Elimination Final 2012

West Coast v N.Melbourne
Elimination Final, 2012

Cox contributed strongly in his 250th game. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Date

Sun, 9 Sept 2012 (1:15 PM WST)

Venue

Subiaco Oval

Attendance

41,790

Result

Won by 96

Score

WCE 24.18.162 - 9.12.66 NM

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West Coast opened the finals series with a seven goals to nil first quarter to blow the Roos away. Even Eric MacKenzie joined the party, the fullback kicking his first goal in his 78th senior game. North Melbourne added some respectability to the scoreboard in the third quarter, but the Eagles celebrated in the final term, kicking nine goals to record their highest score in a final and their biggest win over the Kangaroos. Andrew Embley and Josh Kennedy returned to form after long injury layoffs to kick four goals each, and Dean Cox was a strong contributor in his 250th game.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		7.4.46		11.8.74		15.11.101		24.18.162
North Melbourne		0.3.3		2.8.20		8.10.58		9.12.66

Goals: Darling, Embley, Kennedy 4, Lynch 3, Cox, Hill, Hurn, Kerr, MacKenzie, Masten, McGinnity, Naitanui, Shuey

Best: Darling, Embley, Naitanui, Kerr, Cox, S.Selwood, Butler, Hurn

Injuries: Waters (foot)

Reports: Lynch for charging S.McMahon

Sub: Brennan for Waters (foot) in the second quarter

Milestones: Cox 250th game

Records: WCE biggest win vs North Melbourne, WCE equal highest score vs North Melbourne

Named sides

	West Coast				North Melb
B:	8.Waters	23.Glass	37.A.Selwood	B:	42.McMahon	17.Grima	11.Firrito
HB:	25.Hurn	16.MacKenzie	31.Schofield	HB:	18.Atley	16.Thompson	34.MacMillan
C:	4.Kerr	11.Priddis	3.Gaff	C:	43.Gibson	8.Wells	4.Anthony
HF:	33.Hill	27.Darling	35.McGinnity	HF:	10.Cunnington	25.Tarrant	12.Thomas
F:	32.Embley	17.Kennedy	9.Naitanui	F:	29.Harvey	20.Petrie	6.Hansen
R:	20.Cox	10.S.Selwood	13.Shuey	R:	22.Goldstein	9.Swallow	7.Ziebell
I:	26.Butler	21.Lynch	7.Masten	I:	3.Bastinac	19.Wright	23.Harper
	34.Brennan				33.Campbell
E:	18.Dalziell	41.Strijk	47.Stevenson	E:	32.Garlett	15.L.Delaney	41.Mullett

In: Lynch, MacKenzie

Out: Strijk, Brown

From the coach

"Our challenge is to continue to play our best footy week in, week out. From the start today, our ball use, our run, all those things were at the level we were looking for.

"The nine day break really helped freshen us up. So we've got a little bit left in the tank, we didn't use all nine days up.

"...We just played the game on its merits. We talk about challenging ourselves to understand how good we are and what we can deliver over four quarters. It's always something that we measure regardless of the result of the game, we look at it quarter by quarter. We didn't talk about going hard at it, or taking the foot off the pedal, we talked about the things we needed to do in the last quarter and the way we wanted to play the game."

From the papers

The West Australian

"North had a brief moment in the sun in the third term when skipper Andrew Swallow and Jack Ziebell pumped some life into their team, which got to within seven goals after Matthew Campbell kicked his third.

But that was that as the Eagles rolled up their sleeves again and the Roos downed tools.

It was party time for West Coast who invited any player who wanted a shot at goal to step and have a crack.

While Darling didn't add to his four first-half goals, his work was significant in setting up the victory rout in the final 30 minutes."

The Age

"The first quarter was a massacre. Jack Darling went to the first break with seven kicks, five marks and three goals from five scoring shots to his name. North had scrounged just 11 marks in total, none of them contested. They trailed the Eagles by 43 points and Darling alone by 17.

There was no breeze, yet all was blowing West Coast's way. Embley pulled a set shot from 50 metres out on the full, but when Naitanui marked the returning free kick and handballed backwards to him, he hammered it home off one step from 60. When allowed to run hard in attack, Embley can still resemble a younger, Norm Smith medallist version of himself.

Darling kicked one from the boundary line, then got ridiculously free on a West Coast rebound, bounced three times through half forward and slotted another. Eric MacKenzie left Drew Petrie, snuck forward, marked in the pocket and kicked his first goal in his 78th game of AFL football."

Herald-Sun

"Attack started from defence, and too often the Eagles were able to run the length of the ground.

When North Melbourne did go forward, it invented ways to fluff chances.

The Roos gave away silly free-kicks, fumbled and ran over the ball as a rabid home crowd found its voice.

The Roos, seemingly overawed kicked three posters as everything that could go wedl slammed three shots on goal into the post.

It was the kind of day when everything that could go wrong did."

WAFL results

Semi finals (8 Sept)

East Fremantle (Brown, Stevens, Dick) vs East Perth

Claremont (Swift, Stevenson, Weedon, McGovern) vs Swan Districts (Newman)

Reserves: Claremont (Neates, Hamp) vs East Fremantle; Perth (Smith) vs East Perth (Lycett)

Injury list

In the lead-up to the round the following players were listed as injured:

Player		Injury		Expected duration
LeCras		Knee		Season
Nicoski		Hamstring		Season
Wilson		Ankle		Season
Sheppard		Ankle		Season
Rosa		Collarbone		1 week
Kennedy		Ankle		Test
Stevens		Glute		Test

References

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2012/121820120909.html

http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2012/24/wce-v-nmfc