Scott Lockhart reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Perth.
West Coast have made a remarkable return to form to humble Adelaide by 50 points at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night. The Eagles first win since round one was a stunning reversal of fortunes for a side that looked destined to equal their worst losing streak in the 22 year history of the club. Adelaide had no answers to the concentrated run, tackle and commitment of the Eagles who were a much improved side around the ground, with strong defense providing boundless scoring opportunities.
Adelaide were left wondering what had struck them as the Eagles stifled the run the Crows normally have through the middle of the ground and worked tirelessly in defense to keep their opponents goalless for nearly an hour of play.
The aftermath of a massive rain storm just prior to the match made conditions extremely difficult as both sides struggled to control the ball in the wet and slippery environment. Yet the weather could not be blamed for wasted opportunities of both teams as they struggled time after time in front of goal. David Wirrapanda, in his 200th game, epitomized this effort as he failed to kick truly despite being just meters from goal, directly in front.
Despite Adelaide displaying better ball movement and looking the more dangerous side for much of the term, it was the Eagles who struck first after Chris Masten kicked straight at the 23rd minute mark of the quarter. In a less than inspiring term West Coast were able to keep Adelaide goalless and lead by seven points at the first change.
In a stark contrast to the first term, West Coast came out with renewed confidence to run Adelaide off their feet and kick the first goal of the quarter. Josh Kennedy's straight kick extended the Eagles lead out to two goals and was another promising sign for the young West Coast recruit.
In a remarkable display, the Eagles added a further four straight goals in a matter of mere minutes to open a handy lead. The goals, through Cox, McKinley, Armstrong and Wirrapanda, had the margin out to six goals halfway through the term as strong defense by the Eagles continued to stifle any run that Adelaide built.
Adelaide's first goal of the match came at the 22nd minute mark of the second term through Ivan Marcic, yet this was countered by another West Coast goal off the boot of Andrew Embley. Thanks to a sensational first half from the lowly ranked Eagles, especially that of Matt Rosa who boasted 18 possessions, they lead by 34 points at the main break.
Adelaide had a brighter start to the second half with Nathan Van Berlo kicking just their second goal of the game in the early stages of the third term to reduce the margin to within five goals. Yet as the Crows appeared to lift their intensity, the Eagles again countered their challenges to boot two goals of their own through Embley and McKinley to extend the lead to a game high 42 points.
A goal to Michael Braun for the Eagles again put a halt to a Crows charge after mistakes from the home side allowed Adelaide to goal twice through Johncock and Van Berlo. With a quarter to play, West Coast looked destined to record their second win of the season, leading by 34 points.
The game was virtually sealed shortly after the resumption of play in the final term with Brent Staker goaling in a desperate effort to have the margin out to an insurmountable 40 points. In a chaotic display, the Eagles became the first side to break the new interchange rule after youngster Tim Houlihan stepped out of the interchange box slightly before the player coming off the ground had crossed the white boundary line. The result was a free kick and 50 meter penalty to Adelaide, which resulted in a goal to Marcic, much to the uproar of the crowd.
The displeasure with the new rule did nothing to sour the performance of the Eagles in the latter stages of the quarter with Wirrapanda booting his second goal in his milestone game and Brad Ebert kicking his first goal in his short career.
Next week Adelaide returns to AAMI Stadium for a Friday night encounter with a so far disappointing Essendon side, while West Coast head to the MCG for the first time this season for a Saturday afternoon clash with rampaging Collingwood.
Final Score: WCE: 1.4 7.5 10.10 14.13 (97) ADEL: 0.3 1.7 4.12 5.17 (47) Goals WCE: Embley McKinley Wirrapanda Cox 2, Masten Kennedy Armstrong Braun ADEL: Van Berlo Marcic 2, Johncock BEST WCE: Embley, Rosa, Priddis, Wirrapanda, Cox ADEL: Thompson, Marcic, Van Burlo, Johncock Reports: Nil Injuries: Nil Umpires: Farmer, Schmitt, Wenn Crowd: 35,348
Article last changed on Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 9:05 PM EDT
