Australian Football

Match Report

In a crucial match at Subiaco on Friday night, sixth-placed West Coast caused an upset win over top side Hawthorn to keep its own top four chances alive and send the Hawks tumbling to fourth and in danger of losing the double chance in the finals. The Eagles started strongly and held off all Hawthorn challenges, including a strong one in the last term, to win by 25 points. The game came at a heavy cost to both sides, when each team's ruckman - Eagle Nic Naitanui and Hawthorn's Jonathon Ceglar both sustained knee injuries in the final term. The worst was confirmed the following day, both players having ruptured ACLs that will necessitate 12 months on the sidelines.

West Coast started strongly and did all the scoring in the first 10 minutes, a goal after a mark to Josh Kennedy accompanied by two behinds as the Eagles took an eight-point lead. Hawthorn finally hit the scoreboard with a goal to Jack Gunston and, when Luke Breust followed up with another, the Hawks were ahead by four points midway through the term. Kennedy's second after a strong mark had the Eagles back in front going into time on and a follow-up goal from ex-Swan Lewis Jetta extended their lead to nine. Kennedy then bobbed up again with another strong mark and his third goal took the lead to 15 and that was extended to 20 when Jack Darling marked and goaled just before the quarter-time siren.

Goals proved hard to come by in the early stages of the second quarter, By half way though the term, each side had kicked added just one behind. Darling finally broke the drought after 15 minutes, with his goal taking the Eagles' lead to 26 points but the Hawks responded almost immediately through Paul Puopolo. The goals suddenly flowed freely after that, the next three going West Coast's way via Elliot Yeo, Kennedy and Mark LeCras to take the margin out to a game-high 38 points before a major to James Sicily had Hawthorn back within 32 points at the long break, only just hanging on.

Hawthorn scored the first goal of the third quarter via Shaun Burgoyne to cut the margin to 28 points but couldn't build on that momentum, with Darling responding with his third major at the seven-minute mark. Gunston and Sicily kicked the next two as the Hawks looked to finally mount a sustained challenge, but West Coast responded equally as strongly, adding 2.3 to nil for the remainder of the term, LeCras and Luke Shuey kicking the goals, to lead by a commanding 41 points at the last change of ends.

The Hawks needed to come out with an early last-quarter goal and they did just that with a centre clearance that ended in the hands of Jordan Lewis who goaled inside the first minute. But once again, Hawthorn could not find a follow-up goal and Kennedy's fifth from 45 metres out at the six-minute mark had the Eagles ahead by 41 once more. Hawthorn then attacked incessantly as it tried for one final time to get back in the match. It had its chances, too, but kicked four successive behinds before a straight kick from Brendan Whitecross had them back within 31. After another miss to Isaac Smith Burgoyne kicked truly at the 24-minute mark to cut the margin to four goals but time had run out on the Hawks, the Eagles holding on to win by 25 points.

Andrew Gaff was pivotal to the Eagles' win, with 38 disposals and four marks, while skipper Luke Hodge toiled hard all night for Hawthorn, taking seven marks and collecting 28 touches. 

The losses of Naitanui and Ceglar loom as crucial to West Coast and the Hawks, and they will have to regroup quickly with only one gam remaining before the finals. The Eagles will take o Adelaide in Adelaide on Friday night, with a win possibly giving them a place in the top four. A loss on the other hand, will likely see them finish seventh. For Hawthorn, the difference between a win and a loss in their last match against Collingwood on Sunday is potential huge. Depending on other results, the Hawks could conceivably still top the ladder with a win, but a loss to the Pies could see them finish as low as seventh and heading into a knock-out final. 

GOAL
West Coast: Kennedy 5; Darling 3; LeCras 2; Jetta, Yeo, Shuey
Hawthorn: Gunston, Sicily, Burgoyne 2; Breust, Puopolo, Lewis, Whitecross

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
West Coast: Gaff, Priddis, Kennedy, Masten, McGovern, LeCras
Hawthorn: Hodge, Birchall, Lewis, Burgoyne, Sicily

BEST - HERALD SUN
West Coast: Kennedy, McGovern, Gaff, Priddis, Masten, Hutchings
Hawthorn: Hodge, Burgoyne, Smith, Lewis, Hartung, Gunston

INJURIES
West Coast: Naitanui (left knee), Lycett (leg)
Hawthorn: Ceglar (right knee), Langford (illness) replaced in selected side by Sicily

UMPIRES: Margetts, Nicholls, McInerney

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Dennis Cometti, Brian Taylor, Wayne Carey, Cameron Ling, Matthew Richardson