Expert
Joined January 2014
1.19m
Views
452
Published
3k
Comments
Ryan likes his sport played efficiently, effectively and elegantly, like a Nic Naitanui hit out to advantage. Always searching for an interesting angle, Ryan loves nothing more than digging deep into the play and searching for the signal others miss in the noise. You can follow Ryan here (@RyanBuckland7).
Published
Comments
It’s not often you can draw a line through a top four team at the half way point of the season. But here we…
The top eight looks mighty settled through 11 rounds of the 2019 season, but there’s still plenty of room for teams to rise and…
Next week’s numbers game will show the competition is a race in three, or four, or at most five, as we hit the half…
Nine rounds into the season and the competition is separating in the usual way. We can start to look ahead knowing the likely finalists…
No more. The AFL executive has lost its ability to govern itself, and it cannot be allowed to continue this way for the good…
This year, more so than in any of the past five, the outcomes of the first seven weeks of football have been impacted by…
Melbourne has confounded us all. Show me someone who says they saw this Demon season coming and I’ll show you a liar, a fool,…
Today in breaking news I can exclusively reveal the AFL is working on a secret plan to start a new professional Australian Rules football…
In keeping with this column’s early season capacity constraints, here’s ten significant numbers that help explain the madness of the first three weeks of…
Nothing that has happened in the AFL in the first two weeks of the season makes sense. Nothing, except, the team that sits atop…
If we can extrapolate a significant downside surprise in Round 1, then surely significant upside surprises are fair game. Fremantle, and their obliteration of…
It’s that time already. A truncated preseason for this column is no excuse for missing out on the whacky science of pre-season predictions. Let’s…
Acquiring a prime age AFL superstar has been a fraught and surprisingly fruitless exercise, according to recent history. Is Patrick Dangerfield set to join…
And so we reach the end of The Roar’s AFL Top 50. Now we’re in the sorts of rarefied air where there’s not much…
Facing one of the longest finals loss streaks in the league, Essendon has emerged as the 2018 offseason’s darling. One key unknown dogs them…
So much of last year’s football palace intrigue centred on just how far the AFL would go to change the rules of the game…
Numbers! Football! It’s time for our annual dispassionate look at some of the numbers behind the numbers in the AFL and see whether we…
Let’s do two sets of rankings for the final BBL column for this year: the finals teams, and four things Cricket Australia should do…
The past 18 months have been challenging for a thinking fan, with the repeated administrative malfeasance of AFL HQ. This year, we cast all…
With five games to go, this season’s finalists are all but decided. All that’s left to do in these penultimate power rankings is work…
Mark LeCras has a shot at goal. This could be for a West Coast lead for the first time today
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Gee it’d be a deflating one. They’ve had so much of hte play on their terms
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 15m – And West Coast finds the answer! A free kick off the back of the square results in a West Coast forward thrust, and Willie Rioli snaps true roving a pack inside 50. Three points. Great game this.
West Coast: 13.7 (85)
Melbourne: 13.10 (88)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 14m – Melbourne gets the centre break again – as they’ve done for much of the day – but Jake Melksham can’t find the big posts. The kick out heads out of bounds but West Coast manage to snuff the re-entry. They break to the open side but can’t find a shot at goal. That was a huge opportunity to close within a goal.
West Coast: 12.7 (79)
Melbourne: 13.10 (88)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 12m – A sparkling run through the middle from Brad Sheppard, who finds Jamie Cripps inside 50. Cripps keeps the ball in front of him and hangs it to a wide open Mark Hutchings, who marks 40 metres out dead in front and goals. Eight points again.
West Coast: 12.7 (79)
Melbourne: 13.9 (87)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 10m – We’ve definitely entered a different phase of play here, with the ball spending time going back and forth around the West Coast forward 50 arc. There’s skill errors and fumbles galore, and all we get out of it is a West Coast behind. On the ensuing kick in another incisive Melbourne kick opens up the fat side of the ground, and Jake Melksham finds Mitch Hannan inside 50. He misses, and we start it all again.
West Coast: 11.7 (73)
Melbourne: 13.9 (87)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Melbourne wouldn’t want to be getting too conservative though, they have given up bursts of goals to the Eagles on a couple of occasions today.
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 5m – The ball spends some time on the broadcast wing, and the Eagles get a clean look inside 50 on the back of some great work in the clinches. However the entry kick is shanked, and Melbourne exit with ease switching to the outer side. The game certainly looks a bit less skilful to start the last, perhaps the effects of the warm temperature are kicking in.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 13.8 (86)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 3m – Melbourne gets the first of the quarter with some strong pressure locking the ball in from a centre clearance. Jake Melksham continues a very good day for Melbourne’s half forward line, and the Dees are out by 14 points again.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 13.8 (86)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Three quarter time – An eight point Melbourne lead at the last change. Still anyone’s game. West Coast will be happy with everything but the scoreline in that quarter.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 12.8 (80)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 32m – With a minute to go West Coast strikes back through Dan Venables, after a rare clean centre break. We’re going to head to the three quarter time break with the game well and truly up in the air. The Eagles get a free kick for high contact that should’ve been converted to 50 for a poor return. The siren sounds, and the crowd expresses its feelings in the usual way.
West Coast: 11.6 (72)
Melbourne: 12.8 (80)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 30m – And just like that they get a break with some stellar work from Clayton Oliver at a back 50 stoppage. Mitch Hannan takes a mark out the back and kicks the goal. For all the great play the Eagles had in the first 15 minutes of the quarter, Melbourne has managed to eek it back out to the half time margin (14 points).
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 12.8 (80)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 28m – West Coast has its press well set and are getting some repeat entries inside 50. But no reward, it’s still eight points.
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 11.8 (74)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 26m – Melbourne gets the centre break with some great follow up work from Max Gawn, and Charlie Spargo (who has done some great stuff from the half forward line) finds Tom McDonald about 20 metres out. He kicks the goal, and it’s back to eight points.
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 11.8 (74)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 25m – West Coast has the game on its terms, with the play starting to move further to the outside. Melbourne gets caught on an overlap and Elliot Yeo scores from just inside 50 on the right wing. Back to two points. This is pretty fun.
West Coast: 10.6 (66)
Melbourne: 10.8 (68)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Both sides lining up with a spare man off the back of the square.
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 22m – Melbourne replies instantly. Some fluky bounce of the ball stuff results in a Mitch Hannan mark close to the tip of the goal square. Eight point Melbourne lead.
West Coast: 9.6 (60)
Melbourne: 10.8 (68)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 21m – Two in a minute! This time Mark Hutchings is in the right spot after some heavy play on the front of the West Coast centre square. Two point ball game.
West Coast: 9.6 (60)
Melbourne: 9.8 (62)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 20m – Another West Coast break, this time on the left wing, and Dom Sheed passes the ball to a sprinting Willie Rioli, and it was almost as though he passed it to his feet on purpose! Rioli soccers the ball home like an EPL striker and we’re back to a single digit margin.
West Coast: 7.6 (48)
Melbourne: 9.8 (62)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 19m – West Coast break through the middle of the ground and scrub the ball inside 50. A 2v2 breaks out and Melbourne manages to neutralise the ball. It’s getting tense out there, West Coast starting to press a bit harder as the Dees get a bit more conservative with their ball movement – perhaps a product of the conditions.
West Coast: 7.6 (48)
Melbourne: 9.8 (62)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 15m – Jamie Cripps takes the first shot for goal of anyone for about five minutes but misses left from the right forward pocket. West Coast set up well to intercept the ensuing kick out and we’re back inside West Coast’s 50. Dom Sheed gathers the ground ball and kicks a goal. Suddenly we’re back to 13 points.
West Coast: 7.6 (48)
Melbourne: 9.7 (61)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 13m – The play breaks open a little after Brad Sheppard intercepts on the Melbourne back line. West Coast work the far side boundary but mess up the entry, and the Dees get back inside 50 with some long, cross-ground kicks. However they can’t get a shot off and West Coast has another go at exiting via the boundary. It’s getting a bit more open all of a sudden as Sheppard runs the centre and gets the ball inside 50. It’s all happening all of a sudden! But West Coast can’t get a shot off.
West Coast: 6.5 (41)
Melbourne: 9.7 (61)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 10m – We get what I’d hazard is our first bit of rolling stoppage play in the game on West Coast’s left attacking wing. Players are heading to the bench looking pretty fatigued, you’d have to think that’ll be a factor as the game goes on. We’re mostly one on one around the ground for what it’s worth.
West Coast: 6.5 (41)
Melbourne: 9.7 (61)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q3 – 8m – The Eagles get a break from the ensuing centre bounce and Nathan Vardy takes a neat mark on the 50 metre line. His kick travels high and looked to have been touched, but the review confirms it was over the line. A goal for the Eagles and didn’t they need it.
West Coast: 6.4 (40)
Melbourne: 9.7 (61)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog
Q4 – 18m – Mark LeCras puts West Coast in front! The Eagles break from a D50 exit and despite a poor Jack Redden kick which is smothered find Mark LeCras leading about 40 metres out. They’re in front. Huge. Seven minutes on the game clock.
West Coast: 14.7 (91)
Melbourne: 13.12 (90)
West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores, blog