Australian Football

Match Report

The last of the three Good Friday matches finds us at the City Mazda Stadium in Richmond under twilight conditions, the Bloods hosting the Eagles in the War of the West. Probably the only saving grace of the Bloods' 2017 season was that in the end, they weren't holding a spoon. The Eagles were commiserating yet another wasted opportunity, three straight minor premierships and no flags. The Eagles took both games last season, a 10-goal win in Round 2 followed by a 45-point victory in Round 12. Much like Centrals, the Bloods kept their off-season on the low. The Eagles did so themselves as well, but bagged a few handy blokes from Alberton way. The opening quarter wasn't big on goals, both sides butchering their share of opportunities. The Eagles were up by a goal at quarter-time after scoring 2.3 to 1.3. The Eagles would begin breaking away from the Bloods slowly but surely from this point, starting with a 4.3 to 2.3 second quarter. At the half-time break, the visitors were up by 18 points. There was just that bit more finesse to the Eagles, as has been the case for the last few seasons. Probably no more evident in the third term, restricting the Bloods to just 1.2 whilst adding 4.2 to their tally, going into the final term they held a six-goal lead. That finesse seemed to fizzle somewhat in the final term, but West just didn't have enough answers to bridge the gap. The final margin was 34 points, the Eagles having a dog of a final term in front of goal with their 2.6 to 3.2. 

The Eagles would name Paul Stewart as their best player, the Bloods named Nathan Batley as their standout.