Tag: subiaco oval

1990 Rewind: 2nd Spot Opens Up For West Coast

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Eagles Survive Tiger Scare

Richmond got the early jump, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent West Coast from romping to a 45 point win at Subiaco.

The Tigers booted seven goals in the opening quarter to open up a four goal lead at quarter time, but the Eagles took control in the final three terms to close in on second spot.

The lowly Tigers weren’t expected to present much of a challenge to the finals-bound Eagles, who were priced as short as $1.06 during the week, but they got the better of the early match-ups to stun the home team and fans to get an early break.

Michael Mitchell was electric in the first quarter, while Stuart Maxfield had the better of Chris Mainwaring on the wing and Matthew Knights provided the drive out of the centre.

The Eagles were also uncharacteristically clumsy in defence as Richmond pounced on a number of errors from the West Coast backmen.

At quarter time, Eagles coach Mick Malthouse moved the magnets and found the right balance, with West Coast booting 7.6 for the quarter and orchestrating a 38 point turnaround.

David Hart moved from Trent Nichols to Mitchell, Brett Heady went to half-forward and Dean Kemp shifted into the middle.

Heady was one of two inclusions for West Coast, who lost vice-captain John Worsfold during the week to suspension. Worsfold was slapped with a two week ban for striking Sydney midfielder Greg Williams. Dean Turner was the other change, omitted in favour of Don Pyke, who was recalled for just his fourth game of the season.

Leading by 14 points at the break, Richmond closed the margin to just six with the first two goals of the term but the Eagles booted five of the next eight goals into the breeze to hold the lead going into the last quarter.

Troy Ugle came off the bench after half-time, to boot three of the Eagles’ five for the third term. The Eagles then ran away with the game in the last term, with their second use of the breeze.

West Coast registered 16 scoring shots for the term and their inaccurate effort of 7.9 prevented the margin from being higher. The Tigers, for all their effort at the start of the game, fell off the pace as Eagle players did as they pleased in the final quarter.

Twice Guy McKenna drifted forward to boot goals, finishing as one of the best players for West Coast after a jittery opening quarter. Defenders Geoff Miles and Phil Scott also drifted forward to hit the scoreboard as the last quarter descended into one-way traffic.

Chris Mainwaring was another to finish as one of the Eagles’ best after lowering his colours early in the game to Maxfield. Malthouse persisted with Mainwaring on the wing, and the Eagle had a hand in many of the Eagles’ scoring opportunities.

Stephen Malaxos again finished as the Eagles’ prime possession winner, tallying 27 through the middle, as did Kemp. Craig Turley picked up 24 disposals, while David Hart was able to gather 22 and kick three goals, while also putting the clamps on Mitchell in the final three terms.

Hart was one of four players to finish with three goals for West Coast, who were still without spearhead Peter Sumich and had a goalless performance from Craig McGrath up forward.

Hart, Ugle, Heady and Karl Langdon all booted three goals, while Chris Lewis could have had a day out but could only return an inaccurate 2.4. The Eagles spread the load of the scoreboard, with 12 Eagles kicking majors.

Dean Kemp was one of the best for West Coast

Jeff Hogg booted four majors for the Tigers, while Matthew Knights chipped in with three goals to go with 22 touches as his side’s standout player. With Dale Weightman copping a four week ban during the week for a late hit on Fitzroy midfielder Paul Broderick, Craig Lambert stepped into the vacant centreman role picking up a team high 26 disposals.

The major disappointment for West Coast was the likely season-ending injury to half-forward Peter Wilson. Wilson suffered a double fracture in his jaw after he was crashed into by former teammate Richard Nixon during the third quarter, prompting Malthouse to question the incident with the field umpires during the three-quarter time break.

After the match, Malthouse expressed happiness over the win, but admitted that his side needed to show a lot more improvement.

“We have a fair way to go to be the side we all want to be.”

“The true test is against the top sides. They are the ones that expose the team’s old mannerisms.”

Interestingly, Richmond coach Kevin Bartlett agreed with Malthouse’s summation that West Coast had plenty to improve on. “I didn’t think the Eagles played well at all. If we could have bolstered our side with some of our injured players, we could have made it a lot tougher.”

The Eagles remained third on the ladder following the win, but joined the Magpies on points, after Collingwood fell to Essendon in a top-of-the-table clash.

Such was the anticipation for the match, in what was strongly predicted as the Grand Final preview, the AFL broadcast the game live on television into Victoria – the first time a match had been shown live against the gate, excluding Grand Finals, since 1970.

And the match didn’t disappoint, as Essendon withstood a late Magpie fightback and a debilitating injury list to hold on for a six point victory. The Bombers broke out to a six goal lead by early in the second term and still held a 28 point lead with a quarter to play.

But the Bombers had just 15 fit players through the final term as Collingwood booted four goals to close in on the lead. Neither side could find the goals in the final ten minutes of the game, as Collingwood relentlessly attacked and Essendon resiliently defended.

James Manson had two simple chances late in the game to put the Magpies in front, but butchered both opportunities, allowing Essendon to hold on at the final siren. The result meant Essendon held onto their spot at the top of the ladder, but were now a game clear of the Magpies and Eagles.

Melbourne continued their push for the double chance when they coasted to a 67 point win over Sydney. Ricky Jackson and Darren Bennett combined for 11 majors as the Demons primed themselves ahead of a trip to Perth to take on West Coast in a crucial game for both sides.

The Hawks rounded out the top five with an impressive 36 point win over St Kilda, which all but snuffed out the Saints’ finals chances. A nine-goal second term proved the difference in the game, with Jason Dunstall booting five goals for the victors and Tony Lockett four in the battle of the heavyweight forwards.

Footscray appeared to be the last team fighting for a finals spot after North Melbourne defeated Carlton by 34 points. The Kangaroos kicked six goals to nil in the opening term and maintained their lead through the remainder of the match, leaving both clubs sitting two games behind Hawthorn with four matches to play.

The Bulldogs leapt up to sixth, one win behind the Hawks, when they got the job done against Fitzroy, winning by 35 points. In the other match in the round, Brisbane climbed off the bottom of the ladder when they thrashed a pathetic Geelong by eleven goals. Roger Merrett booted eight goals for the Bears, with the result relegating the Swans to the foot of the table.

1990 Rewind: Eagles Storm Home

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Captain’s Call Pays Off

West Coast rode the wind – and the tide – with a seven goal final quarter that sealed a 19 point win in a rollercoaster game of momentum played in driving rain.

In one of the games of the season, the lead changed hands 12 times, and were level three times during the final quarter, before the Eagles were able to come out on top.

Recalled midfielder John Annear stood up in a desperate final quarter as he, Steve Malaxos and Chris Lewis inspired the Eagles to the gutsy win.

Annear was the only change for the Eagles, replacing Tony Begovich who had made his debut the week before against the Bears.

The Cats made three changes coming into the match, as they looked to arrest an embarrassing slide that had seen them drop games against cellar dwellers Richmond and Sydney.

David Cameron, Tim Darcy and Bruce Lindner were all dropped, with Ray Sterrett, Neville Bruns and Dwayne Russell all brought into the line-up. Geelong coach Malcolm Blight was conscious of the wide expanses of Subiaco Oval bringing in players renowned for speed to match the equally pacy Eagles.

The Cats though were still without match winner Gary Ablett, who had been unavailable since having surgery to repair knee cartilage heading into Round 6. Ablett had carried the injury since the Cats night series match against the Kangaroos, although that hadn’t stopped his proficiency in front of goal, booting 24 goals in his first four games of the season before being sidelined.

The first decisive moment of the match, came before the match, when Eagles captain Steve Malaxos won the toss but chose to kick into the gale that was sweeping towards the Subiaco end. West Coast then bounced out of the gates, kicking the opening three goals into the wind and holding onto a six point advantage at the first break.

However, the Cats were just as effective into the wind, restricting the Eagles to just one major although West Coast also had themselves to blame with six behinds for the term. The Eagles led by just two points at the main break, and were down a man after Peter Wilson limped off with a hamstring injury.

The second half then became a battle for momentum.

The Cats were far more effective with their second use of the wind, booting five goals for the term to open up an eight-point lead with a quarter to play. Adrian Fletcher had been kept quiet by Malaxos through the first half, but broke free in the third term with 12 disposals as he, Paul Couch (eight disposals) and Neville Bruns (six) took control through the middle.

Geelong ruckman Darren Flanigan provided the service for his midfielders at the ruck, overwhelming Phil Scott, and later Stevan Jackson. Flanigan finished with 39 hit-outs for the game as Geelong held an ascendancy at the stoppages.

However, the Eagles did enough to hang in the contest, mostly through the work of Chris Mainwaring on the wing and Karl Langdon up forward. Mainwaring was one of the Eagles’ best in the first half with 16 disposals and continued his fine work after half-time picking up nine disposals for the term.

Langdon had started the game on the bench alongside John Annear, but he burst into the game after half-time with three of the Eagles four goals for the quarter.

And as the rain dissipated before the start of the final term, Malaxos’ decision at the coin toss became vindicated. Chris Lewis and Phil Narkle provided the class in the final term, along with several desperate acts from Annear to get West Coast over the line. Annear also bobbed up for a vital goal at the start of the quarter and proved an astute inclusion given the conditions.

A bloodied John Annear was instrumental in the final quarter surge

After the game, a beaming Malthouse declared his side had answered another one of the Melbourne media criticisms. “We played tough footy in ordinary conditions and that’s what footy is all about – tough and relentless.”

“I would like to keep the dry tracks in Perth but we won’t be disappointed going to Melbourne in the rain.”

Malthouse, though, admitted his side were lucky with the gamble at the toss. “It was raining and we were fortunate to come home with the wind and without the rain.”

Mainwaring finished with 30 disposals for the match, while Chris Lewis and Stephen Malaxos were the next best with 23. Peter Sumich continued his strong form for the season, booting 5.4, stepping up with multiple goals in the final term as West Coast surged.

Geelong coach Malcolm Blight praised his side’s effort and intensity but shared disappointment with some of the ball use. “That touch of class at the end is not working for us.”

Barry Stoneham provided a focal target up forward and Garry Hocking was one of the best for the Cats, but they had too few contributors across the day.

“We’ve been having a dip over the past three weeks and we have lost three games by small amounts,” Blight said.

The third-straight defeat left the Cats with a tough task ahead through the second half of the season, sitting two games and hefty percentage behind the fifth-placed Magpies. However, Blight refused to concede the finals’ hopes of last year’s Grand Finalists were over.

“It’s mission impossible when you’re two games out with one game to go.”

The win saw the Eagles draw level with the Melbourne at the top of the ladder, although they remained in second spot behind the Demons on percentage. Melbourne suffered their second loss of the season when they were easily brushed aside by a Hawthorn side who were keen to atone for their humiliating loss to Carlton a week earlier.

The Hawks moved up to fourth, in place of St Kilda, who dropped out of the top five when they fell to Essendon at Windy Hill. In the battle of 3rd and 4th, the Lockett-less Saints pushed the Bombers all the way, but came up 11 points short.

Collingwood forced their way back into the top five for the first time in a month, when they thrashed North Melbourne by 80 points at Victoria Park. Gavin Brown and Peter Daicos each booted seven goals as the Magpies slammed on 11 final quarter goals to secure an important percentage-boosting win.

The Magpies moved a game clear of the Saints, who were joined by Carlton and Footscray on the edge of the finals’ spots, after they recorded easy victories over Fitzroy and Brisbane.

While the Eagles could feel satisfied with a hard-earned four points and equal-top spot on the ladder, they were less than thrilled with the AFL judiciary, who returned a no-result over their investigations involving Annear and Hocking. The pair clashed twice in a fiery last quarter, with Annear requiring two sets of stitches to repair cuts on his face.

But with Channel 7 unable to supply footage of the incidents from the match, the AFL determined there was insufficient evidence to move forward. Eagles general manager Brian Cook conceded the club wouldn’t lodge an official complaint over the incidents.

1990 Rewind: Eagles Bounce Back Against Bears

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Eagles Get Four Points But Miss Percentage Booster

West Coast returned to winning ways when they comfortably accounted for the Brisbane Bears at Subiaco Oval. In a performance that warranted a triple-digit winning margin, poor kicking on goal meant the Eagles had to settle for a 59 point victory.

Peter Sumich booted four goals, as did Geoff Miles who was thrown forward in the second half. With such a complete performance, many Eagles stood out, but the performance that would have most delighted the West Coast match committee was that of Phil Narkle, who returned for his first senior match in over two and a half years.

Narkle – a member of the Eagles inaugural squad of 1987 – was delisted at the end of 1988 after injuries restricted the gifted wingman to just nine games in two seasons. Returning to the WAFL, Narkle managed some games with Swan Districts late in the 1989 season, with the Eagles throwing a lifeline ahead of the 1990 season, with their final selection at the pre-season draft.

Narkle’s last appearance for the Eagles had been the 130 shellacking against Sydney in Round 16 of the 1987 season.

Narkle shone in his first game back, picking up 22 disposals and booting 2.3 playing mostly from the forward pocket. Malthouse, in particular, was delighted by Narkle’s showing.

“I was tickled pink with Phil’s game, especially as he was a bundle of nerves beforehand,” a ‘rapt’ Malthouse said after the game.

“His pace and genuine crumbing ability gave us something that we lacked.”

Narkle was one of four inclusions for the Eagles, who swung the axe after their poor display against the Demons the previous week.

Chris Mainwaring earned an instant reprieve after being dropped to East Fremantle the week before, responding as one of the best players for West Coast. Scott Watters and Tony Begovich were the others brought in, with Craig Turley, Andrew Lockyer and Todd Breman dropped. Dean Laidley was finished for season 1990 having undergone a knee reconstruction during the week.

Begovich debuted for the Eagles after being selected at the 1989 National Draft, but his selection capped off a rampant rise. Begovich initially rejected the Eagles offer to join the club, choosing instead to remain with WAFL club Claremont, alongside fellow draftee Peter Mann.

However, a change of heart in the new year saw Begovich join his new Eagle teammates and a strong start to the WAFL season garnered his first senior AFL game. While he spent most of his first match on the bench, Begovich still managed to have an impact booting his first goal.

The need for Begovich was limited as West Coast controlled the contest from the get go.

The Eagles registered 13 scoring shots in the first term and the game could have been done at the first change if not for an inaccurate return of 4.9.

Chris Mainwaring slotted back on a wing and gave plenty of drive, as did rookie Peter Matera who produced a more rounded effort in his 3rd AFL game. Fellow rookie Brett Heady provided class through the midfield and at half forward, while Peter Wilson was industrious around the ground.

The Bears had arrived in Perth off the back of their second win of the season, by eight points over Sydney, with forward Cameron O’Brien the difference in the win with seven goals. However, he was completely blanketed up forward by Michael Brennan. Murray Rance was similarly effective on Bears captain Roger Merrett.

Guy McKenna provided the drive from the backline and with Karl Langdon and Stevan Jackson up forward, along with Sumich and later Geoff Miles, there was too much class across the ground for the Bears to contain.

The Eagles added another four goals in the second term, and put the foot down after half time with six majors to take their lead out to 60 points with a quarter to play. However 2.7 in the final quarter cost the Eagles a chance at a significant percentage boost.

Remarkably, the Eagles booted 8.13 in each half, to finish with one of their most inaccurate displays in the clubs history, a final score of 16.26, from 42 scoring shots.

Mainwaring, McKenna and Wilson all tallied 26 disposals to be the leading ball winners for the Eagles, with rookies Dean Kemp (22 disposals) and Brett Heady (21 disposals, two goals) also impressive. The only concern for West Coast was full forward Peter Sumich limping off midway through the third term.

Bears coach Norm Dare admitted his side were ‘just not tough enough’ in the contest with the result undoing much of the good work they had showed the week before.

Ironically for the Bears, their best players were also Eagles. Mark Zanotti, John Gastev and Alex Ishchenko had all been a part of the Eagles’ inaugural squad, but had worked their way east to the Bears in subsequent seasons.

Zanotti was the leading possession getter for the Bears with 25 from defence, while Gastev offered an avenue to goal with 18 touches and two goals. Ishchenko was the Bears’ best on the day, completely monstering Phil Scott in the ruck and getting the better of his former teammate around the ground.

Ishchenko finished with 18 disposals and 10 marks, while also having 25 hit-outs in the ruck, compared to just nine for Scott.

While happy with the win, Malthouse bemoaned the missed opportunities on goal. “We worked hard to set up goals rather than kick them.”

And despite the win lifting the Eagles back up to second spot on the ladder, a game clear of the chasing pack, Malthouse acknowledged the win would mean nothing if they lost to the Cats the following week.

“We have to defeat Geelong next week,” Malthouse declared. “That will put us three games up on them.”

“In the wash-up, after 22 rounds they (Geelong) will be vying as we will be, for a place in the five.”

It was déjà vu for the Cats when inaccurate kicking cost them what should have been a straight forward win against a side at the bottom of the ladder. A week on from their shock defeat to Richmond at Kardinia Park, the Cats booted 13.20 in their nine point loss to the Swans at the SCG, who had started the round in equal bottom.

The consecutive defeats had robbed the 1989 Grand Finalists the chance to sit comfortably inside the top five, instead languishing in eighth position, a game and percentage out of the top five. Carlton pushed past the Cats into seventh when they won their third straight match, thrashing the Hawks.

The Blues led from the outset and slammed their advantage home in the final term with an eight goal quarter securing a 67 point win. The Hawks would be the big losers of the round, dropping from 2nd on the ladder to 5th.

Essendon and St Kilda each climbed a spot with narrow wins over Footscray and North Melbourne, respectively, while the Magpies remained stayed in touch with the top five with a ten goal final term turning a 17 point three-quarter time deficit into a 45 point win over Fitzroy. The Demons remained the pacesetters at the top of the ladder with an easy win over the Tigers.

Sumich Eight Eclipses Swans

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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.

1990 Rewind: Malthouse Begins

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Off-Season of Change Brings Winning Start

The 1990 season promised a new beginning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sumich led the way up forward with six goals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

West Coast Demolish Cats For 1994 Flag

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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: Eagles End Tiger Streak

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West Coast bounced back from their narrow loss to Adelaide with an eight goal win over Richmond, which ended the Tigers’ six game winning streak.

Richmond arrived in Perth as one of the form teams of the competition, rising to fifth on the ladder on the back of a mid-season revival that had the Tiger faithful dreaming of a first finals appearance since 1982. But they were no match for one of the premiership favourites on their home turf.

However, it was that home turf which once again hit the headlines after Richmond coach John Northey blasted the surface for not being up to scratch. A fortnight after Mick Malthouse was critical over the poor standard of the ground, Northey labelled the surface ‘absolutely pathetic’.

“It’s no good having tremendous facilities and the ground being as poor as it is… to me this is an absolute disgrace.”

Northey’s comments were echoed by Malthouse who reiterated his thoughts after the last Eagles home game. “We’ve been a victim of our home ground in many respects. When it is like it is at the moment… we have modified our training while we wait and see how the ground comes up.”

The ongoing discussion prompted the General Manager at Subiaco Football Club Alan White to reveal they had presented an offer to the WAFC to subsidise the resurfacing costs of the ground, in exchange for an extension of their current lease at Subiaco until 2011. However, White claimed that WAFC Chief Executive Jeff Ovens rejected the offer.

The WAFC said they needed $700,000 to repair the drainage at the ground, but with West Coast not scheduled to play at the ground again until the final round, and with any home finals set to be staged at the WACA due to capacity concerns, the hope was that the ground would recover on its own.

While the deterioration of the ground and who was responsible continued to be debated, what couldn’t be questioned was the gap between the two sides. West Coast controlled the contest from midway through the first quarter and only poor kicking on goal prevented the final margin from being far greater.

The Eagles made four changes to the team that lost to Adelaide, with three players forced out with injury. Michael Brennan damaged a hamstring, John Worsfold was ruled out with a groin and then Tony Evans was pulled on the morning of the game with a back concern. Brett Spinks was dropped after a poor showing against the Crows.

Shane Bond and David Hynes returned from injury, while Mitchell White was selected for his first senior game of the year, after recurring groin problems had kept the premiership forward sidelined since pre-season. Damien Hampson was then selected for his first game in over a year when he came in as the late replacement for Evans.

The Tigers has their own injury concerns entering the game losing Mark Neeld (knee) and Stuart Edwrds (groin) at selection. Paul Bulless and Tony Free were the two inclusions.

After being humbled by Shaun Rehn the week before, Eagles duo Ryan Turnbull and Jason Ball responded in fine fashion. Turnbull was dominant in the ruck against Tiger counterpart Greg Dear, so much so, that David Hynes rarely got off the bench as Turnbull provided the Eagles midfield with first use from the ruck knock.

Turnbull had 23 hit-outs to go with 14 disposals and four marks as he showed his versatility around the ground. After spending parts of the year either in the ruck and in defence, Ball played primarily out of his favoured position at centre-half-forward in the absence of Brett Spinks. Ball produced the best performance of his 10-game career with 23 disposals and ten marks.

Ball’s showing at half-forward also created plenty of opportunities for full-forward Peter Sumich, who had his best return for the year. Sumich finished with 6.5 from 11 kicks and six marks and most pleasingly showed no concerns with his questionable hamstring opposed to Tiger full-back Scott Turner.

The Tigers had the better start with Matthew Richardson proving too much for Ashley McIntosh to boot the opening two goals. Brendan Gale was similarly getting the better of Glen Jakovich picking up five marks in the first 14 minutes of the game.

However, with Turnbull getting the ascendancy at the stoppages, the Eagles soon had the momentum of the game through the likes of Craig Turley, Dean Kemp and Peter Wilson. Turley, in particular, started strongly in his customary ruck-rover position, getting the better of Paul Broderick with seven first-quarter possessions.

Sumich and Peter Wilson got West Coast on the board but wayward kicking allowed Richmond to hold a one point lead at the first change. Shane Bond and Sumich kicked early goals to put West Coast in front, but held only an 11 point lead at the main break following further inaccuracy in front of goal.

After half-time, the Eagles got reward for their dominance with a nine goal to three second half bringing about a 48 point win.

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was happy enough with the win, although admitted that he felt his side should have been better in front of goal considering their statistical advantage. “By our tally we had 70 or 80 more kicks and 60 more handpasses. I think we really should have done better than win by seven or eight goals.”

The Eagles had 78 more kicks and 26 more handpasses, resulting in 13 more scoring shots.

Chris Mainwaring finished with 31 disposals to lead the Eagles, with Dean Kemp (29), Craig Turley (23) and Peter Wilson (18) all prominent. Stand-in captain Guy McKenna marshalled the Eagles defence with David Hart restricting Nick Daffy to just eight disposals.

Brendan Gale was the Tigers’ best player, clearly getting the better of Glen Jakovich at centre half forward, but the dominance of Turnbull forced Richmond to move Gale into the ruck, depriving them of a key target ahead of the ball. Matthew Richardson booted four goals from limited chances and Duncan Kellaway was defiant in defence, having the better of Brett Heady and then Chris Lewis.

Heady would be the one low point out of the match for West Coast, dislocating a shoulder during the third term.

The win meant West Coast moved back to one game clear at the top of the ladder after Carlton fell to Geelong by 36 points at Waverley Park. The Cats charged to a five goal lead at the first change and held sway for the remainder of the afternoon to record their eighth win of the season and stay in touch with the top eight.

North Melbourne took a hold of third place when they ran away from the fourth-placed Hawks. The Kangaroos led by just four points at three-quarter time after a tight struggle, but six goals to just one point in the last term saw North Melbourne record a comfortable 40 point win. Despite the loss, Hawthorn stayed in fourth spot but they were joined on points by Footscray who were the big movers of the weekend.

The Bulldogs were too good for the Mapgies, recording their fifth win in six games to rise from eighth on the ladder to fifth bypassing the Magpies, Tigers and Bombers, who suffered a shock loss to lowly St Kilda. Tony Lockett booted six goals for the Saints who produced a remarkable display of accuracy to finish with 18.2 in a ten point win.

The other surprising result of the weekend was Adelaide’s defeat at home to Sydney. A week after they toppled the ladder-leading Eagles, the Crows fell to the bottom of the ladder Swans by 12 points, all but ending their finals aspirations. The loss ended a tumultuous week for the Crows who stood down high-flying full forward Tony Modra after he missed a training session during the week. The situation prompted growing rumours that Modra was set to join new club Fremantle for their inaugural season in 1995.

Despite being a game clear of Carlton and three games clear of third-placed North Melbourne, Eagles coach Mick Malthouse refused to entertain the idea that West Coast had secured a top two position which guaranteed two home finals.

“We are not even thinking about that,” a terse Malthouse declared.

1994 Rewind: Scarves & Swamps

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West Coast retained their premiership favouritism and Eagles fans got to exact their revenge but the biggest talking point after West Coast’s 36 point win over Essendon was the dilapidated surface of Subiaco Oval.

With Perth in the midst of an uncharacteristic wet spell, Subiaco Oval resembled more of a muddy swamp than its customary fast-track, drawing the ire of Eagles coach Mick Malthouse.

The Eagles coach seemed more interested in savaging the state of the surface than discussing his side’s committed win over the reigning premiers. With one side of the stadium torn down ahead of the building of the new southern stand, Malthouse was sceptical over whether there had been appropriate care towards maintenance of the playing arena, with drainage around the ground, virtually non-existent.

Malthouse extended his criticism towards the WAFC in the hope that improvements would be made before the end of the season.

And when the Eagles coach did talk about his side’s performance, he remained stoically understated.

The game appeared done at quarter time with the Eagles jumping the Bombers booting five goals to one. Any chance of Essendon staging a comeback was extinguished at the start of the second term when driving rain descended the game into a quagmire.

By three-quarter time, West Coast had extended their lead to 45 points, before the two teams combined for 1.9 in the last quarter, with the two teams out on their legs in the heavy conditions.

The win kept West Coast at the top of the ladder a game ahead of the Blues, with Malthouse acknowledging that a win over the 1993 premiers gave a good indication of where the Eagles sat. “I believed if you want to assess yourself you have to do it against the previous year’s premiership side. Last year everyone wanted to have a crack at us to see where they sat.”

“I think after the halfway mark if you are on top, you should really aspire to stay there. It is tough enough to get there and its going to be tough to stay there”, Malthouse said.

More pleasing for Malthouse was the successful return of Peter Sumich, who made it through four quarters, despite having little impact. Sumich was held scoreless from three kicks but there was relief after the game that the full-forward had managed to get through his first full game in over three months. “Peter did everything we wanted from him today,” Malthouse said.

Sumich was one of two inclusions, with Eagles captain John Worsfold finally making it to his 150th game after missing two of the previous three games. Sumich replaced David Hynes at full forward, while Shane Bond was the other exclusion through injury. Brett Spinks became the third out for the Eagles on game day, after being under an injury cloud all week, with Tony Godden coming in for his first game since Round 10.

The Bombers dropped Glenn Kilpatrick and Robert Stevenson, while their hero from the Round 1 win over West Coast, Che Cockatoo-Collins, couldn’t be considered after he dislocated a finger. Captain Mark Thompson was then a fourth change for the Bombers, when he was withdrawn on the morning of the game through illness.

David Grenvold replaced Thompson, with Anthony Daniher, Lachlan Ross and Russell Williams the other inclusions. The Bombers had been hopeful of bringing back a number of premiership stars for the trip West, but the likes of Mark Mercuri (groin), Dean Wallis (achilles), Rick Olarenshaw (back) and David Flood (hamstring) remained sidelined.

Dustin Fletcher, Michael Long and Mark Harvey were three more premiership players missing from the Essendon line-up, a fact that Malthouse was willing to present. “Essendon had three or four key players out of the side so we don’t want to get carried away with the victory.”

The make-up of the Bombers side would not have mattered to Eagles fans, who got their right of reply to Kevin Sheedy’s antics 12 months earlier. In the corresponding game of 1993, Sheedy emerged from the coaches box waving his jacket above his head after Paul Salmon had snatched a two point win over the Eagles in the final minute of the game.

The Eagles had lost the two meetings since that game – the semi final of 1993 and then the opening round of 1994, both of which had been played in Melbourne – but as Kevin Sheedy walked the muddy boundary line towards the Bombers race, he was met with the mass celebration of scarves and jackets twirling above the heads of the jubliant Eagles crowd. The Essendon coach could do no more, than acknowledge the gesture with a wry smile and a nod of the head.

The Essendon coach is met with flying scarves after the Eagles 36 point win

If Sumich lasting 100 minutes was one feel good factor from the day, the other pleasing performance for the Eagles match committee would have been that of Craig Turley. After returning to the club following his retirement during the 1993 season, Turley’s form had been rather indifferent as he struggled to recapture the form that made him one of the premier midfielders of the preceding two seasons.

But against the Bombers, Turley bobbed up with three crucial goals from 12 disposals across half-forward as he appeared to revel in the tough, slippery conditions. Turley was also handed the task of stopping Essendon playmaker Gary O’Donnell, with the stand-in captain restricted to just 11 possessions, and a couple of stints on the bench.

The Eagles wingmen were again the standouts, with Chris Mainwaring leading the way with 27 disposals, while Peter Matera finished with 24 touches and five shots on goal, booting 2.3. Mainwaring benefitted from being matched against Darren Bewick, who had been moved to a wing to avoid the tag of David Hart. Bewick had enough of the ball (finishing with 18 possessions) but was nowhere near as damaging as the blonde Eagle, who continually linked the ball from defence to the forward line.

Glen Jakovich was again the rock in defence, picking up 22 disposals in his absorbing battles with James Hird. Hird often drifted up to the wing, but Jakovich remained in the Eagles defensive 50, often setting up as the Eagles seventh defender. Steven Alessio was sent to centre half forward to create a match-up with Jakovich, but Jason Ball was sent to defence, allowing Jakovich to pick off Essendon’s forward entries, many off Hird himself.

Ryan Turnbull also enjoyed plenty of freedom around the ground and had an important influence on the contest, particularly early in the game. With Paul Salmon often dropping a kick a behind the play after contesting the ruck, Turnbull positioned himself through the middle of the ground, drifting forward twice in the opening term to boot goals.

Peter Wilson picked up 22 disposals around the ground and Dean Kemp had 20 through the centre, although he lowered his colours slightly to Joe Misiti who finished with 25 disposals.

James Hird was the next best for Essendon, after Misiti, with 24 disposals and seven marks, while Sean Denham had 21. Gavin Wanganeed was switched forward after half-time and gathered 19 disposals, but the Bombers lacked few options forward of centre. Third-gamer Scott Cummings was the only winner in the Essendon forward line, booting three of the Bombers’ five goals for the game.

Sheedy was left to lament a poor attitude from his side in the opening quarter, which ultimately decided the game. “We were very undisciplined in the first quarter. It cost us dearly.”

One such incident involved Gary O’Donnell choosing to wrestle with Eagles captain John Worsfold, rather than contest a loose ball, which allowed Turley to stroll in and boot one of his three goals.  

While declaring that ‘the Eagles were looking pretty good’, Sheedy admitted that his side would have a battle to make finals, after they dropped to seventh on the ladder, amongst a strong group of teams vying for the lower spots in the top eight.

Richmond climbed to sixth on the ladder when they recorded a narrow three point win over Footscray, in what was a virtual eight-point clash. The Bulldogs dropped out of the top eight as a result, replaced by Geelong who, off the back of 10 goals from Gary Ablett, defeated Melbourne by 30 points.

At the pointy end of the table, Carlton and Hawthorn both recorded ten goal wins over Adelaide and St Kilda, respectively, to maintain their chase of West Coast. Collingwood moved into the top four after they beat Fitzroy by 49 points at the Western Oval, moving past North Melbourne who had the bye.

1994 Rewind: Eagles Blast Blues

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The Eagles confirmed themselves as premiership favourites when they thrashed a sluggish Carlton at Subiaco. West Coast were in control from start to finish, romping to a 66 point win against the 1993 Grand Finalists.

David Hynes, Brett Heady and Chris Lewis each kicked three goals in a multi-faceted forward line that was without the injured Peter Sumich, while the defence was as steady as ever, holding the visitors to just six goals.

The writing was on the wall early as West Coast registered 14 scoring shots in the opening quarter – to just three to the Blues – and only inaccuracy prevented their lead from being greater than 31 points at the first change. The Eagles steadily extended their advantage at each of the breaks through the afternoon, leading by 44 at half time, 56 at three-quarter time and 66 by the final siren.

For the second week in a row, Chris Mainwaring had the better of several opponents as he provided plenty of run for West Coast on the wing. Mainwaring had been in doubt after leaving the training track early during the week but he was a driving force in a dominant midfield display. Wing partner Peter Matera resumed after a week out sidelined with concussion, although he was slightly shadowed by Matthew Hogg.

Matera was one of two inclusions for the Eagles, with Jason Ball recalled for his first senior game in over 12 months. Ball was one of a number of players who rotated through full-forward in the absence of Sumich with Ashley McIntosh, David Hynes and Ryan Turnbull also spending time in the Eagles goal square.

The Blues made just one change coming into the game, despite a handful of players potentially four games in 14 days. Carlton had played Sydney the previous Sunday before six players – Stephen Silvagni, Stephen Kernahan, Mil Hanna, Matthew Hogg, Troy Bond and Andrew McKay – took part in the mid-week state-of-origin clash between Victoria and South Australia. The Blues were then scheduled to take on Richmond five days after the Eagles clash in Perth, drawing criticism from coach David Parkin.

Brett Oliver was brought in after booting eight goals for Carlton’s VSFL side the week before in his return from injury. Oliver joined Stephen Kernahan and James Cook up forward, with the Blues looking to stretch the West Coast defence.

However, it mattered little in the first quarter as the ball was camped in the Eagles forward half. The West Coast midfield exposed the Blues’ lack of pace and the visitors cause wasn’t helped when they lost Brett Ratten inside the opening ten minutes to a knee injury.

Chris Mainwaring had seven kicks and a handpass for the opening term, eclipsing Fraser Brown, and had good support from Peter Wilson (seven kicks, three handpasses) and Don Pyke (five kicks, three handpasses) who was working offensively off Greg Williams at every opportunity.

The Blues had a brief foothold in the game to start the second term, but a flurry of goals late in the quarter effectively ended the contest. David Hynes – who had been the Eagles sole representative in the state-of-origin during the week – kicked three goals in a purple patch opposed to Carlton full back Stephen Silvagni. Chris Lewis contributed two of his own and the Eagles held a commanding 44 point lead at the main break.

The Eagles booted six goals to two in the second half to make it five wins from the opening seven rounds, lifting them to 2nd on the ladder behind only Melbourne.

After seeing off Brown, Mainwaring then had the better of Tommy Alvin and Mil Hanna, finishing with 26 disposals and a goal in a performance worthy of three Brownlow votes. Peter Wilson played his best game of 1994 to gather 25 disposals, while Don Pyke finished with 23 in his battle with Greg Williams.

Williams was arguably the Blues best player, collecting 28 possessions and kicking 2.3 to edge Pyke in their individual battle, while Barry Mitchell also had 28 possessions. The Blues though had few winners on the ground, with their key forwards well beaten.

Glen Jakovich and Guy McKenna were dominant at half-back, with Jakovich shutting Carlton captain Stephen Kernahan completely out of the game. Guy McKenna provided plenty of run off the back flank, as did Chris Waterman who lined up on the opposite half back flank. James Cook failed to get a touch in the first half against Michael Brennan, with Oliver not doing much better when he came on after half-time.

Brett Heady and Chris Lewis were constant threats up forward, while Ashley McIntosh had the better of Ang Christou forcing Parkin to move Anthony Koutofides into the Carlton defence.

Eagles coach Mick Malthouse was satisfied with the ‘good win’ but was clearly agitated both at three quarter time and after the game. Malthouse was unimpressed with the umpiring performance, directing captain John Worsfold to question a number of calls at three-quarter time. The Blues won the free kick count 24-14.

“The boys played pretty well. We became a bit wasteful at times but given the fact we played here two weeks ago and were very poor, with only a couple of winners, I guess we had a lot of contributors today.”

Malthouse also rejected suggestions post-match that the Eagles forward line – who had booted 16 goals from 35 scoring shots – functioned better without spearhead Peter Sumich.

“A lot of people would like to think we are better off. He (Sumich) has his critics. But I’ll say right now he is our best full forward… and he will play there as soon as he is right.”

After impressive wins against North Melbourne and Carlton, the bye had threatened to come at the wrong time for West Coast with Malthouse admitting that it wasn’t ideal. However, he remained positive it wouldn’t affect his side.

“We rarely have a bad result after the bye, although I can’t remember last year. Certainly the two years before that we did well after the bye.”