West Coast has held onto their position in the top-two after smashing the Western Bulldogs by 54 points at Optus Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The game was ultimately won in the first quarter, with the Bulldogs simply too slow to keep up with the speed and dynamism of the Eagles.
Jack Darling (three goals) and Josh Kennedy (two goals) were dangerous up front and benefited from their midfield's slick forward 50 entries, driven primarily Elliot Yeo and Andrew Gaff.
Despite the efforts of Josh Dunkley (29 disposals), Lachie Hunter (28 disposals) and some great work up forward by Mitch Wallis early on, the 26-point lead won by the Eagles in the opening term was simply too great to overcome.
It wasn't all smiles for the home side however, with skipper Shannon Hurn potentially set to spend some time on the sidelines after collecting Mitch Honeychurch high - an incident which saw the 23-year-old Dog stretchered off the field and taken to hospital.
The Bulldogs looked switched on in the opening minutes, kicking the first two goals of the game through Wallis and Luke Dahlhaus, but the Eagles came to dominate the quarter and responded with six unanswered goals.
Wallis’ kick bounced into the goals in the first 30 seconds of the game to get the Dogs off to a flyer, before the lively forward set up Dahlhaus' major just a minute later.
The visitors certainly put in a sound effort initially, but when next to the dominant Eagles' speed and slick ball movement, they looked a step behind for most of the quarter, trailing the inside 50s 10-15.
A free kick for a high tackle saw Jamie Cripps put the Eagles on the scoreboard with a clean kick from 35m out, and as the home side continued to kick into gear, Kennedy secured his first thanks to a long pass from Lewis Jetta.
With four goals kicked in just over five minutes, the high-scoring game then slowed down, with both teams struggling to gain control of the ball.
Eventually the Eagles broke free of the congestion thanks to a Bulldog turnover, allowing Mark LeCras to run onto an open goal and put his side in front for the first time.
A strategically placed kick by Willie Rioli was unable to taken advantage of by Darling, but less than 30 seconds later, Rioli showed off his kicking skills again and extended his team's lead with a nice snap of his own.
Although both teams increased their intensity and utilised quick ball movement to push the ball forward, their hard work went unrewarded and the Bulldogs' ferocity around the contest dropped as result.
The Eagles hung in however, with Nathan Vardy booting the fifth West Coast major for the term, before Daniel Venables kicked true after the siren to take the lead to 26 points.
While West Coast were still the better team in the second term, the Bulldogs stepped up their defensive work and stemmed the Eagles' barrage of goals, restricting them to just two majors for the quarter.
The Eagles' dominance looked to continue early on with Cripps kicking his second goal in the opening minute from a set shot.
It only appeared to get worse for the Bulldogs, as Dahlhaus injured his ankle and made his way to the bench and took no further part in the game.
Perhaps this spurred the Dogs on as their performance momentarily improved, with their players spreading to create much-needed space and opportunities to score.
The change in tack certainly worked, and a magnificent kick across the forward 50 found Josh Schache, who went on to kick a crucial goal for the Bulldogs.
West Coast responded with their trademark smooth movement, quickly moving the ball up the field in exciting play that at first went unrewarded, with Kennedy ultimately missing a shot on goal.
The Eagle powerhouse redeemed himself minutes later however, putting home a major that extended the margin to 33 points.
It turned out to be the Eagles' last goal of the quarter, as the Bulldogs' defence stepped up and responded better to their opposition's speed, with Hayden Crozier pivotal to their structure and intent.
But the Dogs still made costly turnovers, and the Eagles had the opportunity to score at least two more goals from intercept marks in their forward half, yet fortunately for the visitors, let their opportunities go amiss.
The Eagles ended the first half with a comfortable 34-point lead which they were keen to extend.
Yet a lacklustre third term saw the Eagles' control on the game take a backseat, as both teams struggled in the wet conditions and registered just one goal apiece.
West Coast’s dominance had so far been in their efficient ball movement and ability to quickly move it forward, yet this was hampered by the onset of rain and the Bulldogs stemming the flow of goals with an extra man in defence.
Darling marked in the forward 50 in the early stages of the opening quarter, however his inaccurate kicking continued and he slotted his third behind of the game.
The Bulldogs continued to make frustrating turnovers, at times kicking straight to their opposition, but despite this, the Eagles were unable to punish their opposition for their sloppy ball use.
Although attempting to mimic West Coast with their speedy ball movement through the centre of the ground, the Bulldogs ultimately lacked their opponents' composure - something which when combined with the Eagles' tackling pressure, forced a turnover and allowed Cripps to boot his third goal.
The visitors didn’t respond until a 50m penalty saw Jordan Roughhead score from right in front of goal; it being the first of the match for the hot-topic Bulldog, who was a fierce competitor throughout the game, clocking up seven tackles.
As the wet conditions worsened, the quality of play descended into a scrappy, congested mess, yet Jeremy McGovern seemed unfazed by inclement weather, serving as a strong figure in the Eagles' defence and taking several key intercept marks.
The uninspiring term took a turn for the worse when Mitch Honeychurch was bumped high by Shannon Hurn, with the West Coast defender bracing for contact rather than attempting to pick up the ball.
Honeychurch was stretched off the field and taken to hospital for scans, with the extent of the bump yet to be determined.
This marked the end of a quarter that although showed improvement from the Bulldogs, brought them no closer to winning, with the Eagles still boasting a 37-point lead.
The final quarter was better for both sides, with the two teams cleaning up their skills and shaking off the kicking inaccuracies which had plagued the third term.
Darling finally managed to rectify his wayward kicking, booting three majors in the final stanza.
Yeo converted for the Eagles in the opening minute and Jack Macrae soon responded for the Dogs, followed by Darling’s first of the match after his flurry of behinds.
Jason Johannisen lifted for his team and snapped a slick goal, but the margin was too high too late in the game, for it to make any real difference.
Johannisen's six points he had gained were soon lost after a lack of defensive pressure saw Darling run towards an open goal to jag his second, with no Bulldog players tailing him.
The Eagles' speed - which had made the first term so exciting - returned, and they moved the ball down the corridor with flair in a passage of play that brought cheers from the stands.
As the footy made its way again to Darling - who was this time double-teamed - the West Coast powerhouse scored his third with a dribble kick, before the Bulldogs' backline seemingly relented as LeCras jagged his second to bring the final margin to 54 points.
West Coast will be looking to snag their 14th win of the season next Saturday against North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena, while the Western Bulldogs will hope to redeem themselves against Port Adelaide at Mars Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
WEST COAST 6.4 8.9 9.15 14.16 (100)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.2 3.5 4.8 6.10 (46)
GOALS
West Coast: Cripps 3, Darling 3, Kennedy 2, LeCras 2, Rioli, Vardy, Venables, Yeo
Western Bulldogs: Wallis, Dahlhaus, Schache, Roughead, Macrae, Johannisen
BEST
West Coast: Yeo, Gaff, McGovern, Darling
Bulldogs: Hunter, Dunkley, Roughhead, Wallis
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Honeychurch (concussion), Dahlhaus (ankle)
TALKING POINTS
1. HURN SOURS HONEYCHURCH'S AFTERNOON
West Coast fans will be nervously waiting to hear whether star defender Shannon Hurn will miss any game-time, after a high bump on Mitch Honeychurch which saw the Bulldog sent to hospital.
While the act didn’t seem to be deliberate, it will undoubtedly come under MRO scrutiny, and may force the Eagles' defensive general to watch next week's clash against North Melbourne.
With the Roos desperate to remain in touch the top-eight, the loss of Hurn could be invaluable the North Melbourne forward set-up.
The Bulldogs will also be anxious to see whether Honeychurch will be fit for next week, with the young Dog's sporadic season set to continue as he struggles to piece together more than a handful of games at a time.
2. NO NAITANUI NOT A PROBLEM TODAY, BUT IT WILL BE SOON
The loss of premier ruckman Nic Naitanui to a second knee injury was undoubtedly devastating news for the Eagles, with several instantly predicting West Coast wouldn't advance far in the finals without him.
But today, his absence didn’t seem to bother them, proving to the rest of the competition they can still perform without their star ruckman.
Nathan Vardy and Scott Lycett both filled the void, and without discrediting them or the Western Bulldogs, they were performing against second-tier ruckmen in Tom Boyd and Jordan Roughead - the latter of whom are more at home in the forward and back end respectively.
It could be a different story when Eagles play stronger sides come finals, and his absence may be of greater consequence than today.
With Todd Goldstein in superb form, the young West Coast ruckmen will certainly be put to the test next week in their clash against North Melbourne.
3. EAGLES SET FOR TOP-TWO
Today’s win is important for the Eagles in maintaining a top-two position on the ladder, and puts them on par with Richmond in terms of points.
They are now one game clear of third-placed Collingwood, and two games ahead of fourth and fifth on the ladder, Port Adelaide and Sydney respectively.
Should they continue to play at the same level, the Eagles will secure those vital home finals and that all-important second chance.
With just two games left at Optus Stadium however and West Coast's less than sterling reputation at the MCG, nothing is a guarantee.
Comentarios