Australian Football

Match Report

At Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval in Woodville, the Eagles faced fellow westerners in the Bloods. The Eagles finals spot was in serious jeopardy at this point, just holding onto fifth spot on the back of four consecutive losses with the Bulldogs and the Roosters breathing down their necks. The Bloods on the other hand, were in the throes of 2014 oblivion after an average season that has seen them take just six victories. Their last encounter was back in Round 2, the Eagles taking a 10-point win at Richmond for their eighth win from the last 15 games. The equation was simple... beat West, or face the possibilty of slipping out of the elimination final position as there was only a half of a percent difference between them and Centrals. But it wasn't going to happen.

The Eagles went straight for the jugular, kicking 5.1 and keeping the Bloods to just 1.3 for the opening term to take a 22-point lead at quarter-time. They kept up the pressure on the visitors for the rest of the game, adding a further 4.1 to Westies' 2.2 to extend the gap to 33 points by the long break. The message was sent out loud and clear already by this point, the Eagles mojo had well and truly returned. When play resumed, the pain continued for the Bloods. The Eagles third term was practically flawless, kicking six goals without a miss while the Bloods kicked 3.1. By the final break, the Eagles advantage had blown out 50 points. This deficit would already not only put the result out of reach of the Bloods, but also the fifth place slot on the ladder away from the Bulldogs and the Roosters. The Eagles would finish off the afternoon by adding 6.3 to the Bloods' 4.2 to take out a 63-point win to seal their final berth.

Michael Wundke scored best afield honours for the Eagles, while the Bloods named Shannon Green as their standout.