By late in the third quarter of West Coast’s dominant qualifying final victory over Hawthorn, with the margin at 37 points and the game virtually over, the Eagles had been brilliant, breathtaking even, but something was missing. And then it wasn’t.
From the centre bounce Nic Naitanui rose up, winked at the heavens and palmed the ball with deftness and force over the top of Ben McEvoy and Jordan Lewis to hit a running Luke Shuey in perfect stride for the cinematic centre clearance the game had lacked to that point. This was the moment that the West Coast Eagles dropped the mic on the 2015 AFL season.
It was around this time that the state of play stopped resembling one hungrier team out-performing another – it began to feel like one superior unit demolishing an inferior one into submission.
At half-time, even with West Coast’s imposing five goal to nothing second term, it felt inevitable that the Hawks would mount a ferocious comeback. The only question was whether it would fall short. When the Hawks opened the third quarter with the first four scoring shots, nobody was surprised. But then the Eagles flipped the script.
Mark LeCras’ chest started to draw the ball like a magnet, the Eagles ramped up their tackling pressure and they starting controlling the clearances. A 21-point lead had blown out to 50 by three quarter time and the game was over. Hawthorn’s comeback died before it could even get into second gear – West Coast drove into them with a semi-trailer before they left the parking lot.
The Hawks did not play well on Friday night. They fumbled the ball uncharacteristically, turned it over with shocking regularity, and rarely executed the first kick in their forays forward, let alone the final one. Jarryd Roughead and Cyril Rioli were wasteful in front of goal and Luke Hodge was a ghost in the first half. James Frawley played with an intensity that would have been more suited to a Melbourne versus Carlton tanking battle. And yet, this game was never about the Hawks’ self-inflicted wounds – it was about the Eagles never lifting their foot off Hawthorn’s throat.
Finals are as much platforms and spectacles as they are games of football. They’re moments for players to confirm their reputations or to re-invent them. We already knew that Josh Kennedy, Luke Shuey, Nic Naitanui and Mark LeCras were stars, but Friday night was a testament to exactly how bright they can shine.
Kennedy has established himself as the best forward in the game, and when his teammates couldn’t land the finishing blows in the second quarter, he stepped up with three game-shaping majors. Shuey was the game’s toughest competitor, extracting the ball from congestion, smashing through brick walls and having the class to dish deft handballs to teammates on the outside.
Naitanui’s 40 hitouts were 15 more than anyone else, and his aerial superiority made him the most influential player on the ground at stages. LeCras effectively ended the game in the third quarter, with his clinical performance proof that in the heat of finals toughness, finesse can be just as imposing as brawn.
Victorians might not be as aware of the Eagles’ exciting youth movement, but they got a stunning look at it Friday night. Brad Sheppard is already a star – composed beyond his years with incisive kicking skills and a remarkable ability to read the play. Mark Hutchings has been a revelation, with his hardened frame and tireless running ensuring that he never for a second looked out of place in a midfield battle that featured the likes of Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis, Andrew Gaff and Luke Shuey. Jamie Cripps is the player we all think Chris Mayne should be. Elliot Yeo is just a hell of a lot of fun.
The working class veterans all stood up too, with Matt Rosa in particular among the game’s best. Sam Butler and Xavier Ellis don’t look like much, but they’re walking clichés of the ‘they just do their job’ axiom. Sharrod Wellingham tormented Collingwood fans with occasional flashes of brilliance against a more consistent canvas of ‘what the hell are you doing, Sharrod?’ Remarkably, he’s re-invented himself as a composed half-back flanker, and in a qualifying final against freaking Hawthorn he was one of the coolest heads on the ground. That in itself is a comeback of Daniel Menzel proportions.
The Eagles are a team in the mould of the 2010 Magpies, the team Wellingham won a premiership with. Like those Pies, the Eagles hunt in packs and they win by creating fierce, unrelenting waves of pressure that generate turnovers and quick scores on the counter-attack. They’re not the most polished with their disposal (the Eagles are 10th in the competition for effective disposal percentage – the 2010 Pies were seventh) but they don’t have to be – their pace out of the contest and the space that they have after turnovers gives them a wider margin for error with their delivery than anyone else in the league.
When Collingwood annihilated a Geelong side coming off three consecutive grand finals in the 2010 preliminary final, it felt like a prelude to a premiership (which, after one false start, it was). The Eagles similarly destroyed a side coming off three consecutive grand finals, and the flag sentiment is very much the same.
The scary thing for Hawthorn and the rest of the competition is that the Eagles still have a huge scope for improvement. Matthew Priddis, the Brownlow medallist and the Eagles’ best player, will come back for the preliminary final, as will Chris Masten. It’s unclear what the Western obsession is with not taking advantage of a ruckman’s dominance, but the Eagles got belted in the clearances by Hawthorn despite Naitanui’s superiority. With Priddis returning and the lessons learned from Friday night, that shouldn’t happen again.
The premiership will be no cakewalk for the Eagles. The Hawks are proud, and they should go in favourites for their next two games. Fremantle has been unconvincing but can’t be written off. The prospect of playing a champion Hawthorn side in a grand final (which, it must be said, the Eagles still have to get to, no matter how academic that seems at this stage) at the MCG going for a three-peat is not enticing.
But premierships aren’t won by ominous prospects or the spectre of history – they’re won by the best team. If nothing else, after Friday night the Eagles have at least earned that title for now.
JB
Guest
Crowds are silent in tennis? You've clearly NEVER seen a Davis cup match. I don't know how you can make these sweeping assumptions that "there is no home team advantage" in x, y and z sports with absolutely nothing to back it up. Do you really think people will just believe what you say for no apparent reason? Especially when you clearly aren't a real fan of at least some of these sports you're mentioning.
jax
Guest
It was a joy to read this - it encapsulates, the moment, the game, the players and so much more just perfectly!
Don Freo
Guest
Not watching any Freo games? Fancy posting comments on a footy site without watching the best team in the comp.
Ken
Guest
And it would have been Lurch's first contested mark of the year too!
Dean N
Guest
I have to agree with you. As a WCE supporter I fear Fremantle far more than Hawthorn at the moment, they generally match up better on us
Don Freo
Guest
Nah...just an explanation as to why Freo fans are not worried when those who don't watch Freo games tell us we should be. It illustrates that we were comfortably in control. We might need tissues for the excitement in our nether regions but not for any tears.
Nifty
Roar Rookie
Tissues
Brian
Guest
I'm not an expert but if you look at professional sports where the crowd is taken out of the equation home advantage is between none and negligible. - In the NBA Finals where trhe best referees are deployed they have found no "real" home court advantage since the video referee was introduced - In Golf or Tennis where crowds are silent then other then the choice of court surface there is no advantage - In European football finals held in home countries but where the crowd is split like the AFL GF the home team has no advantage. There is something about 40,000 yelling when a player is infringed that affects the human psychology even of well practiced umpires. That is the biggest advantage of playing at home.
Don Freo
Guest
And all that is without mentioning Sandi's mark. That was indisputable. Margetts and Chamberlain?
Doctor Rotcod
Guest
Just watched the game again from the point of view of the umpiring In the first half, Puopolo and Suckling probably deserved frees,but Lewis on Hutchings,nah, Hale's headfirst slide should have gone against him.Two for,two against.Mitchell was tackled in front of goal and dropped the ball, no free.Two for, three against The second half is a different story.The Hodge on Selwood free wasn't -no chance to move it on.Stratton held Darling,no free,Langford deliberate out-of-bounds, not paid,all the others were. The Mitchell free on Shuey was meant to go the other way, although Mitchell's knee,the dirtiest part of his body, went where he meant it to go Speaking of Mitchell and the rave review he got.If you look at his disposals, great kicking, to Shuey twice, to Cripps, to McGovern twice,and that's just the marks- to three on ones, to players under the pump.I'm not surprised Simpson doesn't think he rates a tag
Don Freo
Guest
Freo and WC have no real problem with Domain. Yet Hawthorn uses it as an excuse. Imagine if WC or Freo used that as an excuse for losing to the Hawks in Tassie...as if!
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
"Rick – Home ground advantage is negligible on GF day because you don’t get the home crowd advantage." When I get the time, I'm going to do an article on this very topic. I asked this question at a sports injury management conference earlier this year and got some interesting responses for the sports science guys in the room. I've also been hunting around for research papers on the topic, much of which has been done in America when it comes to the travelling affects on basketball and baseball teams. You will be surprised, but from what I've read it's more the travel and time zones that make the difference, especially when you travel from east to west. You may think that only two times zone isn't much, but the research in the states does not suggest this. Like I said, when I get time, I'll do an article on this. "Its also why the stats show Victorian clubs have won less then 50% of GF against interstate opponents" The data pool there isn't large enough to draw any real conclusions. I'd also say the interstate teams in those years were probably better teams anyway. The Crows you could perhaps argue weren't in 98 coming from 5th, but I could argue they were the best team based on percentage for that year too.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
@ spruce "So this GF will actually be a very fair contest." Too many variables there, but it's good you acknowledge the variables to begin with. For example, the WCE in their prelim might lose half its team, then it won't be a very fair GF. Simple fact is, home ground advantage is real and is backed up by data all around the world. To what degree that advantage is...well that's debatable, but nonetheless exists. As such, my argument holds weight in the real world. How people chose to value such an advantage is completely subjective and is why I believe the 'best' football team is not necessarily based upon who wins the premiership under the current structure. @ Beny “Should the Hawks win, they will always ask the question: were we really the best in winning that three peat" That's a figure of speech - I didn't mean to be literal with it. I'm sure most will not care at Hawthorn, but people like me certainly might ask it. If the Hawks flog the WCE in the GF (should they both make it) then I certainly *won't* be thinking that either. Go figure hey! "What’s the highest level sport you’ve played anyway?" I played for the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL in the 90's. You? Not sure what this has to do with anything though. Does that make my opinion any more or less correct Beny?
Smithy
Guest
I agree, the team that wins the 2015 GF will be the 'best' team in 2015.
Brian
Guest
They have done well, what's frustrating from an opposition point of view is that the WCE backline is short and skillful. They are damaging on turnovers and yet because NicNat is so good you never get to test them with quick ball in. When Adelaide belted them a few weeks ago in NicNat's return game and with Jacobs dominating it was a reminder of the problem of a short backline. But Hawthorn were never able to get quick clearances and so it was irrelevant. I think Simpson has taken the Hawthorn model and improved it with a dominant ruck so your backs aren't exposed as often
Beny Iniesta
Guest
To quote you Rick. "Should the Hawks win, they will always ask the question: were we really the best in winning that three peat, or did we get over the line due to the WCE being handicapped?" No actually. They won't. What's the highest level sport you've played anyway? That statement is just flat out wrong.
Brian
Guest
Rick - Home ground advantage is negligible on GF day because you don't get the home crowd advantage. If Hawthorn played WCE in Perth with a non-partisan crowd its a totally different game. I'm not suggseting the umpiring cost us a game in which WCE were far superior however some of the decisions in the 2nd quarter or on out of bounds were one-sided and crowd influenced. Nothing wrong there WCE deserved the home final but its not how a GF should be won. Which is why it belongs at the MCG. Its also why the stats show Victorian clubs have won less then 50% of GF against interstate opponents.
Lroy
Guest
agree, Hutchings, Sheppard, Yeo Cripps and Wellingham I dont think get much press over in the east, but each one of them is a gun in his own way. Hutchings goes in hard, gets bashed, keeps coming back for more, gets plenty of ball, pumps if forward.. Sheppard has been solid ever since he made his debut back 4 years ago. Yeo just loves the rough stuff. Cripps is faster than he looks and is deadly in front of goal. Wellingham, he is class act who has made his home on the half back flank. As good as the Eagles guns are, its this less well know brigade (could probably include Xavier Ellis to be fair) who have taken the Eagles from an 8-9th ranked side to the cusp of the grand final. Love the way these guys go about their work. Keep goin fellas!!!
johno
Guest
Geez Sydney must be rubbish if they lose 2 or 3 players and its an NEAFL side. West Coast were without 6 , including the current Brownlow medalist, and they can still play decent footy. Freo were with out McPharlin and Griffen, 2 first choice players, and we can still play decent enough footy to win. Sydney lose a few players and all of a sudden its their seconds who apparently haven't learnt which sticks you have to kick it through to score a goal. Still had their first choice ruck, best midfielders in Kennedy and Hanneberry (you know the bloke who won the AFLCA player of the year). Still had Grundy, Richards, Shaw in defence. Sure they were without Buddy but they had Tippett, Freo have Pav ..... that's it. Just Pav as the tall forward. I am sick of hearing "brave Sydney" "undermanned Sydney". I'd like to hear more of "Walters sliced them up" and "Ballas is back!". Whingers!
spruce moose
Guest
I can't exactly argue with your last paragraphs there. But do remember you're entire original argument on claiming that it would be wrong to call the Hawks the best if they beat WC the grand final is based on a slightly erroneous base. To answer this question: Do you think the Hawks have an advantage over the WCE should they play off in a GF on their home ground? Answer: Should WC and Hawks meet in the grand final (which we both believe they will), then there is no home ground advantage that could be exploited. They went out to Subi and lost in week 1. Therefore they have to travel again + play an additional game. This more than adequately negates any home ground advantage. Hawks will have the home ground, WC will have the fresh legs and a game in hand. I'd take the latter anyday of the week in what will be a very physical match. So this GF will actually be a very fair contest. If the Hawks win, then under those parameters, they are absolutely the best. If the Eagles win, then they are the best.