The Melbourne Demons are playing finals for the first time in more than a decade, after overcoming the West Coast Eagles to win by 17 points.
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Final score
West Coast Eagles 14.7.91
Melbourne Demons 16.12.108
It’s a simple equation for both sides today: win and you’re in. With two contrasting game styles and perfect weather conditions on a pristine football field, this one shapes as a potential match of the season.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, live from Optus Stadium, starting from 3:20pm AEST.
For West Coast, a win guarantees them a top two finish and a home qualifying final against either Collingwood, Hawthorn or Sydney, and an opportunity to be a bit choosy at the selection table next weekend.
A loss would see their No.2 seeding come down to the final round, though they’d still need to lose to the Brisbane Lions for that to come to pass.
For Melbourne, a win guarantees them a finals spot as it would see them move a full game plus ten goals of percentage over Geelong in eighth.
It also, incredibly, puts a top-four finish in the frame should they salute against the GWS Giants in Round 23 and Collingwood (somehow…) lose against Fremantle. Even without a Dockers win Melbourne could still finish as high as fifth.
A loss means seventh is as high as they can finish, and they’ll be duking it out with Geelong, Port Adelaide and North Melbourne – the latter needing to win later on today against the Adelaide Crows.
In short, this looms as a season-defining game for both teams, and I’m thrilled to be making my live blogging debut in such compelling circumstances.
Where today promises to be most interesting is the tactical battle. West Coast has made its dough playing the kick-mark game, controlling the pace of play and using their skills to carve teams up on the outside.
The Eagles like to use the full width of the ground, creating angles and attacking lanes that are hard for zone-based schemes to counter.
Melbourne, in stark contrast, play the AFL’s equivalent of the grid iron I-formation. It is numbers at the coalface and a stacked centre corridor, leaving the wings open to break once possession is won.
Whomever can impose their style on the opposition for more of the game will have the upper hand.
It’s a delightful Perth spring day – though it’s still winter of course – with nary a cloud in the sky, a light Easterly breeze and temperature in the mid-20s.
These may not have been the conditions football’s Victorian founders saw regularly, but there is little doubt they are the best conditions to play in.
Both teams are down a spearhead and an A-class midfielder – Josh Kennedy and Andrew Gadd, and Jesse Hogan and Jack Viney respectively – but otherwise look in as good a shape as you could expect a club to be with two home and away games remaining. All signs point to an excellent afternoon ahead.
Melbourne has a goal-and-a-bit head start over West Coast on most markets, a relatively low mark all things considered given West Coast is 9-2 with a percentage in the 130s at its new home ground this season.
All signs point to an Eagles victory for mine, though should the Dees get the game they want – heady, bullocking and frantic – then they are in with a mighty shout.
Prediction
West Coast by 24 points.
Confused
Guest
What is the rule when a player is out-of-bounds and the umpire calls play on? My understanding is that it's a throw-in BUT it is never called. It happens in every game. If siren has gone then the player kick doesn't count. Another example of the umpires don't apply the rules instead their own set of rules. Please correct me if I'm wrong cause I'm Confused.
Jungle Jim
Guest
Clearly the better team on the day won - congrats to Demons, they earn't it! No point blaming umps or JD out. Eagles were beaten around the contest by a better midfield. Also out-coached. Can the Eagles be dismantled now without NN and Gaff and JK. JK and JD back together should straighten them up and improve their structures. After missing a few weeks of footy will JK be cherry ripe for finals or out of touch? From this point on as an Eagles supporter I am not convinced they will make a GF and am buckling up for a bumpy road..a week is along itme in footy .
User
Roar Rookie
No doubt, poor umpiring but darling going down was the deciding factor. Still comfortable with were WC are placed
User
Roar Rookie
Roflmao firstly Swans showed that in round one, second it's fair to say with jk absence darling was the player WC could least afford to lose in the first. Keep dreaming it's still a tigers v WC grand final.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Huge win by Demons and showed WCE can be beaten at home. They couldn't lose their home final in the last round could they? Could they? As for the Demons, who will face them in a knockout final?
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
What the hell is going on with umpiring? A goal umpire with an uninterrupted side on view of the goal calls for a review of a WC goal that shown from the same angle to viewers has you asking, why did this guy need to review? If he couldn't make a decision, then he shouldn't be there. Then the most ridiculous decision of the game. A WC player outside the boundary in the Melb pocket with 4.45 left in last quarter, is told to play on and runs 3 paces out of bounds with a boundary umpire a metre away. WTF? He's out of bounds and an umpire says it's OK to play on? Why? When did this change? It happened in the Casey v Box Hill VFL game yesterday too! The umpire telling the player it's OK to play on outside the boundary HAS to sanctioned by the AFL rule, doesn't it?
anon
Roar Pro
West Coast have a banana peel in Brisbane at the Gabba next week. Looks like heavy rain predicted for next Sunday.
Kurt
Guest
Oh dear. Don't kid yourself, umpiring was fine. As with every game there was the odd decision that was a bit iffy, but Eagles won overall free kick count 18-14.
Birdman
Roar Rookie
WC didn't get the rub of the green but hard to deny the Dees. Darling's injury was a bigger factor IMO
Damo
Guest
Always on the cards once Darling went down. Well done to the Dees, may the most of it.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
I can hear already hear all the Range Rovers returning from the slopes. September awaits
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Who would've thought the Lions may well control the destiny of the 2018 final series?
Birdman
Roar Rookie
Thanks for your fine work today, Ryan.
Botticelli
Guest
Umpiring so disappointing. Melbourne were handed it on a plate.
Birdman
Roar Rookie
Dees booking a final berth while leaving the Eagles still to secure a top 2 finish if the Lions have it in them next week.
Ryan Buckland
Expert
And the fans are heading for the exits.
Ryan Buckland
Expert
Q4 - 28m - And that's probably the game. Melbourne finds Jake Melksham unmarked deep inside 50. He takes his full 30 seconds and kicks the goal. Melbourne by 17 points. West Coast: 14.7 (91) Melbourne: 16.12 (108)
Ryan Buckland
Expert
Q4 - 27m - Dean Kent takes a mark just inside 50 from some good work from Christian Salem, and he kicks the goal. Melbourne's up by 11 points, with two minutes on the game clock. Tough ask for West Coast from here. West Coast: 14.7 (91) Melbourne: 15.12 (102)
Ryan Buckland
Expert
Max Gawn has gone behind the ball at this stoppage.
Ryan Buckland
Expert
Q4 - 24m - Elliot Yeo takes a huge mark to help West Coast exit Melbourne's half of the ground, but they can't capitalise with a poor entry kick. Melbourne by five, and they've started to slow the game down. West Coast: 14.7 (91) Melbourne: 14.12 (96)