Scott Lockhart reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Perth.
Saturday night football at Subiaco Oval was the perfect setting for the West Coast Eagles to unveil the 2006 Premiership flag in front of an adoring sold-out crowd of over 40,000. It also gave retired Eagle Drew Banfield the opportunity to farewell West Coast supporters with a lap of honor before the match. West Coast came into the match after another epic one-point victory over the Swans in Sydney last week, while Collingwood overcame the Bulldogs by three-points in a thrilling final quarter at the MCG in round one. West Coast started the match favorites despite being without star big-man Dean Cox for the second consecutive week, replaced in the side by Premiership player Jamie Graham, whilst Collingwood was missing Ryan Lonie – replaced by up and coming Daniel Nicholls in his first AFL appearance. Recent history suggested the match would be a close encounter, with Collingwood winning three of the last four encounters; however they have not beaten the reigning champions in Perth since 1992.
Collingwood began the first quarter full of run, dominating early possession through the center of the ground. However, it was a David Wirrapanda kick from outside the fifty-meter arc that gave the Eagles the first goal of the match and the momentum as the quarter began to swing in their favor. A miraculous dribbling goal from Wirrapanda deep in their forward pocket gave the Eagles a flying start to the game and perhaps a nomination for goal of the year for Wirrapanda. A contentious holding the ball decision inside the Eagles forward line gave Daniel Kerr an easy shot on goal, opening up a three-goal lead for his team.
Collinwood suffered an early injury scare with big-man Josh Fraser coming to the boundary with a thigh complaint; however he returned shortly after providing the Pies with some much-needed forward momentum through his hit-outs.
A 60-meter long bomb kick from Anthony Rocca gave Collingwood their first goal of the match at the 18-minute mark, after they had wrestled some of the momentum away from the Eagles. Two goals in as many minutes from Ben Johnson brought Collinwood back into the contest and within five points of the Eagles. The Eagles continued to play man on man, with Daniel Kerr creating much needed run through the center of the ground and West Coast’s handball rate doubling that of Collingwood. The late stages of the quarter saw the Pies increase their momentum, forcing West Coast coach John Worsfold to push full forward Quinten Lynch up the ground while the turnover count increased. A last gasp goal from Rhys Shaw gave the Pies a seven-point lead at quarter time, surprising many.
After kicking the last four goals of the opening term, Collingwood began the second quarter full of confidence . Quinten Lynch made the first mark on the scoreboard after marking strongly and kicking truly from the pocket to reduce the margin back to a point. However, two quick goals to Leon Davis, including a superb snap from the pocket drew Collingwood’s lead out to 13-points. The next four goals were shared by the teams as the margin remained at 13-points.
Collingwood big-man Anthony Rocca found himself on report after a strike on Jamie Graham, however it is unlikely the charge will hold up at the match review panel during the week. This was followed by what appeared to be a serious ankle injury to key Collingwood player Ben Johnson, who had to be helped from the ground.
The later stages of the quarter saw Quinten Lynch’s presence up forward for the eagles begin to be felt. However, it was David Wirrapanda that proved to be the spark once more for West Coast, drawing the margin back to within a goal after a beautiful set-shot snap goal. At half time Collingwood’s lead was brought back to four-points.
The intensity and pressure of the match grew enormously after half time, with the match becoming increasingly stagnant and running targets harder to find for both sides. It took a running piece of brilliance from West Coast captain Chris Judd, who received a hand-pass from his own kick, to open the scoring for the quarter and take back the lead for the Eagles.
As the quarter drew on the Eagles appeared to have much of the run and momentum making for some worrying signs for the Pies, especially after Tyson Stenglein who was playing his 50th match for the club stretched the lead to eight-points. However, two goals to Anthony Rocca, both from strong contested marks, returned the lead to Collingwood as the quarter continued to be flooded with stoppages and little run from either side. An argumentative comment from Collingwood defender James Clement gave Chris Judd a shot on goal from the goal-square and the Eagles the lead as the quarter began to draw to a close. West Coast continued to build on their momentum, however good defense by the Pies ensured they were unable to extend their lead. West Coast headed into the final quarter leading by three-points, a swing of seven-points since half-time.
The final quarter began slowly for both sides with much of the possession being contested and little free flowing football being seen from either side. Collingwood were able to press on goal early, however strong defense from the Eagles, especially that of Brett Jones, prevented any of this drive being shown on the scoreboard.
Brent Staker broke the last quarter drought with a major at the twelve-minute mark to extend the Eagles lead out to eight-points. Chris Judd and Daniel Kerr continued to dominate around the stoppages giving the Eagles the essential forward momentum as the quarter wore on. These two players demonstrated that they are two of the games greatest stars, sharing a mammoth 69 possessions between them for the match. A booming goal from Matt Rosa from outside the fifty-meter arc gave the Eagles a 14-point lead and momentum that appeared unstoppable as they continued to press forward. Collingwood continued to fight in the dying minutes, but were unable to quash the Eagles lead. West Coast running out winners in a hard fought contest by 12 points.
Next week West Coast hopes to continue its unbeaten run when it plays archrivals Fremantle in Western Derby 25 at Subiaco Oval, which is sure to have Perth buzzing throughout the week, whilst Collingwood returns to the MCG to play winless Richmond on Friday night as part of the AFL’s rivalry round.
Final Score:
WCE: 3.2 7.6 10.11 12.15 (87)
Collingwood: 4.3 8.4 10.8 11.9 (75)
Best:
WCE: Kerr, Judd, Brett Jones, Chick
Collingwood: Heath Shaw, Rocca, Davis
Goals:
WCE: Wirrapanda 5, Judd 2, Kerr Stenglein Braun Lynch Rosa Armstrong Staker 1.
Collingwood: Rocca 4, Davis 3, O’Bree Burns Shaw Johnson 1
Umpires: Margetts, Stevic, Avon
Injuries: Fraser (thigh), Johnson (ankle)
Reports: Rocca (charging)
Crowd: 40, 413 at Subiaco Oval, Perth
Article last changed on Thursday, April 12, 2007 - 10:19 AM EDT
