Josh Kennedy

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

Hungry Hawks Over Sluggish Swans

janetl — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:36:01 -0500

Brook Kilpatrick reporting for AFANA from Australia

Hawthorn will meet Collingwood in a Preliminary Final after comfortably defeating Sydney by 36 points at the MCG on Friday night. The Hawks dominated the contest early and at one stage in the third quarter held a 46 point lead before the Swans fought back. In Adam Goodes’ 300th game the Sydneysiders worked their way back to trail by just 18 points late in the third quarter. However Hawthorn showed poise under pressure to wrest back the initiative and cruise home with a six goal victory.

All the talk leading up to the game surrounded Hawthorn star forward Buddy Franklin and whether he would play after jarring his knee against Geelong in the Qualifying Final. Not only did Buddy play, he appeared unhindered by the injury and ran out the game strongly with three final quarter goals. Sydney had injury concerns of its own, with up and coming midfielder Daniel Hannebery being pronounced fit to play after injuring his shoulder in the Swans' surprise win over St Kilda. Unfortunately for Sydney, Hannebery dislocated his shoulder again and was subbed off in the third quarter.

In the first quarter the Hawks jumped the Swans and completely dominated play. Max Bailey kicked the first goal after a Ben Reid miss for the Swans, and from then on the Hawks continually forged forward with little resistance from the out-of-sorts Sydney defense. Hawthorn’s poor finishing was the only thing keeping the Swans in the game. The wayward Hawks had kicked five points and only one goal before Michael Osborne managed a second goal after a Swans defensive mix-up. The star for Hawthorn was Isaac Smith who racked up 11 first quarter possessions after a ten touch first quarter last week against Geelong. After a Paul Puopolo goal, the Hawks went into the quarter time break with a 22 point lead and a whopping 43 more possessions than the hapless Swans.

It was much of the same as the second quarter got underway. Despite dominating the inside 50 entries, Hawthorn did not hit the scoreboard until Puopolo goaled again in the sixth minute. The Swans fought back with a goal to Shane Mumford, but classy Hawk midfielder Shaun Burgoyne replied to restore the comfortable buffer. After an uncharacteristically slow start, Adam Goodes imposed himself on the contest with a couple of second quarter goals but the Swans could not stop the Hawks from scoring. Puopolo kicked his third goal followed by some good work by Cyril Rioli. The icing on the cake was a sensational Luke Hodge goal from the boundary to extend the Hawks lead to a massive 40 points at the half time break.

When a Chance Bateman goal early in the third quarter extended the Hawks lead to 46 points, the game looked over as a contest. Hannebery was replaced by substitute Luke Parker who immediately had an influence on the Swans’ flagging fortunes. Goals to Matt Spangher and the retiring Tadgh Kennelly made the scoreboard look a little less lopsided before livewire Gary Rohan announced himself with a great mark and goal. X factor Josh Kennedy was seemingly everywhere for the Swans, and when the red-headed Rohan passed to Ryan O’Keefe for another goal, an amazing 20 minutes of play had completely turned the game on its head as the Swans trailed by just 18 points.

After dominating all but 20 minutes of the game, Hawks’ fans could be forgiven for being nervous at the change with a three goal lead but under the pump from a rejuvenated Swans outfit. They would have breathed a collective sigh of relief when Liam Shiels kicked the first goal of the final quarter to regain the momentum. 300-gamer Goodes replied for the Swans to keep the contest alive before Franklin put his stamp on the game with two close range goals to get the Hawks home. Franklin added another to extend the Hawthorn lead to a comfortable 36 points as the siren sounded. The final margin was a fair reflection of Hawthorn’s control of the game barring the 20 minute blitz from the Swans in the third quarter.

Josh Gibson controlled the Hawthorn defense brilliantly with 21 spoils (an AFL record) while the unheralded Hawthron ruck division broke even with the highly rated Mumford. For Sydney, it was a tough end for the retiring Kennelly and a bitter end to game 300 for Goodes. It was also the 12th loss in 14 contests at the MCG for the Swans, a trend coach John Longmire will be keen to reverse in 2012 and beyond.

The Hawks will face Premiership favorites Collingwood in the first Preliminary Final in what should be a ripping contest to decide who plays in the Grand Final against the winner of the Geelong versus West Coast battle.

Scoreboard
Hawthorn 3.5 10.5 12.6 19.8 (122)
Sydney   0.1  4.1  9.6 13.8 (86)

Best players
Hawthorn: Gibson, Hodge, Mitchell, Smith, Burgoyne, Hale, Franklin, Puopolo
Sydney:   Kennedy, Mumford, Goodes, McVeigh, Shaw

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 Part 2

janetl — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 03:17:34 -0500

Brook Kilpatrick reporting for AFANA from Australia

After looking at potential catalysts for Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn and West Coast in Part 1, today AFANA turns its attention to the remaining four Finals' combatants, Sydney, Essendon, Carlton and St Kilda. Who are the “under the radar” players to watch out for as Week One of the Finals approaches?

Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
Sydney has once again made the cut for September action, and once again it is the evergreen Adam Goodes receiving all the plaudits. Goodes is an exceptional player, and along with veteran midfielder/forward Ryan O’Keefe, he has been the nucleus of solid Sydney teams over a sustained period. This year there has been a quiet achiever having a profound influence on the Swans’ results, and his name is Josh Kennedy. Since crossing from Hawthorn where he managed only 13 games in two seasons, Kennedy has slotted in to become an integral part of the Swans midfield. With his 21.5 disposals per game in 2011, he is second only to O’Keefe. He comes in at an average of 5.91 tackles per game, second only to Jude Bolton. Kennedy’s defensive pressure comes with the added bonus of being in the top four for the Swans for inside 50s. Kennedy also ranks fifth in the AFL for clearances, highlighting what a well rounded performer he has been since his move north. A 23 possession, seven tackle game against St Kilda in Round 22 will have given Saints’ coach Ross Lyon plenty of food for thought this week.

Adam Schneider (St Kilda)
Schneider, an ex-Sydney Swan himself, knows all about Finals. Since debuting for the Swans in 2003, he has appeared in 22 finals matches including five Grand Finals. Schneider moved from the Swans to St Kilda in 2008 where he has enjoyed extra time on the ball. This has seen his disposal count rise from an average of just over 15 per game to 17.2 this season. A solid mark for a small forward, his bread and butter is as a goal sneak, tallying 39 majors last season with 28 to his name this year. While Steven Milne is the most explosive small forward in the Saints’ line-up, his record has been lukewarm in previous Finals appearances for the Saints. Schneider is coming off a 21 possession, two goal haul against Finals aspirants Carlton. He looks to be peaking at just the right time to do some damage against his former team this week.

Kade Simpson (Carlton)
He may not have the sublime skills of Chris Judd, the freakish goalkicking ability of Eddie Betts or the powerhouse midfield grunt of Marc Murphy, but Kade Simpson is vitally important to the success of Carlton in the upcoming Finals series. The slightly built 27 year old is the highest ranked player at the Blues for entries inside the 50 meter arc, outgunning both Judd and Murphy. Simpson also ranks fourth in goal assists behind Judd, Betts and the injury-plagued Jarrad Waite. With 15 goals to his name, he can also hit the scoreboard, important if Betts is shut down by the opposition. Simpson has been in great late season form, averaging 28 possessions over his last five contests. In Round 22 he racked up 27 touches against a strong Hawthorn line-up, then backed it up in the final round against St Kilda with a sensational game-high 40 possessions, including a goal.

David Zaharakis (Essendon)
The former All-Australian under-18 is the “go to” guy in the Bombers’ line-up. Second on the goalkicking list at Windy Hill with 31 this year (behind Stewart Crameri who scored 34), the 21 year old midfielder has been a revelation for the Bombers this season, leading the team in entries into the 50 meter zone while averaging 21 possessions a game. With Crameri sidelined through injury for the rest of 2011, Zaharakis will need to be at his best if the Bombers are to move any deeper into the Finals’ series. Last time the Bombers met Carlton, Zaharakis managed 25 touches including a goal. With consecutive 25 plus possession outings in his last three contests, he is in career best form.

This wraps up the Finals X Factor series heading into the first week of the Finals. AFANA is looking forward to bringing you stories all the way through to the Grand Final on the first Saturday in October.

Tenacious Tigers Top Struggling Swans

janetl — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:43:49 -0500

Brook Kilpatrick reporting for AFANA from Australia

Sydney arrived at the MCG for the last game of Round 21 expecting to strengthen their Finals claims with a victory over Richmond. The Tigers have had a disappointing second half to the season and, while looking to regain some respect from the football public on the back of a six game losing streak, were not given any chance against the Swans.

Sydney had added the consistent Jarrad McVeigh and youngster Brett Meredith for the clash, while the Tigers welcomed back key position prospect Jayden Post and impressive first year defender Jake Batchelor to bolster an inexperienced defense that has been under siege in recent games.

Perfect weather greeted the teams as they ran on to the hallowed MCG turf and as proceedings got underway, it was Richmond who looked the hungrier of the combatants, dominating possession in the first ten minutes of the game. The Tigers entered their forward 50 consistently early but failed to make the most of their opportunities with poor disposal marring what could have been a sensational start. Diminutive Robin Nahas did manage the opening goal for Richmond but the Swans worked their way back into the play and kicked their first goal through the in-form Adam Goodes. Dustin Martin had the chance to put the Tigers further ahead but inexplicably dropped a perfect pass from Jack Riewoldt just 20 meters out from the Tiger goals. The frustration for the Tigers was compounded when Josh Kennedy snapped a goal for the Swans after some nifty work from Goodes. As the quarter time siren sounded the Swans led by eight points after a quarter in which Richmond dominated possession.

The second quarter started off as a scrappy affair, but the Tigers worked hard with Martin picking up a lot of the football. Trent Cotchin was relishing his role as stand-in Captain and racked up numerous contested possessions at the ruck stoppages. Full forward Riewoldt was pushed up the ground in an attempt to gain some touch, while Sydney’s Goodes had his influence quelled up forward by the much improved Alex Rance. Ex-Essendon midfield battler Bachar Houli once again made the Tigers’ recruiting staff look good with some blitzing runs out of half-back, waltzing through the centre at one stage and slotting a sensational goal from outside the 50 meter arc. Coach Damien Hardwick had clearly instructed his players to take the game on and despite some costly errors they gained the ascendancy over a somewhat flat Sydney outfit. At half time the Tigers held a tenuous 11 point lead, enough to have Swans fans concerned that their Finals tickets may not be stamped just yet.

After the long break, it was Brett Deledio who joined the red hot Houli in keeping Richmond’s running game going. Sydney’s Kennedy looked ready to fire up the Swans with some solid marking and fine finishing. While on the ball Goodes was being controlled by the tag team of Shane Tuck and Daniel Jackson and this match up proving crucial in reducing the influence of the Swans’ number one game breaker. With the game in the balance, young Matt Dea received a free kick right on the 50 meter arc for the Tigers. Sydney coach John Longmire would have been mortified when Richmond’s best long distance goal kicker Deledio was allowed to waltz alongside Dea, receive a casual handball and launch a perfect drop punt through the sticks to restore the Tigers’ two goal buffer. A pinpoint pass from Mitch Farmer on to the chest of the lively Nahas, running back towards goal, set up a snap goal to stretch the lead to 19 points and the Tiger Army was roaring in approval at the thought of a potential upset.

As the final quarter commenced the scoreboard showed Richmond leading 8.12 to 5.11. The Swans had the hard work ahead of them with Richmond not only having the momentum but a boisterous home crowd behind them. Sydney was desperate to score the first goal and increased their pressure on Richmond. As Goodes ran towards goal it looked like a sure six points. Enter the best on ground Houli who lunged and brought Goodes down for a holding the ball decision that relieved the pressure and showed the desperation the Tigers had been lacking for weeks. When the Tigers brought the ball into their own forward line where Riewoldt was starting to have an influence, a howler of a mistake by Sydney defender Heath Grundy allowed Brad Miller to tackle him for another holding the ball decision in favour of the home team. Miller lined up and calmly slotted a goal to extend the Tigers’ lead to 26 points and the game looked gone for Sydney. Martin, Riewoldt and substitute Mitch Morton joined the celebrations and slotted through majors. While the Swans managed a couple of goals through the solid Ryan O’Keefe and Sean Bird, Richmond had the game well and truly wrapped up. When the final siren sounded, Richmond had comprehensively dented the Swans' Finals hopes with a 43 point demolition.

Sydney now has to hold off Fremantle and North Melbourne for a Finals berth and fans must be wondering where the fire was from their team as it was the Tigers, not the Swans, who looked like the team looking for September action. The Swans now have their Finals aspirations on the line as they face St Kilda in Round 22 and the Geelong juggernaut at Skilled Stadium in Round 23 before a more winnable Round 24 match against Brisbane.

Richmond on the other hand had many positives to come out of the win. Cotchin, Houli and Deledio were nothing short of sensational for their club. The continued development of Rance as a key back man and some nice cameos from Martin and Batchelor (the latter unfortunately sustaining a shoulder injury late in the game) are giving Tiger fans something to hang on to going into the last three rounds of the season.

Scoreboard
Richmond: 1.4 5.8 8.12 14.15 (99)
Sydney:   2.6 3.9 5.11  7.14 (56)

Best Players
Richmond: Houli, Cotchin, Deledio, Rance, Martin, Nahas
Sydney:   Kennedy, Hannebery, O’Keefe, Mumford, Goodes

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

Eagles Win Cat Fight

rickb — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:12:50 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

A sellout crowd of over 40,000 fans packed Patersons Stadium to see the West Coast Eagles take on a determined Geelong Cats. This was a chance for the Eagles to prove that they were real contenders for the Finals even without the in-form Quinten Lynch, who had been suspended for rough contact the week before. Geelong have not lost two games in a row for so long that people have arguments about when that was. The script was supposed to read that the Eagles would put up a valiant fight but go down in the end by five or six goals – but it didn’t go according to the script by a long way.

Tight checking and congestion around the ball was how the game was played early in the piece. The Cats were on the board first through Travis Varcoe. James Podsiadly was given a free kick and goaled for their second. The Eagles needed to be much cleaner with their possessions and disposals. Luke Shuey nearly had his head taken off and scored the Eagles’ first goal with the free kick for a head high tackle. The Cats were very efficient when they had the ball in their 50 meter zone. Cats’ star forward Steve Johnson turned Will Schofield inside out to run on and kick truly for Geelong’s third goal and fifth inside 50. In contrast, the Eagles had been inside their 50 meter zone nine times for only one major. Podsiadly scored his second from a great pass by Johnson and it looked as if the game might be over in the first quarter. Missed shots were costly for the Eagles, none more so than when Nic Naitanui missed a sitter from directly in front. West Coast turned it up a notch and Naitanui redeemed himself with his next shot on goal. Josh Kennedy read the ball off the pack and kicked a good crumbing goal off his left boot. Mark Nicoski shrugged a tackle and put a left foot snap through the big sticks to put the Eagles in front. Mark LeCras made the most of a Geelong turnover for another goal giving the Eagles the last four in a row. Uncharacteristically the Cats looked rattled and seemed to have lost their poise. They were down by ten points at the end of the first quarter.

With the Eagles’ forward press working to perfection, Geelong found the pressure intense in their defensive half. Ashley Smith ran in and kicked a telling goal after intercepting an errant Josh Hunt pass. Nicoski kicked his second after Jack Darling took a strong mark and handballed. West Coast’s energy was outstanding as players swarmed to every contested ball with ferocity. When LeCras marked and goaled, it was seven goals two behinds by the Eagles to Geelong’s zero. Tom Swift got into the action next for the home team making the trendsetters for the last couple of years wobbly at the knees. Shuey scored his second and took the Eagles to a 40 point lead. They had 16 scoring shots to six so far in the game and were serving up some of the punishment that Geelong had dished out for years. The Eagles were anticipating the movement of the ball and moving to position to make the most of the play. Jimmy Bartel began the long march back into the game with a mark and goal, a long 34 minutes after their last. Brad Ottens kicked back to back goals for Geelong when he won a free kick for an off the ball incident. The hapless Hunt again had a kick intercepted, this time by Brad Ebert, whose goal gave the Eagles a 43 point lead at the half.

Geelong is a proud club and didn’t get to where they are now by being pushovers. They came out after the long break with determination to get some of their own back. Cameron Ling scored the all-important first second half goal from 50 yards out. James Kelly and Paul Chapman followed up and the game was on. The Cats were going harder at the ball and when Johnson kicked the next Geelong had four goals in ten minutes. Dean Cox kicked the only goal for the Eagles in the quarter. It was now the Eagles turn to feel the pressure and they desperately needed to stand up to underscore their claim as Finals contenders. The Cats knew they were back in the game and it looked as though they had all the answers. They had clawed their way back to trail by only 11 points as the quarter wound down.

As the final quarter got under way the Eagles were nervous in their back half. The crowd was cheering them on and acted as the 19th man when some backbone was needed. Nicoski came through and goaled from a turnover and when Andrew Embley followed up there was belief that the Eagles might just sneak away with a win. Podsiadly and Daniel Menzel put that on the back burner with a couple of Geelong goals and the scene was set for a thrilling finish. Podsiadly hit the post in the dying minutes of the game to effectively give the Eagles a hard fought win. They ran out winners by only eight points.

This was the second loss in a row for the flag favorites. The Eagles are going from strength to strength after finishing last in 2010. It has been six years since the Eagles have beaten the top of the table team and they are looking dangerous for the Finals. The hoodoo bye didn’t do them the harm it has done for most teams this season. Geelong has been knocked off top position with the loss and will be looking for revenge against the lowly Brisbane Lions next week.

To view David Woodley's photos from this game, go to:

http://www.afana.com/drupal5/category/image_galleries/2011_season/2011_s...

Scoreboard 
West Coast: 5.5 11.7 12.10 14.12 (96) 
Geelong:    4.1  6.2 11.5  13.10 (88) 

Best Players 
West Coast: M Priddis, B Ebert, A Smith, A Embley, N Naitanui 
Geelong: C Ling, H Taylor, J Corey, C Enright, S Johnson

Eagles Power On

rickb — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:33:23 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

Port Adelaide traveled west to take on the in-form West Coast Eagles on a rare rainy day in Perth. Of late the Power have been anything but, looking unlikely to win a kick in a stampede. The Eagles had already trounced Port once this season in Round 2, but Port generally play well at Patersons Stadium and in Round 13, they gave the home side a scare or two.

The first part of the game was woeful. Port Adelaide looked like lawn ornaments standing around on a paddock. They had no run in their legs and were kicking at only 53% efficiency. Mark LeCras scored first after an unselfish handball from Mark Nicoski but for the rest of the quarter the Eagles kicked poorly in front of goals. Josh Kennedy kicked the Eagles’ second goal after a long 50 yard kick into the zone by Quinten Lynch. Port started to emerge from their slumber and a good passage of play from the center saw running forward Robbie Gray marking strongly and converting on goal. LeCras kicked his second when the ball spilled off a pack in the pocket to give the Eagles a 15 point lead at the end of the quarter. The Eagles had 106 possessions to the Power’s 71 which showed their dominance in field play had not been translated on to the scoreboard.

After play restarted Shannon Hurn got the Eagles on the board early with a massive 70 yard goal and Adam Selwood followed up soon after from a free kick. Everything was going according to the West Coast script. LeCras was denied a goal when he soccered off the ground, with the umpire ruling the football was touched by an opposition player as it left the boot. Port lifted their rating, hitting targets and running for their team-mates. Their increased pressure saw Jack Darling turn the ball over and Travis Boak scored a major for the Power. West Coast was off the boil and another turnover gave Danyle Pierce a goal. Suddenly the Port Adelaide players were up and about but the Eagles managed to regain some composure with goals to LeCras, Kennedy and Matt Priddis. West Coast entered the main break with a commanding 33 point lead.

Half-time gives the coach a chance to regroup and this worked wonders for the visitors. Justin Westhoff, unsighted for most of the first half, came to life in the third quarter. He kicked the all-important first goal of the second half after some slick work through the middle by Port Adelaide. Daniel Stewart kicked their next and when Simon Phillips kicked their third in five minutes, it looked as if the tide had well and truly turned. Port’s kicking efficiency had risen to 80% and they had 20 possessions to 12, clearly lifting their intensity and desire to win the contested ball. Nic Naitanui steadied the West Coast with a goal from a free kick, but Boak took advantage of another turnover and goaled. Hurn, the master of the long kick, scored next with a thumping kick that sailed straight through the middle of the goals. Port players were pulling out all the stops at this point, begging the question as to why it took half a game before they showed desperation for the contest. A goal by Jackson saw Port trailing by only 23 points going into the last quarter.

West Coast needed to lift their work rate. They had been trading punches with Port instead of showing the dominance that was needed to land the killer blow. Substitute Brad Ebert was activated to replace Darling and injected some much needed power when he kicked the first goal of the final term for the Eagles. Scott Selwood goaled quickly after with a sensational effort, kicking the contested ball out of mid-air right in front of the big sticks. Still Port would not go away, and when Boak kicked his third for the game, there was absolute silence around the ground. Turnovers hurt the Eagles once more when Hamish Hartlett scored and Cameron O’Shea followed up to have the visitors within three kicks of a win. The Eagles steadied towards the end of the game with back-to-back goals from Hurn (another 70 yard long bomb) and LeCras. Although Port Adelaide kicked the next two goals, it was all over with the Eagles running out 30 point winners in the end. Port had their chances in this game and gave the Eagles a scare in the third and fourth quarters. If they hadn’t taken so long to get their game face on, the result could have been different.

Port play a revitalised North Melbourne next week at home while the Eagles travel to Melbourne to take on the high-flying Carlton. West Coast is in fifth position on the Ladder and a win next round would firm up their chances of playing Finals. The money will be against them but they find themselves a long way from their Wooden Spoon position of last year.

For David Woodley's photos of this match, go to http://www.afana.com/drupal5/category/image_galleries/2011_season/2011_season_photo_essays/round_13_west_coast_v_port_adelaide/14

Scoreboard
West Coast:    3.6 8.11 11.14 15.20 (110)
Port Adelaide: 1.3 3.8   8.9  13.10  (80)

Best Players
West Coast:    S Hurn, M LeCras, L Shuey, M Priddis, M Rosa
Port Adelaide: D Cassisi, T Boak, D Pierce, M Pettigrew, T Logan

Kennedy Haul Topples Dogs

rickb — Wed, 25 May 2011 03:16:29 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth

Always a threat when they travel to Perth, the Western Bulldogs suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the West Coast Eagles in front of 37,000 fanatical fans. Prior to this match, the Eagles’ form had been good with four wins while the 2010 Preliminary Finalists had a return to winning form against Richmond last week after a very patchy start to the season.

Josh Kennedy and his teammates turned on a champagne display of brilliance at Patersons Stadium, putting the Western Bulldogs to the sword in the first quarter of the game. The Eagles maintained their much vaunted forward press to perfection and most of the action was in their forward half. Kennedy kicked four goals and the lead could have been greater had his teammates hit easy opportunities in front of goal. There was nothing clean about the Bulldogs’ handling of the ball and they were always under pressure. It wasn’t until three minutes before the end of the first quarter that they showed a spark and back-to-back goals to Robert Murphy and Liam Jones steadied the ship. It was enough to give them some hope as the quarter ended, but they were 28 points behind and in unfamiliar territory.

Kennedy took a strong mark and kicked the first goal of the second quarter as things went from bad to worse for the visitors. Brennan Stack kicked a quick reply and when Jones kicked his second it looked like the Dogs were about to mount a challenge. A basic error by the Bulldogs when kicking in after a behind caused a penalty bounce down at the top of the Eagles’ goal square and Luke Shuey pounced to kick the next West Coast goal. Tom Liberatore snapped a goal from a stoppage for the Dogs to even the goal tally for the quarter. However the margin was still 31 points to the Eagles at half time.

There were opportunities for the home side to bury the opposition early in the second half, but Mark LeCras and Kennedy missed simple shots in front of goal. There was some spirit in the Bulldogs when Jarred Grant and Daniel Giansiracusa kicked the next two goals to put them within 22 points. Perhaps it was the Eagles’ memories of being on the wrong end of a hiding, or just a resurgence in their self-belief, but from that point on the Bulldogs were blitzed. It was party time as West Coast went to town and kicked the next seven goals. The Dogs failed the credibility test on their ability to be Finals contenders. Simon White summed it up perfectly in the Melbourne Age when he wrote, “The Dogs couldn’t give a yelp.” Justin Sherman kicked the only Bulldog goal in the third term but it was too little, too late. The Eagles had blown the game away with a 59 point margin as the siren ended the third quarter.

It didn’t get any better when the Bulldogs failed to score in the final term. Andrew Embley kicked the first goal on the outside of the boot from a pass by Darren Glass in the forward pocket. Glass had run all the way from fullback to play his part in the rout. The Bulldogs capitulated at this point and the Eagles kicked the last nine goals of the match to rub the Dogs' noses in the dirt.

Kennedy did the damage early and gave the Eagles the confidence to take the game on and over. The Western Bulldogs were disgraced in a one-sided contest, beaten so badly that club President David Smorgon felt moved to write a letter to the team’s fans and members apologizing for their lamentable performance. The Bulldogs are now adrift at the bottom end of the ladder while the Eagles are cementing their place in the Top Eight. Next week is the acid test when they play 2010 Premiers, Collingwood. This game will be the true indicator of whether the West Coast Eagles have come of age.

Source: The Melbourne Age, Simon White news story
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/dismal-dogs-couldnt-give-a-yelp-20110522-1eywq.html

Scoreboard
West Coast:       6.5 9.10 16.15 26.19 (175)
Western Bulldogs: 2.1 5.3   8.4   8.4   (52)

Best
West Coast:       J Kennedy, L Shuey, Q Lynch, N Naitanui, D Cox
Western Bulldogs: M Boyd, R Griffen, J Sherman, T Liberatore