After a slow start, the West Coast Eagles left Melbourne in their dust in the final quarter, recording a nine-goal win.
>> MATCH REPORT: Darling boots five as Eagles soar above Dees
The Demons wilted on a hot night in Darwin, while Eagles forward Jack Darling showed he is back to his best after recovering from a stress fracture in the off-season, kicking a bag of five goals.
Melbourne 9.6.60 def. by West Coast 16.18.114
The Melbourne Demons will be eyeing a big upset this week when they host the West Coast Eagles at TIO Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7.10pm Local, 7.40pm AEST.
Both teams have improved this year but it’s fair to say that it’s the Eagles who have been the big improvers, stunning the AFL world to jump into top four contention despite a raft of long term injuries.
Melbourne’s rise hasn’t been quite so stunning, or so far, but they’ve certainly taken a step up from the abysmally bad performances they’ve put in over the last few years. While they’ve had some bad days this year, they’ve been less in number.
On top of that, their massive scalp with a win over Geelong before the bye last week at Simonds Stadium just screams “breakthrough win”.
So can they press for an upset this week? While they’ll be going in with some confidence and momentum after that effort last week, this one might just be a bit too far for them to be a serious prospect.
That said if there’s one thing I know about footy, it’s that anything can happen, so don’t count them out.
The Dees are buoyed by the returns of Colin Garland and Jesse Hogan this week, while Heritier Lumumba will miss with a foot injury and Aiden Riley has been omitted. For the Eagles, Sam Butler is back with Matt Rosa dropped.
Prediction
The Dees have certainly taken a step forward this year, but they’re still well short of beating the Eagles.
West Coast by 36 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7.10pm Local, 7.40pm AEST.
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FULL TIME MELBOURNE 9.6.60 WEST COAST 16.18.114
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GOAL WEST COAST First goal of the year for Jeremy McGovern who's spent most of his time deep in defence this year. Game nearly over. MELBOURNE 9.6.60 WEST COAST 16.18.114
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GOAL MELBOURNE Jesse Hogan kicks a late consolation goal, his first of the night. MELBOURNE 9.6.60 WEST COAST 15.18.108
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GOAL WEST COAST Jamie Cripps with his second for the night. MELBOURNE 8.6.54 WEST COAST 15.18.108
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GOAL WEST COAST Luke Shuey kicks a late goal. MELBOURNE 8.6.54 WEST COAST 14.18.102
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BEHIND WEST COAST Another rushed one for the Eagles. MELBOURNE 7.7.55 WEST COAST 13.18.96
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BEHIND WEST COAST Rushed behind Eagles. MELBOURNE 7.7.55 WEST COAST 13.17.95
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BEHIND WEST COAST Josh J Kennedy with a behind. Has 2.4 for the night. MELBOURNE 7.7.55 WEST COAST 13.16.94
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GOAL WEST COAST Mark LeCras slots his first goal of the night. MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 13.15.93
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BEHIND WEST COAST Josh J Kennedy has a set shot which veers to the left. MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 11.15.87
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GOAL WEST COAST Jack Darling - two in a row, five for the night! Big game. MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 11.14.86
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GOAL WEST COAST Jack Darling marks up forward and gets a 50m penalty given away by Lynden Dunn. He slots his fourth from the top of the goalsquare. MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 10.14.80
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Final term underway.
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Eagles not playing at their best but doing well enough in the heat to keep ahead of Melbourne. 20 points up at the final change should be enough to get them home, though Melbourne are within striking distance if they turn it on.
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3-QUARTER TIME MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 9.14.74
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BEHIND WEST COAST Luke Shuey kicks a behind. MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 9.14.74
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GOAL MELBOURNE Jeff Garlett snaps through a great goal, his second for the night. MELBOURNE 7.6.54 WEST COAST 9.13.73