Another year, another season that West Coast have flattered to deceive and failed to deliver.
Despite a promising opening to the season, the Eagles are destined to once again exit a finals series too early, if they even get there, and they will entrench their position as the most underwhelming ‘good’ team of recent times. And yes, all of this despite winning the flag in 2018.
West Coast looked the goods early, with a strong win against the impressive Suns, a close loss to the Dogs on the road in one of the home-and-away games of the season, and a dominant performance back at home against Port.
Perhaps this was going to be the year they rid themselves of the flat-track bully accusation. Nope.
There was a five-goal win over Collingwood at home in Round 5, but so what. Either side of that is where the true Eagles spirit lies.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
In Round 4, West Coast hit Marvel again to take on St Kilda. The Saints lost by 75 points the week before and 86 points the week after, so it’s hard to make a case they were in peak form. This was certainly so as the Eagles ran up a six-goal lead late in the third term.
As we know, West Coast wilted like a petunia in conceding the last eight goals of the game, offering meek resistance. It was a phenomenally weak effort against the most disappointing club of the year.
The next time they were in Victoria, the Eagles were so keen to atone for their performance against the Saints, they only kicked two goals after quarter time as they went down by a full 97 points to Geelong.
And this was a Cats team that was barely going at the time, having struggled to overcome North Melbourne the week before, amid losses to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
A team with designs on contention simply can’t be forgiven for putting up these sort of efforts.
West Coast have since beaten Fremantle, Hawthorn away and Adelaide at home. Whoopty-doo.
Two more tests were to come: an injury-ravaged GWS away followed by Essendon at home. Fail. Fail.
Similar to the Saints loss, the first of these was off the back of a five-goal lead. The second was at what has still been considered a fortress, albeit against a series of below average opponents.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Outside of the 2018 finals series, disappointment has been the consistent theme of the Eagles. This has been a team that possesses enough quality to finish top two on the ladder in 2015 and 2018, with the DNA of those sides still at the club.
The Eagles have had what is surely the best spine of the last decade with Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling, Nic Naitanui, Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass. They were able to win a flag without Naitanui too, so he should have been the cherry on top in subsequent years.
Outside of the five mentioned above they’ve had many very good, if not great, players.
But this is a group that seems to pick and choose. Bullies at home, soft on the road. We saw them crumble in the hub early last season, but were more than happy to turn up when back in the comfort of home and peel off six wins in a row when given half a dozen consecutive games at Optus Stadium.
For a supposedly hardened professional football team, it was embarrassing.
This lack of edge, and getting done what they have had the talent to do, has proven incredibly costly over the last two years.
West Coast finished one game outside the top four in 2019. Heading into the final round, they were sitting in third with a home game against non-finalist Hawthorn to come. They lost it by 38 points.
(Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
In 2020, they were one win short of taking third spot on the ladder, and then lost their elimination final at home to a visiting Collingwood. Talk about sliding doors. But this is what they do.
Yes, the Eagles have injuries at the moment. Welcome to the club. Are they worse than what Brisbane have faced? Port? Richmond? Geelong haven’t had it all their own way on that front. The Bulldogs and are starting to miss some stars too.
West Coast haven’t played Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney or Richmond yet. And they still have to face the Dogs again too, let alone tricky interstate trips to play dangerous mid-table teams like Carlton and Adelaide.
They’ll need to win at least nine of their last 11 matches to finish top four, and will possibly need to win ten. It’s simply not going to happen. They don’t have the wherewithal or the resilience. And this is certainly not a club that is going to win a premiership from outside the top four, and in all seriousness probably needs to finish top two.
A premiership is the ultimate achievement in football, and the Eagles have achieved it with this group under Adam Simpson. They are all in the record books.
But in years to come, history must look unkindly at the lack of achievement around that flag, just as we do with Essendon in 2000.
Dusty does Danger
Roar Rookie
Phil firstly you a guest. Secondly think through what you want to say. Hawthorn, Geelong, Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood - all Victorian clubs travel a maximum of 5 times interstate unless there has been a pre financial arrangement such as Tassie. Secondly Tigers share the MCG with 3 other teams and don’t train there. If your argument was true and valid why hasn’t Melbourne won 10 premierships in the last 50 years. They have been playing there since Moses was a baby. I won’t go on about home ground advantage that WA teams enjoy, this has been covered in this thread. Give credit where it is due. Eagles, Port and Lions had a big advantage last year being at home with COVID, they weren’t good enough to win!
Phil
Guest
Richmond only finished clear on top because they get to play almost all their games at home. Could you imagine how West Coast would dominate the competition if they got to play 17 games a year in Perth, then also got to host the Grand Final? Richmond only had to travel a total of FIVE times in 2018 and they lost FOUR of those games (the only win against GC who finished second bottom from memory). It's insane to think that Richmond could have won a premiership in 2018 having won only ONE game more than a kilometre outside of Melbourne CBD.
Larrikin
Roar Rookie
They had 8 of the best top 10 players out for most of the season so far and you stab a knife in the guts of the Eagles performance this year. unfounded ridiculous story
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Wow someone praising Jetta. I don’t think i would ever see that. Well done personally I think he should have been kept on. He provided great inspiration for the young lads too. People criticised him as being lazy. I am not sure that was true. He did not seem to be that interested in playing for another club. I wonder why ?????????♂️
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Just as a point of interest could you argue that the teams with the most wooden spoons are the least successful club. I am afraid St Kilda tops that list with 27 albeit that starts from the 1800’s . Port Adelaide are the only AFL club not to get the wooden spoon. I think that’s pretty impressive. Richmond have won three premierships since 1987 the year the Eagles entered the VFL. Richmond have also picked up 4 wooden spoons in that time. The Eagles have won 4 premierships in that time and 1 wooden spoon. So just want to put things in perspective here.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
It may well be too late but I am getting super excited when all our stars get back roughly another month away. I think we are going to then see some brilliant victories but said maybe too late to make an impression on the finals. It will be a warning to the rest of the Comp once Rioli Schuey Hutchings McGovern JK and Kelly and Duggan are back and Yeo fully fit and firing.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
But they are not please get over it they lost and to the better team and we beat that better team. Geez you have 3 flags what’s wrong with you?
Gerry
Roar Rookie
You have got to be joking about trading Nic Nat. He is the reason we are still in the games up until 3rd quarter. You clearly know little about footballers. Sure he hasn’t been brilliant in all his games but there in no way in hell I’d be thinking if trading him.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Silly comments and peripheral to the main thrust of this article
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Ahh but it’s still a free forum average and Collingwood obsessed aside.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Looking forward to the year when all Melbourne teams finish outside the eight. Alleluia haha
Scott
Guest
Nope but I dare say Sydney probably would with their 3 close losses
Maurice
Guest
What is surely the best spine of the last decade?? Please. I will give you Kennedy and McGovern. Darling and Barrass good player only because of the other 2. Nic Nat has been injured for a third of it or under done. When his on ,unstoppable yes . Missing though on and off the field for large parts.
RT
Roar Rookie
Who knows? A few people on here like to say that if Richmond didn't have a bad night against Collingwood they'd have 4 Premierships in a row. I am not convinced, that's all.
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Then that’s your choice. Others may see it differently.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
It’s hardly work worth paying for sorry.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Agree but Geelong were a truly great side in 2011
Gerry
Roar Rookie
No team in the AFL would have beaten the Eagles in 2018. It was just destiny. ????
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Simmo had one more year next year to bring the Eagles into GF contention. With Schuey Yeo and JK probably JK last year and Bunga Hurns last year and McGovern Kelly Nic Nat Crippa Allen Rioli Hutch Darling Sheed Sheppard Barrass Redden Rotham Waterman Brander Bailey Jones Ryan and some quick and tough youngsters all these lot fit and firing. It’s just last shot. If he stuffs it up he will be out. That’s my prediction. It’s GF or bust. Picking up Clarko or a coach of his calibre will be a priority. New coach will start reign in 2023 whether we win GF or not in 2022 .
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
And if you want to hear from some Fitzroy and Collingwood and St Kilda and Fremantle and North Melbourne tragics, head over to the Footy Almanac. More navel-gazing than your average Richmond focus group but hey, who's to judge