Scott Lockhart reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Perth
An eight goal final term has seen the West Coast Eagles defeat the Kangaroos by 66 points at Subiaco Oval on Saturday. The Kangaroos, undefeated over the past six weeks, challenged the reigning Premiers for much of the game but were completely outclassed in a dominant fourth quarter display by the Eagles. Mathew Priddis was the driving force behind the Eagles win, collecting 39 possessions and kicking a goal on his way to a best on ground performance. The Kangaroos struggled to find targets up forward for much of the match and had no answer to the persistent run of the Eagles.
The Eagles came into the match following a tough week that saw them lose key forward Ashley Hansen for eight weeks to a finger injury. On a brighter note captain Chris Judd was available to play after controversially being let off an eye-gouging report during the week. West Coast needed a win to consolidate their position on top of the ladder following their loss to Hawthorn last week. The Kangaroos came into the match in hot form having won their past six matches. Kasey Green was a late replacement in the side for Shannon Watt. West Coast were warm favorites before the match, with the Kangaroos not having beaten the Eagles in Perth since 2001.
The Kangaroos began the game strongly kicking the opening goal within the first 20 seconds as their good pressure made it difficult for the Eagles to find any forward drive in the opening minutes. Goals to Quinten Lynch and David Wirrapanda helped the Eagles to wrestle some of the momentum as their strong midfield began to run. A free kick in front of goal to Shannon Grant made the scores level, but a superb goal to Judd from a tight angle gave the Eagles back the lead. Lynch stretched the lead out to 13 points with his second goal of the term as the Eagles tripled the possession rate of the Kangaroos through high intensity, strong running football. A goal to Lindsay Thomas against the run of play reduced the Kangaroos deficit to nine points as they continued to struggle to find reliable targets around the ground. A late goal Mathew Priddis gave the Eagles a comfortable 15 point lead at the first change.
The high intensity that was seen throughout the first term continued into the second as the Eagles pressed forward early, Dean Cox kicking the first goal to take the lead beyond three goals. Superb forward line pressure from the Eagles had the Kangaroos back-line under siege for much of the quarter and a goal to Rowan Jones at the halfway mark had the lead at 26 points. The Kangaroos continued to struggle to move the ball forward quickly, with their forward line having little impact on the game. A goal to Mitch Morton had the Eagles looking increasingly dangerous as the lead blew out to a game high 31 points. Poor efficiency from the Eagles saw them miss numerous opportunities to extend this margin, with Lynch continuing to struggle in front of goal. At the major break it was the Eagles leading by five goals following the Kangaroos first goalless quarter of the season.
The Kangaroos began the third term the better of the two teams, with their commitment much greater than the first half. Goals to Aaron Edwards and Corey Jones in the opening minutes of the quarter had the margin back to within three goals, as the Kangaroos appeared to bring themselves back into the contest. A goal to Morton gave the Eagles breathing space as the Kangaroos continued to charge. However, poor disposal into the forward line continued to hamper the Kangaroos numerous scoring opportunities. A goal to Shannon Grant brought the margin back to within three goals, but was canceled out when Lynch kicked his third goal. Persistent pressure from the Kangaroos prevented the Eagles from getting any momentum as the quarter continued and a goal to Shannon Grant, his third for the game, after the siren had the margin at 18 points at the final change.
The Eagles responded to the Kangaroos charge early in the final term with Dean Cox continuing his dominance of the ruck contests and Judd kicking the first goal of the quarter. A goal to LeCras, his first for the match, made the Kangaroos mission much harder with the margin now at 28 points. Further goals to Daniel Chick, Mark Seaby and Matt Rosa saw the Eagles controlling the match with the margin at 47 points in what was looking set to be a demolition. The Kangaroos resilience faded further as the quarter continued, with LeCras kicking his second goal to take his teams lead out to beyond nine goals. The Eagles strong midfield run, persistent tackling and high disposal rate made the final stages of the match appear similar to a training run as Mitchell Brown kicked his first career goal. A late goal to Dean Cox saw the Eagles run out easy winners by 66 points.
Next week the Eagles travel to Melbourne for a Friday night encounter with Essendon at the Telstra Dome where they will welcome back star midfielder Daniel Kerr from suspension, while the Kangaroos will be looking to return to form when they face St. Kilda on Sunday in a critical encounter for both sides before the split round.
Final Score:
WCE: 5.4 8.8 10.9 18.13 (121)
Roos: 3.1 3.7 7.9 7.13 (55)
Best:
WCE: Pridis, Cox, Selwood, Stenglein
Roos: McIntosh, Simpson, Grant
Goals:
WCE: Lynch 3, Judd, LeCras Morton Cox 2, Brown Priddis Seaby Chick Jones Rosa Wirrapanda.
Roos: Grant 3, Thomas Swallow Jones Edwards 1.
Umpires: Rosebury, Allen, Nicholls
Injuries: nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 40, 751 at Subiaco Oval, Perth
Article last changed on Thursday, June 07, 2007 - 2:51 PM EDT
