Diary May 2018 week 3

Relevant events for the week Wednesday 16 May 2018 - Tuesday 22 May 2018 (Prev|Next)

Thursday 17 May

West Coast named star pair Nic Naitanui and Jeremy McGovern to return from suspension and injury respectively. Lewis Jetta and Dom Sheed were also a chance to return after being named on the extended bench, as was Kurt Mutimer. Backup ruck Fraser McInnes was the only omission from the side that beat GWS.

Friday 18 May

Will Schofield, Jackson Nelson and Brayden Ainsworth were the unlucky trio to make way for the returning McGovern, Jetta and Sheed, joining Mutimer as emergencies when the side was trimmed to 22.

The club announced that top draftee Jarrod Brander had extended his contract to the end of 2021. The promising key forward said that it had been an easy decision to make. "The club is a really positive place at the moment. The Eagles have won seven in a row at the moment and East Perth, where I’m playing, we’ve won four in a row" - Rhys Dickinson, westcoasteagles.com.au: http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2018-05-18/brander-extends-stay-at-eagles

Adelaide defeated Western Bulldogs in extremely wet conditions.

Saturday 19 May

East Perth were thumped by South Fremantle at Leederville Oval, going goalless for most of the second half after losing key players, including Schofield (hamstring) to injury. Ainsworth was his side's best while Matthew Allen also impressed filling in for Schofield in defence.

North Melbourne beat GWS Giants, Port Adelaide defeated Gold Coast in Shanghai, Essendon upset Geelong, Collingwood beat St Kilda and Sydney thrashed Fremantle.

Sunday 20 May

West Coast overran Richmond in the second half to record a 47 point win and leapfrog the Tigers into top spot on the ladder. Jack Darling was immense with 15 marks and a career-high six goals, and Elliot Yeo overcame a leg knock to record 29 possessions and ten clearances.

Melbourne thumped Carlton by 109 points and Brisbane upset Hawthorn to score their first win of the season.

Tuesday 22 May

West Coast announced that Luke Shuey was a chance to return against Hawthorn, but Yeo was in doubt after suffering a knee injury early in the clash with Richmond. Nathan Vardy (groin) and Jack Petruccelle (ankle) were chances to return for East Perth but Schofield would be unavailable for at least two weeks.