Australian Football

Match Report

If the West Coast Eagles were ever going to break their MCG hoodoo, last Sunday was going to be the day to do it. The Eagles, coming off a strong win against Sydney with a 10-fay break, were taking on Hawthorn, at its lowest ebb in a decade, coming off two consecutive 86-point thrashings, and with only a five-day break. But it was not to be. The Hawks turned it on against West Coast in a stunning form reversal, thrashing the Eagles by 50 points on the back of big second and last quarters.

The Eagles kicked the first score of the match, a behind to Josh Kennedy, but Hawthorn took complete control over the next 13 minutes, kicking 2.2 to nil - the goals going to Luke Breust and Jack Gunston - to jump to a 13-point lead. A running goal to Jack Darling put West Coast on the board, but Breust's second after a free kick saw the Hawks ahead by 14 after 24 minutes. The Eagles pulled one back through Josh Hill just before quarter time, and it was Hawthorn by eight at the first break, the game seemingly evenly poised. 

West Coast made the first move of the second quarter, going 'coast to coast' after a Hawthorn behind with Darling kicking his second goal to narrow the margin to three points. But the Hawks exploded over the next eight minutes, with James Sicily and Tim O'Brien adding goals and then Breust kicking his third as they jumped out to a 21-point lead. The Eagles hit back with goals to Kennedy and Darling but another burst of three goal saw Hawthorn kick clear, and it went to the long break with a lead of 27 points. 

Jamie Cripps cut the margin back to 22 points with the first goal of the third quarter, but Hawthorn responded of two of their own via Paul Puopolo and Liam Shiels, and it was looking very much like it would be the Hawks' day. Jack Darling added his fourth at the 10-minute mark, but the only other major of the term went Hawthorn's way via O'Brien, and it was the Hawks by 31 at the last break.

Any hope of a West Coast comeback was put to bed within two minutes of the last term getting under way, with Cyril Rioli kicking his first and the captain Jarryd Roughead joined the party by kicking two in a row, the first of the pair being his 500th AFL goal. From there the game opened up with the heat out of the game, each side adding four further goals to canter to a 50-point win, climbing off the bottom of the ladder in the process.  

Ben McEvoy (43 hitouts, seven marks) and Tom Mitchell (37 possessions, six tackles) both had fine games for the victors, while Luke Shuey (33 touches and two goals) stood out for the Eagles.

Having finally tasted victory in 2017, the Hawks will go into its York Pork match against St Kilda next Saturday full of renewed confidence. In contrast, the Eagles will likely carry some self-doubts into their Derby match against Fremantle at Subiaco the following day.

GOALS
Hawthorn: O'Brien, Breust, Roughead, Gunston 3; Sicily 2; Shiels, Puopolo, Burgoyne, McEvoy, Rioli
West Coast: Darling 4; Shuey, Hill 2; Cripps, Kennedy, Redden

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Hawthorn: Mitchell, O'Brien, Rioli, Burgoyne, McEvoy, Breust, Gibson
West Coast: Shuey, Priddis, Darling, Barrass, Gaff

BEST - THE AGE
Hawthorn: McEvoy, Rioli, T Mitchell, Breust, Smith, O'Brien, Sicily, Hardwick
West Coast: Gaff, Shuey, Darling, Priddis, McGovern, Cripps, Barrass

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
West Coast: Sheppard (knee), Cripps (leg)

UMPIRES: Foot, Findlay, Pannell  

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Brad Johnson, Gerard Healy, David King