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West Coast are just one win away from sealing a home qualifying final after a 77 point win over the Western Bulldogs at Domain Stadium.
WEST COAST 25 12 162
WESTERN BULLDOGS 13 7 85
After a close contest for three quarters, the Eagles kicked away in the last, scoring nine goals to one to smash the Bulldogs in the end.
Seven goals to Josh Kennedy, who pretty much sealed the Coleman Medal, also put the Eagles just two points behind the Dockers in the race for the minor premiership.
>>MATCH REPORT: Josh Kennedy stars as Eagles belt Bulldogs
It will be an interesting final two weeks in the minor season of the AFL.
The game started, like the Round 1 clash, with both teams not afraid to score against each other.
Both teams exchanged the first four goals with the Bulldogs kicking straighter and leading by one point at the half way mark of the term.
The Eagles though would kick away in the final five minutes of real time, as they kicked three of the last four goals in the opening quarter.
Josh Kennedy kicked two goals as the Eagles led by 15 points at quarter time.
By the time he had his third goal for the match, after a couple minutes of the second quarter, the Eagles were 19 points ahead and about to run away with the game.
The Bulldogs though responded as Jesse Stringer, Stewart Crameri, and Tory Dickson kicked three straight goals to reduce the margin to 1 point.
The game then went goal for goal again before the Eagles again kicked away in red time.
Two goals to one, in the last five minutes of real time, gave the Eagles a 16 point lead at half time.
The Eagles looked to kick away in the third term but were unable to do so as Jesse Stringer kept the Bulldogs in the game.
He would be involved in all of the Bulldogs goals for the third term, and kicked his 5th goal in the process, to keep the Bulldogs at around 3 goals behind with 7 minutes to go.
Once again the Eagles would kick away though in red time as they added another two goals to lead by 29 points at the final change.
They would add 40 points to just 7 in the last five minutes of real time in the first three quarters of the match.
That broke the back of the Bulldogs and they relented in the final term as the Eagles kicked away.
Nine goals to one would give them a big win and show to the rest of the competition just how hard it is to beat them in Perth.
They also smashed the Bulldogs at the contest.
Disposals were +48, contested possession were +34, marks were +18, and hit outs were a staggering +42.
The Bulldogs didn’t play bad but they just struggled to match the Eagles at the contest.
Their run saved them.
They now need to respond quickly with a big game against the Kangaroos next week. The Eagles can wrap up 2nd next week with a win against the Crows. They are the in-form team in the competition at the moment.
After a shock loss by Hawthorn on Friday night against Port Adelaide, West Cost need just two more wins to seal a home final in the first week.
That could start today against a Bulldogs team who are also fighting for position in the top four. A win today would move them back into the top four after Sydney won yesterday by 89 points over GWS.
This promises to be a quality match with both teams in form. West Coast last week knocked off the ladder leaders Fremantle in the West Australian derby as they kicked the first six goals of the match to eventually win by 24 points.
The Bulldogs, who kicked the first twelve goals of last week’s match against Melbourne, played the best half of football I’ve seen this year. They smashed the Demons and have won four straight matches.
A trip to Perth won’t daunt them either but they have lost eight of their last ten against the Eagles at Domain Stadium.
They have made three changes for the match with Matt Boyd, Liam Picken, and Sam Darley out. Daniel Pearce, Jake Johannisen, and Roarke Smith come in to replace the three who comes out.
Smith will play his first game for the club after being elevated from the rookie list during the week. He becomes the ninth player to debut for the club this year.
West Coast have made four changes after that bruising encounter against Fremantle. Chris Masten, Sam Butler, Will Schofield, and Scott Lycett are out. All of them are injured, except for Masten, who got suspended for biting Nick Suban last week.
Replacing them are Mark LeCras, Nic Naitanui, Murray Newman, and Jackson Nelson.
It is fantastic to see Naitanui back after he missed two games following the passing of his mother. He will be a big addition to the Eagles and it is good to see him back playing football when he was ready to play.
These two teams faced each other in the opening round of the season, with the Bulldogs winning by 10 points in a frantic game.
If the Bulldogs can stretch the Eagles, and run well with the ball like in Round 1, then they are every chance of causing the upset.
The forward lines look to be a talking point as well. With so many injuries to the Eagles, can they hold on against a Bulldogs team with plenty of options? In contrast can the Bulldogs handle the tall forwards in Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling?
This match could be one of the best in the season. Both teams have everything to play for, and there is almost nothing between the two.
The larger Subiaco Oval will also suit both teams.
With the form the Bulldogs are in, they can defeat the Eagles, and cause the upset. Don’t be surprised if they win as the Eagles struggle to create intensity after the derby last weekend.
Prediction – Bulldogs by 10.
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