West Coast Eagles

Cats Too Classy for Weary West Coast

janetl — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:01:47 -0500

Brook Kilpatrick reporting for AFANA from Australia

Geelong booked their passage into a Grand Final face-off with reigning Premiers Collingwood after a comfortable 48 point win over the West Coast Eagles at the MCG on Saturday. First year coach Chris Scott has proved many critics wrong by taking the Cats back to the Grand Final, in the wake of losing the game’s best player in Gary Ablett Jr to the Gold Coast Suns.

Geelong dominated possession early in the first quarter. Travis Varcoe scored the first goal before wayward finishing failed to convert on some solid midfield work from the hard running Cats. The normally aggressive West Coast outfit seemed timid as James Podsiadly stretched the lead with a second Geelong goal. After Jack Darling missed for the Eagles, Trent West marked and goaled for Geelong once again and things were looking grim for last year’s wooden spooners. The Eagles finally had their first goal when Josh Kennedy – still sporting a half-closed eye from the previous game against Carlton – kicked truly after taking a solid contested mark. David Wojcinski kicked a wonderful major to blow the margin out to 28 points before Nic Naitanui brought one back for the Eagles just before the siren ended the first quarter. Geelong dominated the inside 50 entries 22 to eight but led by just 22 points at the break.

West Coast drew first blood through Marc LeCras in the second quarter and after a Podsiadly miss at the other end, a Luke Shuey goal had the Eagles back to within ten points of the Cats. The Eagles, uncharacteristically reserved in the first quarter, appeared to find their mojo and were no longer second to the ball. The Cats were still finding their way into the 50 meter arc but some great work from tough nut Beau Waters helped to stem the steady stream of attack. Just when it looked like the Eagles had the momentum, the vastly improved Tom Hawkins extended the Cats’ lead before an inspirational Joel Selwood added another. The Eagles hung in, working hard in the midfield to contain Geelong’s early dominance. A great long goal from Darling kept the margin manageable, but with just seconds remaining in the half, midfield gun Jimmy Bartel broke free to extend the Cats’ lead to 25 points at the half.

There was drama in the third quarter with Geelong goal sneak Steve Johnson kicking a sweet left foot goal before being involved in an ugly collision with Andrew Embley. Johnson’s knee appeared to hyper-extend as it buckled under Embley, and the initial thoughts were of a possibly ruptured ACL. Cats’ fans looked stunned by the sight of Johnson being helped off the ground, but his team mates continued to maintain their ascendancy over the Eagles. Geelong kicked two unanswered goals and the Eagles went back into their shells, being indecisive with the ball in defense and only sporadically moving into attack. Goals to Kerr and Kennedy kept the Eagles in touch but a final five minute frenzy, highlighted by a powerful Paul Chapman run and goal, saw the Cats leading by a whopping 56 points at three quarter time.

An early Hawkins goal had the crowd thinking “blowout” but to their credit the Eagles refused to lay down, and goals to Kennedy and emerging superstar Naitanui kept the scoreboard respectable. The sight of the injured Johnson emerging from the rooms without the aid of crutches brought a roar of approval from the Geelong fans. It was party time for the Cats’ faithful as the game sauntered to its inevitable conclusion, a comfortable 48 point win for Geelong.

The Cats will now face the might of Collingwood looking for back to back flags and are no doubt hoping that Johnson can make a miracle recovery and take the field on Saturday. The Eagles were beaten but not disgraced. For a team that finished on the bottom of the ladder just 12 months ago, they have come a long way in a short period of time. With a young, talented list at their disposal, West Coast has plenty to look forward to in 2012 and beyond.

Scoreboard
Geelong:    5.7 8.11 15.14 17.15 (117)
West Coast: 2.3 5.4   7.6  10.9   (69)

Best Players
Geelong:    Kelly, Mackie, Selwood, Taylor, Chapman, Scarlett
West Coast: Naitanui, Waters, Kerr, Priddis, Gaff, Shuey, Waters

Eagles Outlast Fast Finishing Blues

rickb — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:01:18 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

A bumper crowd of nearly 43,000 fans witnessed an epic Semi-final contest in perfect football conditions in Perth. West Coast was charged up to win a game and go one step closer to a Grand Final berth. Carlton had never won a Finals match away from Melbourne but this did not seem to faze them as they produced a cracking start in the opening minutes of the game.

Darren Glass won the toss and kicked with the aid of a strong breeze but all the action was happening at the other end of the ground. Jeff Garlett kicked the Blues’ first after an intelligent tap down had him streaming towards goal to kick truly from 30 yards out. Eddie Betts picked his opponent’s pocket and handballed to Bret Thornton who kicked their next from point blank range. When Heath Scotland put on a turn of speed to burn off his chaser to kick another goal for the Blues, there was a sense that the game might become a blowout. The Eagles were stunned and rattled and made poor choices in their disposal of the ball. They were continually over-running the play and this made them look like the victims of cruel bounces, always in the wrong place at the drop of the ball. David Ellard won a free kick for the Blues in front of goals after a high tackle from Chris Masten. When he goaled, the home crowd was silenced. Matt Priddis finally goaled from a free kick to bring up the first major for the Eagles, but it took 20 minutes and was the only Eagles’ goal for the quarter. By the last part of the quarter West Coast was winning more of the ball but peppered the goals and lacked effective delivery into their forwards. Carlton looked very much the in-form team and went into the change ahead by 14 points.

Verbal sprays by the coach are generally reserved for later in the game, but John Worsfold didn’t hold back at the break. As a result, the Eagles came out with more hardness at the contested ball. Mark Nicoski won a 50 meter penalty to kick a goal and from there the floodgates opened. Quinten Lynch took a strong mark and booted a booming 50 yard goal. Nicoski added his second and before the ball was bounced, a free kick was awarded in the West Coast goal square. Jack Darling was the recipient after having been slung to the ground as the umpire was signaling the previous goal to Nicoski. It was the Blues’ turn to be on the back foot and they looked shaky. Marc Murphy, who was bobbing up all over the ground, steadied the Blues with a goal. Nicoski was having a purple patch and kicked his third for the Eagles after some good groundwork by Luke Shuey. Eagles’ Captain Darren Glass made a rare error and turned the ball over to Andrew Walker who snapped a wonderful boomerang goal to tie up the game. Big Eagles’ ruckman Dean Cox started another spread of goals when he took a mark and played on to launch the ball 50 yards through the middle of the goals. Josh Kennedy stepped up to the plate for two more, a remarkable feat given that he was almost knocked out early in the game. After being on the brink of substitution after a clash of heads, he came back to have a real influence despite a great shiner on his left eye. Aaron Joseph showed plenty of dash for the Blues when he sprinted into the 50 meter zone to goal and bring Carlton back into the game with seconds left to play in the half. The Eagles had kicked eight straight goals in the second quarter to take a slim 11 point lead into the half time break.

Carlton made a substitution over the break with Zach Tuohy coming on for Thornton who landed heavily late in the first half and was taken to hospital with suspected head and neck injuries. Shannon Hurn kicked the West Coast’s first second half goal when he received a handball from an Andrew Gaff free kick. It was classic Hurn as he drilled it through the goals from the 50 meter line as sweet as a well struck 4-iron. The game had the feel of a heavyweight boxing match. Just when you thought the fight was over after a flurry of big hits, the opponent launched right back into it. Such was the case when seeming to be out of the fight, the Blues went back on the offensive. Their kicking efficiency and aggression at the ball lifted. Mitch Robinson led the charge along with Murphy, winning the ball and distributing it efficiently to the Carlton runners. Betts brought Carlton back to within 14 points with a goal and it was the Eagles turn to be on the ropes. The Blues’ intensity gave West Coast a bad case of the fumbles and costly errors started creeping into their game. Walker made the most of some indiscriminate West Coast disposals to goal for the Blues and they were right back in the contest. Kade Simpson was the beneficiary of some trademark Betts magic and his goal had Carlton trailing by only three points. It was a long time between goals for the Eagles but Kennedy kicked his third for the quarter to give them a small buffer of nine points as the siren sounded.

West Coast scored the all-important first goal of the final quarter when Darling took a strong mark and converted from 40 yards out on a 45 degree angle. Daniel Kerr, who had been a star in winning hard contests so far in the match, made a crucial turnover. He kicked the ball into a pack on his 50 meter defensive line. Irish football recruit Tuohy took a strong mark and played on to drill the ball through the middle. The Blues were on the way back. It was fierce all over the ground with the both teams aware that the loser would be bowing out for the season. In a particularly ferocious contest on the outer wing, Kerr risked body and soul to come away with the ball to deliver to Darling. His resulting goal capped off the courage shown by his team mate and put the margin out to 15 points. His work was undone when Hurn made a rare error to be run down from behind by Murphy and caught holding the ball. Murphy kicked the goal to make the margin very close and it was anyone’s game. Carlton would not give it up and were prepared to risk everything to advance into the next round. West Coast made their substitution as Patrick McGinnity replaced Chris Masten and the change paid immediate dividends. McGinnity’s foot was on the end of a tightly contested pack on the goal line to give the Eagles back their 15 point buffer. When Mark LeCras kicked the next goal late in the game, there was an air of expectancy that West Coast had done enough and that the result was in. In true Ali-Foreman style Carlton kept up the fight and punched it out again. Running on fumes and giving his all, Garlett put on a turn of speed to score the next goal for the Blues. He turned the defense inside out after a bad bounce of the ball gave him possession in the pocket and he ran right to the goal line. With only seconds to go, Walker scored again and the Blues were only three points behind. A come from behind upset was in the making but the Eagles managed to get the ball clear and into their forward half as the clock finally ran down on a very long quarter.

Carlton players never gave the game away and were courageous to the end. The Eagles had chances to put the game beyond doubt but missed opportunities when they counted. Next week the Eagles take on Geelong with the winner going into the Grand Final. West Coast was one of the few teams to beat the Geelong juggernaut during the season and, whilst they go into the Preliminary Final as definite underdogs, fans and players will believe in the possibility of an upset.

Scoreboard
West Coast: 1.3 9.3 11.8 15.11 (101)
Carlton:    4.1 7.4 10.5 15.8   (98)

Best Players
West Coast: Kerr, Priddis, Kennedy, Glass, Nicoski, Cox
Carlton:    Murphy, Robinson, Betts, Scotland, Judd, Warnock

Collingwood Challenged

rickb — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:15:29 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Perth

Collingwood and West Coast have played each other in three Finals over recent years. Each game has been a closely fought affair, including one draw. This was Allan Didak’s 200th game and while most were expecting the Pies to win, the encounter didn’t go entirely to plan.

Nic Naitanui missed a golden opportunity to put West Coast on the board first when he dribbled a soccer kick into the goal post for a behind. The Eagles’ forward pressure was intense and surprised the Magpies with its effectiveness. Josh Kennedy took a mark in the square and converted for the first goal. Quinten Lynch followed and the first two majors were up for the Eagles. The tackling was ferocious in the Eagles’ camp and it looked like the Pies might struggle to score a goal. It was late in the quarter when Sharrod Wellingham took advantage of a turnover to register the only goal for the Pies. Although Collingwood was under immense pressure from the Eagles, they gave as good as they received in the later stages of the quarter. The Eagles went in at quarter time up by eight points.

Matt Priddis continued the Eagles’ dream run when he snapped on the left foot to take the margin out to 14 points but that’s where the fairy tale ended. The sleeping giant awoke and the Pies kicked the next five goals in a row to put West Coast on the back foot and in trouble. Harry O’Brien started the swing with a penetrating kick into the 50 meter arc where Scott Pendlebury marked and goaled. Leigh Brown kicked the next goal for the Pies when the ball was moved from one end to the other with precision and lightning speed. Dane Swan was masterful in his hard ball gets and disposals while O’Brien repelled every attack that came forward. Wellingham was a solid contributor and kicked his second goal, reading the ball off the pack, to put the Pies in front for the first time in the game. When some Andrew Krakouer magic put the next goal on the board for Collingwood, the only question was how much of an embarrassment the score line might become for the Eagles. They were being run ragged and appeared panicked with bloopers costing them dearly. Dean Cox came off the ground with an injury and Darren Jolly made the most of his absence by dominating in the ruck contests. Naitanui finally kicked a steadier from a 50 meter penalty to stem the bleeding. Mark LeCras kicked the goal of the day as he dribbled a curving kick along the ground deep in the pocket. Chris Dawes’ goal after the siren took the Magpies out to a 13 point lead as the half ended.

Jarryd Blair made the most of another West Coast error in the third quarter. He was on the end of a 12 point turnaround when Priddis played on from a gettable shot on goal to have the ball stripped from him and moved the length of the ground. Krakouer caused another turnover moments later to score. A damning statistic had Collingwood scoring seven goals from West Coast turnovers. This was the key to the game and in the end cost the Eagles the win. Cox was substituted out of the game for Patrick McGinnity and both teams scored a goal as the third quarter wound down. Collingwood went into the final change with a commanding 26 point lead.

There was a sense of impending disaster when the final quarter got underway. However the Eagles lifted and scored the first three goals. Lynch was in his best form for a couple of years and inspired his team mates with two goals. It could have been an upset but West Coast missed easy shots on goal that would have put them right back in the match. It is not often that the Magpies are challenged this far into a game and with minutes to go the Eagles were only two kicks behind. Unfortunately for West Coast, it was a case of what might have been. Their comeback fell apart as Collingwood steadied and finished off like the champion team they are by kicking the last two goals, one after the siren, to run out 20 point winners.

Turnovers and poor decision-making under pressure led to the Eagles' downfall. Collingwood thrive on errors and poor skill execution and always make their opponents pay. The Pies will have a week off while West Coast returns to Patersons Stadium to play a hungry Carlton in a Semi-final that sees the loser bow out for the season. Whatever happens next round, it has been a remarkable turnaround for 2010’s Wooden Spooners to finish in the top six teams of 2011. As for Collingwood, they press on towards an almost certain appearance in the Grand Final with Geelong the most likely challenger.

Scoreboard
Collingwood: 1.1 7.5 10.7 12.10 (82)
West Coast:  2.3 5.4  6.5  9.8  (62)

Best Players
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Swan, O’Brien, Shaw, Wellingham
West Coast:  Naitanui, Hurn, Glass, Lynch, Priddus

Finals X Factors

janetl — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:56:11 -0500

Brook Kilpatrick reporting for AFANA from Australia

With the home and away season in the books, it’s time for footy fans to turn their attention to important matters. Eight teams are about to embark on what should be a fascinating Finals campaign. With so much at stake, which players will take the next step and write themselves into AFL folklore? All who watch know the magic that gun players such as Dane Swan, Chris Judd, Adam Goodes, Buddy Franklin, Dean Cox, Joel Selwood and Nick Riewoldt are capable of week in week out, but what about the lesser lights who have hit some form at the business end of the season?

In this series, AFANA will focus the spotlight on players who might seemingly come out of nowhere to power their teams through September in a quest for Premiership glory. This is a chance to run the slide rule over each of the Finals' combatants by picking one player from each team, players who may just be the 2012 Finals X-Factors.

Dayne Beams (Collingwood)

While opposition coaches struggle to find a way to stop the dynamic duo of Swan and Pendlebury, they would be well served to spend some time thinking about how to put the brakes on the Magpies’ other midfield giant, Dayne Beams. The 29th pick in the 2008 draft has played only 14 games this season due to a broken foot, but one look at his numbers from the last few rounds suggests he is coming into career best form. Beams averaged 29 possessions over the last six rounds, while kicking 11 goals for an average of 1.8 per game. In last week’s surprise thrashing by a rampaging Geelong, Beams was one of the few Collingwood players to stand up, with 29 possessions, one goal and a handy seven tackles to his name.

James Kelly (Geelong)

Selwood, Bartel, Johnson and Chapman get all the kudos but don’t forget James Kelly. With Gary Ablett Jr plying his trade in warmer climes, Coach Chris Scott has rejuvenated the Geelong midfield by injecting the likes of Kelly into the action. The 27 year-old Kelly flies under the radar but gets the job done. With five 30 plus possession games to his name in 2011, Kelly is one to watch in September. His work rate on the defensive end is also impressive, racking up double-digit tackle counts in six contests this season, including bags of 12 and 13 against fellow Finals' contender Sydney and a whopping 14 tackles against the West Coast Eagles.

Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn)

While opposition teams have their hands full with the sublimely talented Buddy Franklin and Cyril Rioli, the Hawks have plenty of other weapons to deploy in the guise of Sam Mitchell, Shaun Burgoyne and Luke Hodge. Add in the developing talents of Isaac Smith, Luke Breust and Matt s**kling, and the Hawks will cause plenty of matchup problems for whichever opposition they come up against in the Finals. The one to watch here is Jordan Lewis. With 144 AFL games under his belt at just 25 years old, Lewis has the right balance of age and experience to cause chaos in big games. In 19 games this season, Lewis averaged 23 possessions and six marks. Amazingly, he has also racked up 60 hit outs for the year, sneaking under the radar as the third man in at many ruck contests. A skilful user of the ball, in his last three games Lewis has tallied 32, 30 and 27 possessions and looks ripe for a terrific performance in the Hawks’ Finals' fling.

Daniel Kerr (West Coast)

While excitement machines Nic Natanui, Andrew Gaff and Mark Lecras can turn a game on its head, the re-injection of West Coast stalwart Kerr is exactly what is needed for this young team in their Finals campaign. Kerr’s Finals experience and midfield nous will be invaluable as a complement to the young guns and the up and coming Matt Priddis in the middle. Kerr has managed 20 plus disposals against opponents who will feature in the Finals in 2011 (apart from an early season loss to Sydney when he managed 13). The addition of Kerr will take the attention of the opposition in the midfield, leaving the younger, less experienced Eagles to take the game on. Barring 2007, Kerr’s 24.1 disposals per game this season are a career best. Whilst injury is an obvious concern with this ten year veteran, if West Coast’s medical staff can patch him up for the Finals, the Eagles can once again soar in September.

Stay tuned to AFANA for Part Two of this series when we take a look at some Finals X Factor players from Essendon, Carlton, Sydney and St Kilda.

Eagles Hit Finals Form Against Crows

rickb — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:45:13 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

West Coast has lost only one game of its last 12 and continues to be the surprise package of the 2012 home and away season. The Adelaide Crows have been struggling and faced their worst finish in the club’s history with only seven wins. Rain bucketed down as the game got under way and whilst this was a blessing to a dry and parched Western Australia, it made for slippery, wet conditions at the football.

In a close start to the game, both teams were hard and committed at the ball and not taking a relaxed approach given that the Ladder was decided before the match. Most of the play was in the Eagles’ forward half and their press was working well. Despite this dominance, scoring was minimal with the bad weather having a detrimental effect on skills. The Crows were playing two men back in defense and this caused the play to become congested and slow. Adelaide was also applying good tackling pressure and took the game right up to the Eagles. It wasn’t until the last seven minutes of the quarter that the Eagles scored. Nic Naitanui took a strong mark and the handball off to Mark Nicoski put the first major on the board. Naitanui dominated in the last minutes of the quarter, tackling and flying for marks to give the home side a real presence in the forward half. He leapt a mile into the air only to have the ball slip through his fingers to a waiting Brad Ebert who kicked from inches out to give the Eagles a 17 point lead at the end of the quarter. The hapless Crows were yet to score.

Naitanui – the one man highlight reel - kicked the first goal of the second term after he read the ball off hands in the goal square. Kurt Tippett finally put the visitors on the board when he capitalized on a turnover by Beau Waters. Scott Thompson led by example, winning the ball and applying defensive pressure but he had sparse support from his team mates. Although Adelaide players were determined at the hard ball gets, they were going backwards on the scoreboard. The Eagles kicked the next three goals to take a good lead and stamp their authority on the match. Too many Crows players were drifting back to help out in defense but then lacked the run forward when they took possession of the ball. In their best passage of play for the game, Jared Petrenko goaled from 40 yards out when, against the flow, the ball moved crisply from the back into the Crows’ forward 50 meter arc. Petrenko was one of the Crows' more steadfast players and he was resolute in his attacking efforts. Unfortunately for the Crows, this was all they could muster for the quarter and the Eagles kicked the next four in a row to effectively stitch up the game. No build up was better than Andrew Embley’s run and goal from 40 yards out as he showed signs of his form in West Coast’s Premiership year (2006). The Eagles took a commanding 52 point lead into the second half.

With only pride left to play for, Adelaide came out after half time with increased determination. They had an early chance when Sam Jacobs took a shot after a 50 meter penalty but missed. They made amends soon after when Sam Butler turned the ball over and Bernie Vince made the Eagles pay. Naitanui showed why he will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come, conjuring up a soccer goal in a phone box sized space. The Eagles ran away with the game in the third quarter, scoring four goals to have them on target for a 100 point belting. Adelaide Coach Mark Bickley moved running defender Graham Johncock into the forward line for some dash and this change was rewarded when he booted a goal late in the quarter. Unfortunately for the Crows, Luke Shuey’s tireless work on the ball resulted in a goal after a clever tap down from Chris Masten. It was an embarrassing 65 point lead to the Eagles at the final change.

It was party time for the Eagles in the final quarter with an astonishing nine goals kicked. The 36,000 strong home crowd was delighted and loud cheering and Mexican waves filled Patersons Stadium. At the end of the game Mark Nicoski, Quinten Lynch and Scott Selwood had three goals apiece after the Eagles buried their opponents. It was champagne football with only token resistance being shown by the Crows. Taylor Walker kicked two consolation goals and Thompson scored one but it was a cameo for both of them as the Crows were well and truly thrashed by a Finals-bound West Coast.

With Collingwood succumbing to a 96 point belting by Geelong in a game seen by many as the Grand Final preview, West Coast’s 95 point win will serve as a warning to the reigning Premiers as they prepare to meet the Eagles in the first Qualifying Final. For Adelaide it is on to 2012 and the appointment of a new coach. All Crows’ fans will be hoping for an improvement on their 14th position finish on the Ladder this year.


Scoreboard
West Coast: 2.5 10.6 14.9 22.13 (145)
Adelaide:   0.0  2.0  4.4  7.8   (50)

Best Players
West Coast: Naitanui, Shuey, S Selwood, Embley, Lynch, Butler
Adelaide:   Thompson, van Berlo, Johncock, Petrenko

Eagles Secure Fourth Against Lions

rickb — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:40:27 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Perth, Australia

Brisbane has a good record at the Gabba and has not lost an encounter against the West Coast Eagles at its home ground in five years. Conditions were wet and slippery after six hours of torrential rain but the Eagles had a lot at stake, fighting for fourth position on the Ladder to secure a home Final. The opening of the game proved that the Lions were not going to make it easy for them.

Jed Adcock got the home team off to a dream start scoring a goal from a poor West Coast kick-in after an early Brisbane point. A great ruck tap and run down the ground had Jack Redden kicking their second. Brisbane had six inside 50 meters to zero as well as 16 disposals to one at this point in the quarter and the Eagles could not get their hands on the ball. Brisbane applied wonderful forward pressure but the Eagles managed to break through and Mark LeCras kicked truly for his 41st goal of the year. Chris Masten threw himself on the ball and won a “kicking in danger” free kick. His goal brought the Eagles back into the play and it became goal for goal. Brett Staker’s unfortunate run of luck with a knee injury continued and he was replaced early by substitute Patrick Karnezis. The wet conditions made for a comedy of errors by the Eagles in their back half but a mark and goal by the enigmatic Matt Priddis put them in front. The first quarter wound down with both teams kicking another goal and the Eagles went into the break with a 4 point lead. The game was not pretty but given the conditions there was a very good spread of goals.

Tom Rockliff demonstrated his soccer skills when he volleyed the ball out of the air on the goal line to start the second quarter with a goal. Brisbane had all the early play in their forward half and looked dominant, kicking very accurately while the Eagles were sloppy and over-running the ball. Kanezis took a strong mark to kick the Lions’ next goal and when Josh Drummond slid a goal through, the Lions looked full of confidence and well in control of the match. In a renewed effort towards the end of the first half, the Eagles pressed relentlessly into their attacking zone. Although they kept the ball trapped in their zone with good defensive efforts, they could not get a result on the scoreboard. For only the third time this year West Coast failed to score a goal in a quarter and Brisbane led by an unexpected 13 points as the half ended.

When play resumed, the game had all the makings of an upset as Brisbane kicked the first two goals of the third quarter. The Eagles were making shocking kicking choices and turning the ball over with great regularity in the back line. In fact, the Lions could have put the sealer on the game very early if Aaron Cornelius had made a different decision. He played on when the correct move was to go back and take his kick from behind his mark. The Lions lost control of the ball and Mark Nicoski made something out of nothing. He pounced to snap kick on goal from 40 yards out to bring the game back within reach for the Eagles. It had been 50 minutes between goals for West Coast and, at this point, it looked like someone hit the alarm button on the Eagles’ firehouse wall. The momentum shifted slightly. Luke Shuey began to have a bigger influence around the packs. He soccered the next goal and the Eagles’ intensity lifted again. Now it was the Lions who were under siege and making critical errors. Masten was playing an excellent game, his best so far for the Eagles. His interception of a poor kick-in gave the Eagles three in a row but there was bad news. Dean Cox split his brow open and was replaced by substitute Ashley Smith late in the quarter. One of the problems with players who are regular substitutes is that they get used to playing a quarter and a half. Karnezis was a case in point. He was brought on early and after a quarter and a half he ran out of energy. He was looking capable of scoring Brownlow Medal votes early, but had very little influence in the latter half of the match. In a contender for goal of the year, Ashton Hams may have guaranteed his career with an astonishing left foot snap from almost out of bounds. His 40 yard kick sailed straight and high through the middle of the goals and cut the Lions’ lead to just 2 points.

Sensing that they could come from behind for a win, West Coast put their forward press into top gear. They were kicking with much more efficiency than their opponents who seemed rattled after the four goals kicked in a row against them. When Quinten Lynch dribbled the ball end over end for the Eagles’ fifth consecutive goal and the lead, the Lions were dazed. Not to be denied, they clawed back the lead when Sam Sheldon kicked a superb 70 yard bomb that went through on a bounce. The game was being played at a fast tempo and it was the Eagles’ turn to get back in front when they kicked the next three in a row to take a commanding 16 point lead late in the game.

Still Brisbane would not be denied and Cornelius kicked truly after a 50 meter penalty to keep them in the hunt. It could have finished differently had Drummond kicked straight when the Eagles turned the ball over in their back half. Players were exhausted and perhaps that was the difference in the end. Skills fall off when there is nothing left in the tank. The ball was tied up in packs and stoppages by the Eagles as they tried to wait out the siren.

In the end it was an exciting game with many swings to both sides. The Eagles won by a slight eight point margin but the Lions never surrendered. Luke Powers had announced his retirement before the game and he was chaired off the ground by his team in appreciation of his terrific 282 game career. In a mark of respect for Powers’ career and influence on the game, the entire Eagles team formed a guard of honor for him as he left the ground.

West Coast secured the prized fourth position on the Ladder to give them not only a double chance in the Finals, but a guaranteed home Final at some point in the series. Brisbane faces Sydney away next week in a dead rubber as the Final Eight had been decided after this round. The Lions took a turn for the better late in the season and can look forward to a strong pre-season and better results next year when injured players return.

Scoreboard
Brisbane:   4.4 7.6 9.12 11.15 (81)
West Coast: 5.2 5.5 9.10 13.11 (89)

Best Players
Brisbane:   Black, Rich, Leuenberger, Rockliff, Raines
West Coast: Masten, Shuey, Priddis, Lynch, Gaff

Eagles Fly To Fourth

rickb — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:49:17 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

Keeping their fairytale season on track, the West Coast Eagles moved into fourth position on the Ladder with a decimation of arch rivals Essendon. The Bombers ran out of legs and players as the game wore on in very warm, late winter conditions in Perth.

It was tight throughout the early stages of the game. The Bombers showed good intensity at the ball and Patrick Ryder had the first goal on the board after a strong mark. Andrew Embley showed flashes of his early career form when he raced down the outer wing with three bounces and a straight kick to even the score. Quinten Lynch followed up with a booming 60 yard kick but before the ball was bounced to restart play in the center, an interchange infringement by Eagle Dean Cox allowed Ryder a second goal. A first quarter Bomber substitution saw Nathan Lovett-Murray come on for a concussed Andrew Welsh who took an accidental hip to the head. The Eagles kicked the next two goals before David Zaharakis scored for the Bombers on the siren. They trailed by nine points at the first break.

Heat was a factor in the game as players struggled to adapt to the warmer vernal temperature. Cox scored first for the Eagles but Stewart Crameri evened it up soon after. The game was being played in the middle of the ground and it was an arm wrestle with neither midfield putting its stamp on the outcome. Essendon kicked the next two goals, Ryder scored his third and Mark McVeigh put the Bombers in front once again. As the half wound down, Essendon took a slender lead of one point into the second half.

Third quarters have been West Coast’s Achilles heel this year but this time they came out with a renewed attack at the ball. With six inside 50 meter attacks to one in the early part of the quarter they peppered the goals but could not put the opposition away. Essendon was hitting targets regularly while the Eagles were kicking the ball out of bounds on the full. Their early supremacy was undone by some dreadful defensive kicking that resulted in a turnover and a Jobe Watson goal. Leroy Jetta snapped a brilliant goal from the pocket to give the Bombers some life but from this point on it became mostly one-way traffic. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and the Eagles started to run away with the game. Daniel Kerr was playing one of his best games for the year. His goal after recovering a poor bounce was the turning point. The Eagles kicked the next three goals and broke the game open, taking a commanding 25 point lead into the final quarter.

Mark LeCras got his second goal from some crafty work in the pocket. Essendon scored the next two goals with some fine attacking work through the middle. Having lost Welsh early, the Bombers were a player down and in the warm conditions it was telling. Josh Kennedy kicked his fourth goal and from then on it was party time for West Coast. Kerr wobbled one through from the 50 meter arc and Nic Naitanui made the highlights reel when he won the ball from a ruck contest and bounced through the forward line to score a fantastic major. Goals from Cox, Embley, LeCras and Lynch put the nails in the Essendon coffin. The Bombers were down a few players in rotations on the ground with Watson, Crameri and Welsh taking no further part in the game. Dustin Fletcher seemed to pull a hamstring late in the game to compound their problems. In the end the Eagles ran out 57 point winners over a forlorn Bombers outfit.

The Eagles moved up to fourth position on the Ladder while the Bombers were clinging to eighth place after all games were finalized. Essendon has not beaten the Eagles at Patersons Stadium since 2001 and should the vicissitudes of the Finals’ fixtures find them in the West again, their chances of winning look slim. West Coast may make history if they make the Top Four from their Wooden Spoon position of last year.

For David Woodley’s photos of the game, go to: http://www.afana.com/drupal5/category/image_galleries/2011_season/2011_s...


Scoreboard
West Coast: 4.3 6.6 12.12 20.14 (134)
Essendon:   3.0 7.1  9.5  11.11  (77)

Best Players
West Coast: Kerr, Priddis, Shuey, Kennedy, Selwood
Essendon:   Stanton, Crameri, Watson, Heppell, Ryder

Happy West Coast 25th Anniversary

rickb — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:30:33 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

In recent years Patersons Stadium has been a fortress for the West Coast Eagles against Richmond with 12 of the last 14 matches going West Coast’s way. The Richmond Tigers had been given no chance of winning the Round 20 encounter particularly with the Eagles celebrating 25 years in the competition and knocking on the door of a Final Four berth. Tiger fans hoped that with nothing to lose, Richmond might come out with a hunger to play and rain on the Eagles’ parade.

First on the board was a Jack Darling mark and goal for the Eagles. Richmond replied immediately when Dustin Martin speared a pass on to the chest of Brad Miller who kicked straight. The ever-improving Brad Ebert read the ball off hands and strolled in for an easy goal. Much of the play was in the Eagles’ forward half but Richmond made the most of their entries into their 50 meter zone, kicking the next two goals against the flow of play. The first came from ex-Eagle Mitch Morton, who dribbled a long kick through the goals. Miller kicked his second from a mark. Richmond took the lead at this point and the Tigers had their tails up. Unlike past weeks, there was an air of determination about them and a belief that they might just take this game on. Mark Nicoski soon stamped his authority on the contest with two goals from free kicks. Ebert scored his second after the ball traveled the full length of the ground in quick order, but when Tyrone Vickery made the most of quick ball movement out of the middle, his goal had Richmond trailing by only seven points at the first change.

Richmond was put on the back foot when Quinten Lynch took a strong mark and kicked a 50 yard goal to start the second quarter. Speedy Robin Nahas did his job roving the packs and picked up the Tigers’ fifth goal for the game. From that point on however, it was the Nic Naitanui show. He took a spectacular mark on the wing in front of the appreciative Eagles’ members and the ball soon found itself in the capable hands of Dean Cox who kicked a goal. Nicoski scored his third from a Lynch mark and handball and it looked like that might be the end for Richmond. However Vickery steadied the visitors with a goal from a good transition up the ground by his team mates to keep the Tigers in touch. The Eagles were dominating in the clearances and also benefiting from a fairly lopsided free kick count. Naitanui was given a free kick for a ruck infringement and scored his first goal of the game. Darling scored from another free kick and the Eagles were running away with the game. Naitanui received a bullet pass from Luke Shuey after a turnover and his goal gave the Eagles a handy 34 point lead at the half time break. West Coast was winning the ball away from the bounces both in the center and at stoppages, and Shuey was carving up the opposition with his ball use.

One of the few weaknesses with the Eagles this year has been their third quarter performances and a tendency to lose momentum and be outscored. Richmond would have been aware of this and came out to start the quarter with enthusiasm. Ebert scored first for the Eagles but Jake King got one back. His good roving skills and accurate kick around his body was a tonic for his team. Ebert and Nicoski both scored goals to restore the balance but Jack Riewoldt finally broke free from the Darren Glass clamp and came into the game. He kicked his first goal deep into the quarter giving the Tigers a slight sniff of possibility. The Richmond coaching staff sensed it too, activating substitute Reece Conca for Daniel Jackson to get fresh legs into the contest. As has become the norm, once one side brings in their substitute, the other follows and Chris Masten soon replaced Matt Rosa for the Eagles. Shane Tuck scored back to back goals for Richmond to bring the margin back to 33 points. A 50 meter penalty for encroaching on the mark gave Darling a gift for his third goal. Daniel Kerr is slowly returning to his best after ongoing injury issues and had been influential in farming the ball out to his team mates all day. His read of the ball off the pack and subsequent goal restored the gap for the Eagles but there was still some determined opposition to contend with from the Tigers. Brett Deledeo scored the goal of the day when he took possession of the ball at the 50 meter line and snapped across his body to see the ball sail straight through the middle. Darling, who is looking more and more comfortable as a key West Coast forward, floated across and took a mark on the goal line and kicked truly for his fourth. It was now or never for Richmond and Riewoldt didn’t let them down. He kicked two more goals, one with 14 seconds to go while Bachar Houli added to the score when he goaled from a 50 meter penalty free kick. The Tigers had clawed their way back into the contest to trail by 27 points at the final break.

West Coast’s forward press was working well at the start of the final term. Shannon Hurn drifted up from the back line to score a rare goal that started a succession of Eagles’ goals. West Coast kicked the next four goals to snuff out any chance of a Tigers’ resurgence. Nicoski kicked two more to take his tally to six for the game. Mark LeCras finally got on the board when he marked a pass after a great run and carry by Patrick McGinnity along the outer wing. Shuey finished up a best on ground performance with a goal after being awarded a free kick for a high tackle. Riewoldt helped his chances for the Coleman Medal (for the most goals kicked for the season) when he marked and goaled with 14 seconds left on the clock.

In the end it was a party, as the Eagles won their 25th Anniversary game by a commanding 57 points and kept their Final Four chances very much alive. To their credit, Richmond never gave up the fight but were outclassed by their opponents when it mattered. The Eagles have a good draw on the run to the Finals, playing teams that are below them all the way home. Richmond is out of the Finals race and will begin to concentrate on next year and ponder on what happened to their promising start to the season.

To view David Woodley's photos of this match, go to: http://www.afana.com/drupal5/category/image_galleries/2011_season/2011_s...

Scoreboard
West Coast: 5.2 11.6 17.8 22.15 (147)
Richmond    4.1  6.2 13.5 14.6   (90)

Best Players
West Coast: L Shuey, D Kerr, M Nicoski, A Gaff, Q Lynch, N Naitanui
Richmond:   S Tuck, N Foley, T Vickery, B Deledio, M Dea

Who Will Win the 2011 Premiership?

admincms — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:08:32 -0500

Eagles Win Electrifying Derby

rickb — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:22:52 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

South Australia has the Showdown, Queensland the Clash but the Western Derby is considered one of the most exciting games of the entire season. Unlike other games, it doesn’t matter where the West Coast Eagles or the Fremantle Dockers are on the Ladder. The Derby is guaranteed to be a cracking, hard fought match. For the record, this time the teams were fifth and sixth on the Ladder and 41,000 fans were treated to a classic encounter.

As expected, it was a tight start to the game. The Eagles were going forward without great authority with Garrick Ibbotson intercepting everything coming his way and returning the ball straight back down the middle of the ground. Stephen Hill took off on one of his trademark runs, escorted down the ground by three teammates. His goal lit up the Dockers and gave them confidence early in the match. Michael Barlow took a strong mark and goaled from the top of the square after the ball was moved the length of the ground from a kick in. This was Barlow’s third full game back after breaking both bones in his lower leg last year and he was racking up possessions and having an influence, much to the Fremantle crowd’s delight. The Eagles kicked only four behinds from their attacks and could not make the most of their forward entries. Jack Darling kicked the West Coast’s only goal for the quarter after a big mark. Had West Coast kicked more accurately, they could have taken command of the game. Instead they kicked two more behinds and trailed by three points at the end of the quarter.

Matthew Priddis scored first for the Eagles in the second quarter when he read the ball off a pack and snapped on his left foot from deep in the pocket. The Eagles were hunting and tackling in numbers. While there was no doubting Fremantle’s endeavor, they were wasting opportunities when disposing of the ball. Josh Kennedy was superb overhead and kicked the Eagles’ next goal from a centering Quinten Lynch pass. Nic Naitanui gave away a 50 meter penalty for not returning the ball straight to Zac Clarke. Clarke kicked a goal which seemed to spark the Dockers, but the half ended with them trailing by a point.

It had been an arm wrestle for most of the game. The Dockers got the second half start they needed when Hayden Ballantyne snapped a goal from the pocket after grabbing the ball off a pack. The Eagles’ conversion rate in front of goals was diabolical as they racked up the behinds at a rate of knots. Finally Eagle Mark LeCras booted a goal after receiving a clever centering pass from Brad Ebert. A good forward movement from end to end resulted in Adam McPhee kicking his first goal, but then disaster struck for Fremantle. In-form ruckman Jonathon Griffin left the field with a leg injury and was replaced by Fremantle's substitute Paul Duffield. Griffin had so far been prominent in keeping champion Eagles’ ruckman Dean Cox in check. After he went off, Cox’s influence on the game soared. So much so that he won the Ross Glendinning medal for best on ground in the Derby. The game opened up and the Dockers benefited from another 50 meter penalty goal. Again Clarke kicked truly but the Eagles rebounded with the last two goals of the quarter to Kennedy and LeCras to take a seven point lead at the change. Both teams had wasted opportunities during the quarter with turnovers and inaccurate kicking.

During the early stages of the final quarter, Fremantle's run into space was closed down. The Eagles’ much-feared forward press was working well and when Kennedy kicked his third goal, it looked like they might run away with the game. Cox could have made it a certainty but missed a relatively easy kick on goal. Luke Shuey, who was winning possessions all over the ground, led by example when he took a strong mark and showed where to kick the ball when it mattered. With four straight kicks at goal needed to win, the game looked all but over for the Dockers. However they found their second wind with the clock ticking down. It wasn’t that West Coast had eased off the gas, it was Fremantle stepping on it that made the difference. Suddenly there was run in the Dockers’ tired legs and they almost stole the game. Hill kicked a goal to spark a Fremantle comeback after an inspiring run and bounce down the wing by Nathan Fyfe. Chris Mayne sped towards goal with a couple of bounces to kick their next. Fyfe, a solid contributor all day, found himself with a free kick and goal from a third 50 meter penalty for the Dockers. This put them two points behind with only seconds to play. A dubious “deliberate out of bounds” decision by an over-zealous umpire gave Ballantyne the ball in his hands, 52 yards out from goal, as the siren sounded. It was a long distance kick for the small man but he gave it his best. The ball sailed steadily and straight to the goal line but hit the post for only the minor score. It was the West Coast Eagles over the Fremantle Dockers by one point, the narrowest of possible margins. Had the kick gone inches to the left, Fremantle would have caused a huge boilover.

This was the closest game in Derby history since the Dockers won by a point some years before. The win keeps the Eagles’ hopes of a Final Four finish alive while the Dockers’ loss places them perilously close to dropping out of the Top Eight. One benefit for West Australian football is that the Eagles’ win might give the teams some separation on the Ladder if they both make the Finals. The worst possible result would be the Western Australian teams finishing so closely to one another that they finish up playing an elimination final in the first round.

See David Woodley's photos of the Western Derby at: http://www.afana.com/drupal5/category/image_galleries/2011_season/2011_s...

Scoreboard
Fremantle:  2.3 3.6 6.7  9.10 (64)
West Coast: 1.6 3.7 6.14 8.17 (65)

Best Players
Fremantle:  M Barlow, G Broughton, H Ballantyne, N Fyfe, L McPharlin
West Coast: D Cox, L Shuey, D Glass, J Kennedy, B Waters