Jarryd Roughead

Eagles Naitanui Shakes His Tailfeather

janetl — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:26:59 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval

Gale force winds and teeming rain made for challenging conditions in the Round 13 encounter between the West Coast Eagles and reigning Premiers Hawthorn. It may have been an unlikely stage for individual brilliance, but the rugged weather was not enough to stop Nic Naitanui from showing the special brand of football magic that caught the eye of West Coast Eagles recruiters and saw him taken at number two in the 2008 AFL Draft. At 6 foot 7 inches and 211 pounds, Naitanui 's physical presence combined with his Fijian heritage and distinctive dreadlocks is a crowd magnet but on Saturday night it was his football heroics, in only his second AFL game, that showed fans a legend in the making. His three last quarter goals were the difference in an otherwise even match and the unfancied Eagles produced the boilover of the round.

Despite a series of average performances so far this season, Hawthorn started clear favorites with this game a must-win for them to stay in the race for the Finals. The first quarter was a tame affair with wintry weather causing lots of stoppages and crowded conditions. Players' ball skills were affected although Hawthorn made good use of their opportunities scoring four goals through Jarryd Roughead, Sam Mitchell and Lance Franklin. West Coast's two goals came from Mark LeCras making a welcome return from injury.

Roughead caught West Coast's defense napping early in the second quarter taking an uncontested mark in the forward line and scoring his second to give the Hawks an 18 point buffer. The Eagles showed great team character to rebound strongly. Goals to Andrew Embley, LeCras and Mitchell Brown brought them even with the Hawks. Not resting on their laurels, they threw everything at the opposition, taking the lead after Matt Priddus and Brad Ebert combined to produce a long wind-assisted but nevertheless inspirational goal. While the Eagles lifted their intensity the Hawks wilted under pressure. Tyson Stenglein goaled in his 100th game for the Eagles after producing the play of the day to catch Jordan Lewis holding the ball in the Hawks’ backline. The Hawks looked nonplussed by the five goal turnaround. With West Coast looking set to run away with the game, the Hawks tried to settle their play. Sam Mitchell continued to get plenty of the ball in the center but the weather conditions hampered the Hawks’ forward attacks and the wind played havoc with their kicking on goal. They did well to stay close to the Eagles who led by 14 points at the major break after LeCras scored his fourth goal, converting with a wet ball from 50 meters out.

Conditions worsened as the second half got under way. Wind, rain and a heavy ball plagued the forwards for both sides. The Hawks scored with a quick goal to Campbell Brown after he used his body to great effect to muscle Embley out of his way. Although West Coast had a lot of possession they made minimal impact on the scoreboard and it was the Hawks who scored again through Michael Osborne. Chris Masten began to dominate in the middle of the ground for the Eagles providing the forwards with opportunities but the Hawks persisted and a free kick to Franklin put the Hawks in front by a point. The lead seesawed back and forth. Roughead and Kennedy then Franklin and Kerr traded goals setting the final quarter up as a ripper with the margin a tiny three points at three quarter time.

Kicking with the wind in the final quarter should have given the Eagles the edge but the Hawks had most to lose with the defense of the Premiership Cup resting on the outcome of this game. Powering forward and putting the Hawks’ defense under pressure, David Wirrpanda goaled to put the West Coast ahead by 3 points. The Hawks rushed the ball forward to score a point before Mitchell kicked beautifully to Roughead who made no mistake, slotting through his fifth and grabbing back the lead. From the ashes rose the phoenix Nic Naitanui who to this point had played an unremarkable game. After smothering a ball on the goal line in the pelting rain he weaved past a Hawthorn defender to score a team-lifting six pointer for the Eagles. As the crowd fled to the shelter of the covered stands, Brett Guerra’s kick went out of bounds on the full and Matt Rosa booted the ball long into the Eagles’ goal square. Re-enter Nic Naitanui and an off the ground soccer kick that headed through the goal for his second in as many minutes. West Coast surged again and a successful snap on goal by Josh Kennedy took them to a 14 point lead. The Hawks took the ball forward to Roughead whose poster narrowed the gap to 13 points. Ben McKinley scored again for the Eagles after reading the trajectory of the ball best to mark and goal. His point one minute later put West Coast ahead by 19 points in a five goal to one quarter. Again Naitanui put his stamp on the game. An exceptional handpass intercept showcased his outstanding reflexes. As he ran forward - with a Hawthorn player in hot pursuit - he bounced, lost control of the wet ball, bent his long body to the ground while running flat out, scooped up the ball, ran some more with the Hawk player still on his tail and scored one of the goals of the season. The crowd lifted as one, the roar was deafening and try as they might, the Hawks were done for the day. West Coast ran out victors by 20 points breaking a five game losing streak while the Hawks lost their third of the last four games.

Although the Hawks Premiership defense looks to be in tatters, the big story coming out of the game was Nic Naitanui whose three last quarter goals were the difference between the two teams. His freakish skills have sparked Naitanui fever in Perth and prompted reports of the birth of a star. Certainly Naitanui has the X factor which appeals to fans. Interestingly he inherited the number 9 jumper left vacant after the departure of former Eagles icon Ben Cousins. It seems West Coast merchandising has an heir to the Cousins' throne with rumors sweeping the city that there is now an Eagles beanie complete with dreadlocks for fans to enjoy!

Scoreboard
West Coast 2.3 8.6 10.9 16.11 (107)
Hawthorn   4.3 6.4 11.7 13.9  (87)

Best
West Coast Q Lynch, D Wirrpanda, D Glass, M Priddus, M LeCras, N Naitanui, C Masten
Hawthorn   S Mitchell, L Hodge, J Roughead, L Franklin, C Bateman

Hawks Fly Into Eight

janetl — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:03:15 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Perth

Hawthorn have returned to the Final Eight with a hard fought win against a valiant Fremantle Dockers team. Traveling interstate to Subiaco Oval for the Round 8 match against Fremantle, the Hawks came in with a defense seriously undermanned through injury. The Fremantle Dockers were coming off a morale-boosting three game winning streak and had the home advantage. Tipsters were divided in their predictions and Friday night football looked set to reward fans with an absolute beauty.

Chris Tarrant, the former Dockers forward reinvented this season as a backman, won the challenging role of guarding Hawks standout full forward Buddy Franklin. It was a tight start but the Hawks struck gold first, scoring quick goals from Chance Bateman and Stuart Dew. Matthew Pavlich was in good touch for the Dockers in the midfield and for the Hawks Jordan Lewis was in the thick of the action. Fremantle hit back to equalize through goals to Scott Thornton and Luke McPharlin. The standard of football was high with hard tackling a feature for both sides. After being well held by Tarrant, Franklin imposed his bulk late in the quarter to take a good mark and score his first goal. The Hawks took a six point lead into the quarter time break.

Goals were hard to come by in the early part of the second quarter but Fremantle hit the front after a strong Ryan Murphy mark and goal from the square. Cyril Rioli, in only his second year of AFL football, continues to dazzle fans and commentators alike. With his uncanny mixture of skill and magic, he controlled the ball beautifully along the boundary line and set up a Mark Williams goal. Franklin hit a purple patch and scored twice for the Hawks taking them to a 17 point lead and signaling danger for the Dockers. Again Rioli's work ethic set him apart from the crowd as he ran from one end to the other and scored a beautiful goal. The icing on the cake for the Hawks came from rookie Garry Moss who scooped the ball up after a stoppage, took a low snap on goal and put the visitors 30 points ahead at the major break.

It was a dream start to the third quarter for the Hawks when Fremantle defender Steven Dodd was caught holding the ball and Williams scored his second from the resultant free kick. Just when the Dockers looked gone, Michael Johnson took a terrific juggling mark in the square and converted on goal. Before the center bounce down could take place, Nick Suban was awarded a free kick in front of goal after a Hawthorn defender lost his cool and hit him illegally. Suban missed a very straightforward shot and a chance to bring Fremantle back into striking distance. The Fremantle shakiness in front of the big sticks was contagious with Johnson and McPharlin inexplicably missing sitters before McPharlin finally converted to narrow the gap to 22 points. The quarter had been dominated by Fremantle but Rioli popped up again to make something out of nothing and score a six pointer against the run of play. Fremantle scrambled forward and Murphy soccered a goal to repair the damage but every time the Dockers made up some ground, the Hawks found a way to get the answering score. When Michael Osborne kicked a goal from deep in the forward pocket on a very acute angle, it looked like goodnight for the Dockers but they refused to surrender. A late goal to Paul Duffield gave the Dockers some chance with a 22 point deficit going into the final quarter.

That the Dockers weren't done for was crystal clear in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. They defended the Hawks attacks ferociously and when Docker captain Pavlich bombed a magnificent long goal it seemed that the momentum had swung their way. Pavlich's efforts were inspirational but goals were elusive for Fremantle with Byron Schammer, Dean Solomon and Brett Peake all missing golden opportunities. Although the Fremantle endeavor was unquestionable, the Hawks steadied and had the experience when it counted to seal the game through goals to Jarryd Roughead and Buddy Franklin. The Hawks set up their win with an outstanding second quarter performance and were able to put enough pressure - physical and mental - on the Dockers to keep them from scoring goals when they needed them.

Hawthorn's win has put them back into contention as they move into 7th position on the AFL Ladder, equal to Carlton on points but with an inferior percentage. Essendon (8th) and Sydney (9th) are equal on points but below the Hawks on percentage. Fremantle are wallowing in 14th place but the competition is so even that only percentage separates them from the West Coast Eagles (10th), Collingwood (11th), Adelaide (12th) and North Melbourne (13th).

Next week's Indigenous Round may see the AFL Ladder gridlock ease. Hawthorn meets the lowly but recently competitive Melbourne, Fremantle plays North Melbourne in Melbourne and the Eagles come up against Collingwood at Subiaco Oval.

Scoreboard
Hawthorn  3.2 8.4 11.6 13.9  (87)
Fremantle 2.2 3.2  7.8  9.11 (65)

Best players
Hawthorn  C Rioli, B McGlynn, B Sewell, S Mitchell, C Bateman, J Lewis
Fremantle M Pavlich, P Duffield, M Johnson, C Tarrant, B Schammer, A Sandilands