Elimination Final 1988

Melbourne v West Coast
Elimination Final, 1988

Date

Sat, 3 Sept 1988 (2:30 PM EST)

Venue

Waverley Park

Attendance

43,438

Result

Lost by 2

Score

MEL 11.7.73 - 10.11.71 WCE

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West Coast's maiden finals appearance ended in heartbreak when a desperate running shot by Murray Wrensted went wide, resulting in a narrow Demons win. The Eagles had opened up a handy lead by halftime but a dominant third quarter by Melbourne put the game back in the balance. Steve Malaxos racked up 33 touches and Laurie Keene had nine marks and 16 hitouts.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
Melbourne		1.1.7		2.3.15		8.5.53		11.7.73
West Coast		2.4.16		5.7.37		5.9.39		10.11.71

Goals: Glendinning 5, Lockyer 2, Hart, Langdon, Malaxos

Best: Worsfold, Malaxos, Lamb, Mainwaring, Langdon, Miles, Glendinning

Injuries: McKenna (back), Scott (hamstring), Lamb (shoulder), Glendinning (cut chin), D.O'Connell (knee)

Milestones: Gastev final appearance, Glendinning final appearance, Matera final appearance, Wrensted final appearance

Named sides

	West Coast				Melbourne
B:	5.Lamb	45.Lockyer	6.Miles	B:	9.Johnson	10.Hughes	27.Wight
HB:	15.Laidley	23.Rance	17.McKenna	HB:	17.B.Lovett	28.Duursma	14.Grinter
C:	3.Mainwaring	8.Malaxos	30.Gastev	C:	18.Stretch	7.Wilson	8.Yeats
HF:	19.Langdon	21.D.O'Connell	24.Worsfold	HF:	34.Newport	5.Spalding	12.T.Viney
F:	28.Lewis	4.Glendinning	36.Hart	F:	11.Stynes	3.Lyon	45.Jackson
R:	25.Keene	10.Turner	1.Matera	R:	1.O'Dwyer	16.Lovell	33.Healy
I:	12.Scott	31.Waterman		I:	39.Koop	15.Williams
E:	32.Wrensted	16.Cormack	14.Brennan	E:	21.Febey	41.Rohde	24.Bailey

In: Turner, Scott, Waterman

Out: Annear (shoulder), Brennan, Cormack

Late change: Wrensted for Waterman

From the papers

The Age

"If a football match can be likened to a running race, Melbourne had fallen so far behind West Coast by half-time that it had almost lost sight of the Eagles. Somehow, the Demons found it within themselves to come out and overtake their opponents. At no stage of Saturday's match did Melbourne create a system of play that was in any way as threatening or impressive as West Coast's. The Demons did it the old way, the hard way, through individuals such as Stretch and Wilson doubling their efforts. Melbourne managed six goals for the quarter, the last of them coming from Johnson, who spun blithely through a pack and scored with a towering torpedo from beyond the radius of the 50-metre line. How sweet it was.

For the first two quarters, the match was the property of West Coast. In the third quarter, it was Melbourne's. In the last quarter, it was anybody's, the final 30 minutes having more twists and turns than a snake with a tack in its tail.

In the end, many people felt West Coast should have won but were glad it did not."

Canberra Times

"At halftime Northey shifted Sean Wight up forward and Melbourne produced an inspired 11 minutes of football.

From the eight-minute mark Wight (2), Jackson (2) and Johnson all scored and Melbourne looked set to run away with the game at the last change.

But in the final term the lead changed hands three times in the last seven minutes with Glendinning potting three goals and David Hart one to keep the visitors' hopes alive.

Lyon made his winning snap with 31 minutes and 2 seconds played."

Players in the WAFL

2nd Semi Final (4 September)

Claremont (M.O'Connell) vs Subiaco (MacNish)

Prelim Final (10 September)

East Fremantle (Wrensted, Waterman) vs Subiaco (Keene)

Grand Final (18 September)

Subiaco (Keene) def. Claremont (M.O'Connell, D.O'Connell). Future Eagles Brett Heady, Todd Breman and Bret Hutchinson all won premiership medals.

References

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1988/111819880903.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Bd5SqgC0Q