Australian Football

Match Report

The West Coast Eagles have maintained a place in the top two with a convincing win over Geelong at Subiaco on Sunday. The Eagles led by only nine points at half time, but the margin could have been much greater but for errant shooting at goal. West Coast was a shocking 4.17 at the long break, while Geelong had 5.2. But the Eagles straightened up and ran away with the game in the second half, condemning the Cats to a 56-point defeat. Geelong has made an unfortunate habit of fading after the long break in 2015, losing seven of nine second halves this year. 

After a slow start to the match, Steve Johnson started things off with a snapped goal at the five-minute mark. That was the only goal in the first 15 minutes of the term, as the Eagles could manage no more than four behinds. Tom Hawkins added a second goal for Geelong at the 16-minute mark, and the Cats led by nine points at that stage. A goal to Josh Kennedy finally put West Coast on the board but young Corey Gregson kicked his first soon after to make the difference nine points Geelong's way once more. Kennedy kicked his second just before the quarter-time siren, closing the gap to just one point at the first break.

Waywardness in front of goal was again a feature of West Coast's second term. Josh Hill kicked two behinds to give the Eagles a one-point lead but a goal to Jordan Murdoch restored a five-point margin for the Cats. While Nic Natanui and Kennedy added majors for West Coast, the Eagles added an incredible nine more behinds for the quarter for a total of 2.11. A goal to Hawkins in time on allowed the Cats to be in touch at half time, just nine points in arrears.

It got worse before it got better for the Eagles in the third term. Two more behinds took their score to an incredible 4.19, before they finally began to straighten up, Hill kicking a major at the six-minute mark. Shane Kersten responded for the Cats, and the two sides alternated goals for the remainder of the term. Hill's second was answered by Hawkins, McInnes' first saw Josh Caddy respond with his first, and Kennedy's fourth evoked another answering goal from Matthew Stokes. Geelong was only 11 points behind and seemingly in with a chance at that point. A late goal from Callum Sinclair gave West Coast a three-goal buffer at the final change.

Geelong's resistance collapsed in the last quarter, as the Eagles found their range in front of goal. They kicked 7.3, goals going to Jamie Cripps, Natanui, Luke Shuey, Mark LeCras, Kennedy (two) and Sinclair. In response, the Cats could manage just one of their own, through Andrew Mackie at the 17-minute mark. When the siren sounded to end the match, West Coast was 56 points to the good.

West Coast's best included Andrew Gaff (33 disposals, nine marks), Chris Masten (31 possessions) and Kennedy (six goals, 11 marks), while Geelong's better players numbered Corey Enright (10 marks, 21 touches), Mark Blicavs (nine tackles, 25 hitouts) and Johnson (27 disposals and three marks). 

With both sides heading for a bye in round 13, the Eagles will face North Melbourne, Essendon and Richmond beforehand, while Geelong will meet Essendon, Port Adelaide and Melbourne.

GOALS
West Coast: Kennedy 6; Hill, Naitanui, Sinclair 2; McInnes, Cripps, Shuey, LeCras
Geelong: Hawkins 3; Johnson, Caddy, Gregson, Murdoch, Stokes, Kersten, Mackie

BEST - WATODAY.COM.AU
West Coast: Masten, Kennedy, Naitanui, Gaff, Shuey, Priddis
Geelong: Enright, Blicavs, Johnson, Caddy, Hawkins, Mackie

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
West Coast: Gaff, Priddis, Kennedy, McGovern, Naitanui, Shuey
Geelong: Johnson, Enright, Hawkins, Caddy, Motlop, Mackie

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Geelong: Stanley (knee), Clark (ankle)

SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Brant Colledge replaced Jamie Bennell at three-quarter time
Geelong: Mathew Stokes replaced Rhys Stanley at half-time

UMPIRES: Fisher, Farmer, Dalgleish

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Gerard Healy, Mark Thompson