Australian Football

Match Report

In the 2nd Semi-Final, the Eagles, coming off their hard-earned week off, faced off against the Bloods. The Eagles took out all the minor premierships, swept the pools to also win the Stanley H. Lewis Trophy, their U-18's and Reserves are in their respective Grand Finals so now it was down to the League side to do the same. Westies helped send the Magpies on their way out last week, but while they were able to get the better of the Eagles earlier this season with their one-goal win at Woodville in Round 2, their return bout in Round 12 at Richmond was a 15-point loss. The Eagles would go in more fancied, having only dropped two games to the Bloods' five. In these matches, the Eagles have contested eight to Westies' 12. The Eagles' last appearance was in 2006, where they went down to the Bulldogs but then reversed the result in a big way two weeks later to win the flag. During the 2000's, they had appeared in four 2nd Semi's, half of their overall tally. 

The Bloods' were in the 2013 match, beaten soundly by the Redlegs by 56 points. It was a case of deja vu, seeing as the same thing happened in 2012 in one of the lowest scoring 2nd Semi-Finals in recent memory, the Bloods losing that match by 44 points. Their overall winning record out of their 12 is four. But this would be the first time these teams had ever met in this type of final. Before the 1991 merger, the four premiership years of West Torrens never had the Bloods in their way and Woodville had never made it into this match.

The crowd had largely dispersed by this time with the rowdy Bulldogs army gone, the terraces looking a bit less populated. But whoever stayed behind at least for the first term were greeted with a fierce opening term, the Eagles drew first blood thanks to Angus Rowntree, but his day would end not too long after the Bloods kicked their first through Will Snelling. His knee injury would find him taken off the ground on a stretcher. James Boyd and Andrew Ainger added themselves to the goals list, altogether the Eagles managed 4.1 to the Bloods' 3.1, a goal the difference at the first change. The Eagles would turn it up a bit in the second term, Boyd again finding the big sticks along with Michael Wundke's double among the Eagles' 3.3, the Bloods needed Jason Porplyzia's late major to keep the margin blowing out but it was their only goal of the term from two scores. At half-time, the Eagles were ahead by 20 points. 

The Eagles got straight into it when play resumed with Ainger's goal within seconds of the restart of play, but 3.6 in the "premiership quarter" is not one they wouldn't be looking to fondly on. The Bloods provided one for the highlights reel in this term, Aaron Anderson sinking one from deep in the south-west pocket among Westies' 2.2. The margin was extended to 30 points when it probably should have been more and put to bed right there. The Bloods made one last run at the Eagles in the final quarter, keeping them to just 1.3, but the inaccuracy bug found its way into the West Adelaide camp and they a horrid kicked 3.7. The Eagles would book their Grand Final spot, winning by 14 points. 

Andrew Ainger was named best for the Eagles, the Bloods voting in Aaron Anderson as their standout.