Australian Football

Match Report

In the 'battle of the Coasts', the West Coast Eagles have had a routine win over the Gold Cost Suns at Subiaco on Sunday. The Eagles were expected to win and win well against Gold Coast, and they did just that, taking the points in all four quarters of the match to record a 77-point win and move up to fifth on the ladder. 

Gold Coast started strongly and after Tom Lynch missed a shot from close range Steven May had the Suns seven points clear with a long goal at the four-minute mark. The Eagles settled after that, although they initially struggled in front of goal and were 1.4 after 13 minutes, the goal going to Jack Darling. They straightened up after that to kick four majors without a miss - two to Josh Kennedy -  to jump to a 26-point lead before a Ryan Davis goal brought the margin back to 20 at quarter time. 

The match was pretty much settled in the first 20 minutes of the second quarter, with Luke Shuey, Jamie Cripps, Kennedy and Kennedy again all kicking goals to extend the Eagles' lead to 46 points as the term entered time on. Gold Coast wrested control of general play back late in the term but Michael Rischitelli, Brandon Matera and Peter Wright all missed chances and West Coast was ahead by 43 at the half.  

A similar scenario to the second quarter unfolded in the third, West Coast dominating the first 20 minutes to kick five goals via Mark LeCras (two), Kennedy, Shannon Hurn and Nic Naitanui to jump 71 points clear. The Suns again came good in the time-on period, although more productively this time, adding 3.3, the goals going to Aaron Hall and Tom Lynch (two) to cut the margin to 50 points at the final change.

If there was any though of a miracle comeback from the Suns when the last term began, it was extinguished almost immediately, as Scoitt Lycett, Mark Hutchings and Josh Hill all added goals for the Eagles in the first seven minutes. Gold Coast responded with two majors to Jack Martin but they were the Suns' last scores of the match as Darling, Lycett and LeCras all goaled again as West Coast powered away to win by 77 points. 

For the Eagles, Scott Lycett played a fine match, laying six tackles and having 22 hitouts while Gary Ablett looked to be back to his best for Gold Coast, picking up 32 touches as welling as laying eight tackles of his own.

West Coast is one of five teams between third and seventh with a 7-3 record. One of the other teams in that group - the Western Bulldogs - will be the Eagles' opponents at Docklands on Sunday. Gold Coast has now lost seven in a row after opening the season with three wins. The injury-hit Suns will be at long odds to break that run of losses when they take on Sydney at Carrara on Saturday night. 

GOALS
West Coast: Kennedy 5; Darling, LeCras 3; Cripps, Lycett 2; Shuey, Hurn, Naitanui, Hutchings, Hill
Gold Coast: Lynch, Martin 2; May, Davis, Hall

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
West Coast: Shuey, Lycett, Priddis, Kennedy, Sheppard, Hurn, Naitanui
Gold Coast: Ablett, Prestia, Rischitelli, Martin, May

BEST - WATODAY.COM.AU
West Coast: Lycett, Kennedy, Sheppard, Shuey, Priddis, Cripps
Gold Coast: Ablett, Prestia, Malceski, Hall, Martin, Nicholls

INJURIES
West Coast: Jamie Cripps (throat)
Gold Coast: Hall (shoulder)

UMPIRES: Farmer, Bannister, Deboy

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Gerard Healy, Alastair Lynch, Ben Dixon