved that there is nothing conclusive about West Coast and North Melbourne.”

On the flipside, Mick Malthouse wasn’t bothered by his team’s last quarter, instead choosing to focus on the earlier effort that won the game.

“I thought the workload of the boys was outstanding for three quarters and there probably wasn’t any reward on the scoreboard.”

“North got their momentum up and they were very hard to stop… we got a couple of running injuries and that put a bit of pressure on us,” Malthouse explained. “We had to leave a couple of players out there when we wouldn’t have normally.”

In the post-script, both sides had setbacks to counter.

The Eagles finished the game without a fit player on the bench after John Worsfold and Tony Evans re-aggravated injuries in their first games back, while Chris Lewis had fresh worries over a thigh.

North Melbourne lost Anthony Rock during the game with a serious ankle injury, that was likely to see the midfielder miss the remainder of the regular season, but their concerns lay more critically with the tribunal.

The Kangaroos had three players reported on the night, with Brett Allison and Corey McKernan both reported for tripping Jason Ball on separate occasions, while Glenn Archer went into the book for disputing an umpires decision. Archer and Allison would escape suspension, but McKernan would not be so lucky, copping a one week ban. Cruelly, the guilty finding would leave McKernan ineligible for the Rising Star award, which he had been favourite to win.

If the nine-point win on a Friday night was a positive way to start the weekend, it only got better for the Eagles when Carlton – who were vying with West Coast for top spot – were humbled by last-placed Sydney at the SCG.

In a result that David Parkin declared would ‘have severe ramifications for the club’, the Swans recorded a famous eight-point win in a low-scoring clash, despite four goals to Carlton captain Stephen Kernahan. The Blues entered the game as $1.05 favourites, but the upset defeat left Carlton two games behind West Coast in second place ahead of their meeting the following week.

An inaccurate Richmond dropped their match against Hawthorn, while a goalless last quarter saw Melbourne fall to the Magpies. The losses to the Tigers and the Demons, on top of defeats to the Blues and Kangaroos meant that the teams placed second through to fifth coming into round 21 all lost, as the race for the top four got tighter.

The six teams behind West Coast and Carlton all had 11 wins for the season, with percentage determining the order.

North Melbourne remained third courtesy of their superior percentage with the Bulldogs moving into the top four after they easily accounted for St Kilda. The Saints got the early jump, but Footscray took control after quarter time, booting 15 goals to 6 on their way to a 45 point victory.

Geelong moved up to fifth when they got over the Lions, although it took until the last quarter to be completely assured of the win. Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond rounded out the eight, with the Magpies returning to the top eight after knocking on the door for several weeks.

Richmond suddenly looked vulnerable as they dropped from fourth to eighth, with their poor percentage threatening to undo their run to the finals. Melbourne made way for the Magpies dropping to ninth, as they sat one game behind the teams above them; the loss to Collingwood proving a real eight-point result.