Scott Lockhart reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Perth.
St. Kilda has caused one of the upsets of the season after defeating West Coast by 23 points at Subiaco Oval on Sunday. In an epic contest of swinging fortunes it was a seven goal third term that gave the Saints the crucial edge in a tightly fought finish. In a match where their season was hinging, the Saints were lead strongly by 350 game celebrant Robert Harvey, who collected 30 possessions in his milestone, and a brilliant four goal first half performance from Justin Koschitzke. The loss is the Eagles fourth in six weeks and now leaves them sitting in third position on the ladder.
Chris Judd was a late exclusion from the Eagles side after failing a last minute fitness test on his troubled groin. Rowan Jones was his replacement in the starting lineup as Mark Nicoski made his return to the West Coast team after nearly a year on the injury list. The Saints had no changes to their side in Robert Harvey’s 350th AFL match. Harvey, who won the Brownlow Medal in 1997 and 1998, becomes just the 10th player in history to reach the milestone. The Eagles went into the match favorites despite losing three of their past five matches and top spot on the Ladder.
Skill errors have cost both sides in recent weeks, and it was a trend that continued for much of the opening term as the Eagles struggled to convert their numerous goal scoring opportunities while the Saints struggled to create any opportunities of their own. Early goals to Michael Braun and Rowan Jones pushed West Coast out to a comfortable lead as poor defense from the Saints characterized their performance around the ground. In a troubling opening 15 minutes for the visiting side, Dean Cox consistently won the ruck contests providing the Eagles with strong running clearances. Goals to Justin Koschitzke and Nick Reiwoldt reduced the margin and appeared to settle the Saints despite much of their possessions being ineffective. The Eagles continued to find problems in front of goal but were aided by slack defense from the Saints as Braun kicked his second. A goal to Koschitzke had the Eagles leading by one point at the end of an inconsistent opening term.
The Saints put the disposal problems of the first term behind them to put on a clinical display to send shockwaves through the Eagles for much of the second quarter. The signs looked ominous for West Coast from the outset of the term after goals to Xavier Clarke and Koschitzke had the Saints leading for the first time in the match. The Saints looked like a different side to that which had lost its past four matches as their work-rate and pressure had the Eagles under constant siege. Further goals to Koschitzke, now with four for the match, and Steven Baker had the Saints cruising to a three goal lead. The inconsistency of the Eagles disposal hampered their efforts to wrestle back any of the momentum and stop the increasing run of the Saints. Goals in the later stages of the quarter to Baker, Sam Gilbert and Stephen Milne gave the Saints an extraordinary seven goal to one quarter and 37 point lead at the major break.
The immense control that the Saints had over the game looked set to continue for much of the first half of the third quarter, with their ability to restrict the Eagles scoring opportunities increasing in importance. Both sides traded goals in the early stages of the quarter with the lead blowing out to eight goals at one stage. A combination of poor disposal and a complete lack of intensity and run from the Eagles looked to set to hamper their ability to get back into the contest. The Eagles needed a spark and it came from the boots of Dean Cox as his crumbing goal lifted the intensity of his team. Further goals to LeCras and Seaby had the Eagles charging into the final term trailing by just two goals.
The Saints struggled to find any run for much of the final quarter in what was turning out to be a highly intense, yet sloppy conclusion to the match. The Eagles looked the team more likely to run out with the match after Lynch kicked the opening goal of the quarter to draw the Eagles within a goal for the first time since early in the second term. However, they were unable to make the most of their opportunities in the crucial late stages as wayward kicking hampered their ball movement. This proved costly as the Saints kicked three unanswered goals through Del Santo, Reiwoldt and Montagna to consolidate their lead. The normally fast finishing Eagles had no answer for their opponent as they simply ran out of energy and time. The Saints running out upset winners by 23 points, their first win over the Eagles in Perth since 1998.
The Eagles face the daunting task of facing Adelaide at AAMI stadium next Sunday, despite their good recent record at the ground. West Coast have confirmed captain Chris Judd will once again be absent from the team for this match. The Saints play Richmond at the Telstra Dome on Saturday night as they continue their quest for a top eight berth.
Final Score:
WCE: 3.4 4.5 10.7 11.10 (76)
Saints: 3.3 10.6 12.7 15.9 (99)
Best:
WCE: Cox, Braun, Kerr.
Saints: Del Santo, Harvey, Montagna, Koschitzke.
Goals:
WCE: Braun Lynch 2, Cox Graham Hurn LeCras Seaby Staker 1.
Saints: Koschitzke 4, Baker Milne Del Santo 2, Clarke Gilbert Montagna Reiwoldt Rix 1.
Umpires: Head, Hendrie, Goldspink
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Milne(rough conduct), Blake(rough conduct)
Crowd: 39, 401 at Subiaco Oval, Perth
Article last changed on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 2:00 AM EDT
