Australian Football

Match Report

West Coast has welcomed back star ruckman Nic Naitanui and a return to form with a thumping win over the hapless Bulldogs at Subiaco on Sunday afternoon. Though Naitanui played only a small part in the match after coming on as a substitute, the mere sight of him running freely on the field after a long battle with a groin problem was enough to warm the hearts of the more than 30,000 Eagles fans in attendance.

The win was most timely for the Eagles, who had a 1-4 win-loss record prior to the game. Though they are still a long way from top four calculations, they are now only a game away from the top eight and poised to climb.

In a match that went largely to script, West Coast won all four quarters against an undermanned Bulldogs team that tried hard but was never in the hunt. The inexperienced Dogs lacked the poise and strength of the seasoned, stronger-bodied Eagles outfit, although they provided occasional glimpses of brighter future under Brendan McCartney with highlights from younger players such as Clay Smith, Jack Macrae, Jake Stringer and Mitch Wallis. Another bright point was the continuing good form of Adam Cooney in his renaissance season. He moved freely, had 24 touches and kicked a goal.

Aside from the return of Naitanui, there were many positives for John Worsfold's team. The forwards found their kicking boots, with the Eagles kicking an accurate 21.11, a stark contrast to the 7.23 and 10.19 of the previous two rounds. Jack Darling (5.1), Josh Kennedy (4.1) and Dean Cox (4.0) were all excellent in front of goal and Mark LeCras was very good in kicking three goals, albeit offsetting those with four behinds.

The Eagles now have a chance to set up their season with winnable games against Brisbane (at the Gabba), North Melbourne (Subiaco), GWS (Sydney) and Richmond (Subiaco) to come over the next month. The Bulldogs will be hoping to squeeze out a couple of wins in the same period with matches against North Melbourne, Gold Coast, St Kilda and Port Adelaide to come.

GOALS
West Coast: Darling 5; Cox, Kennedy 4; LeCras 3; Shuey 2; Masten, Priddis, Hill
Western Bulldogs: Smith 2; Addison, Cooney, Lower, Macrae, Stringer, Tutt, Wallis, Jones

BEST - WATODAY.COM.AU
West Coast: Shuey, S Selwood, Masten, Cox, Darling, Glass
Western Bulldogs: Boyd, Cooney, Minson, Smith, Jones, Roughead

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
West Coast: Cox, Shuey, S Selwood, Masten, Darling, Wellingham, Priddis
Western Bulldogs: Smith, Boyd, Cooney, Addison, Minson

COACHES' COMMENTS
John Worsfold (WC): We're pleased to play a bit more consistent footy over the four quarters. That was probably the key thing that we were looking for today and we got that so it was very pleasing. It was good to be able to use Naitanui as a sub today because we didn't want to let him play any longer than that.

Brendan McCartney (WB): It was a disappointing day for our footy club. Three out of the six matches this year, we've had long patches in games where we haven't been hard enough to play against. Our more experienced players, and we don't have a whole heap of them - but we have enough, have got to drive standards and drive the team.

INJURIES
West Coast: Waters (adductor, replaced in selected side by Schofield), Shuey (calf)
Western Bulldogs: Lower (eye), Stringer (corked leg)

SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Nic Naitanui replaced Callum Sinclair during the third quarter
Western Bulldogs: Mitch Wallis replaced Jake Stringer during the third quarter

UMPIRES: Farmer, Hosking, Findlay