Pre-season 2011

Neates and Broome celebrate a goal. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

The admission of Gold Coast to the league meant that a format change was required, with the first round of matches involving the 17 AFL teams and the soon-to-be-introduced Greater Western Sydney being split into six pools of three teams each, with the teams in each pool playing each other in mini-games of two 20 minute halves and all three mini-games being played on the same day at the same venue. The top sides in each pool progressed to the quarter finals as did the two best-performed second placed sides across the pools. From there the competition progressed in the standard manner, with winners progressing to the semi-finals and then the Grand Final. Teams that were eliminated played a series of regional challenge matches against each other. West Coast progressed to the semi finals where they were knocked out by eventual winners Collingwood.

Rules

A free kick was paid against the last team to touch the ball before it went out of bounds, except where the ball is smothered or spoiled across the line or where the umpire was unable to determined who touched the ball last. This rule was only in place for the first round of mini-games.

Goal umpires were able to confer with the official scorer, who had access to video replays.

As usual goals kicked from outside 50 were worth nine points. A player awarded a 50m penalty which brought them inside the 50 could elect to kick from outside to get 9 points or take his full penalty and kick for a 6-pointer.

Round 1 (pool matches)

Sun, 13 February 2011 (4:45 PM WST)

West Coast, Fremantle and Hawthorn

Subiaco Oval

Attendance: 25,776

Game 1

		1/2 time		Final
West Coast		0.5.1.31
Hawthorn		0.4.5.29

Goals: Hams, Weedon 2, Hill, Mascoulis, Masten, McInnes, Nicoski

Best: Hams, Masten, Weedon, Nicoski, McGinnity, Hill

Injuries: Nil

West Coast were close to full strength but struggled against a virtually unrecognisable Hawthorn, with the Hawks kicking the last three goals to get within 2 points at the siren. Brad Sheppard and Scott Selwood led the Eagles with 13 possessions each.

Game 2

Hawthorn 1.4.4.37 def. Fremantle 0.3.5.23

Game 3

		1/2 time		Final
West Coast		0.5.7.37
Fremantle		0.4.1.25

West Coast won their way through to the quarter finals with a tight win over their local rivals,

Squad for Round 1: Brown, Gaff, Ebert, Nicoski, Masten, Naitanui, S.Selwood, Priddis, Sheppard, Stevens Swift, MacKenzie, Kennedy, Dalziell, Houlihan, Cox, Lynch, Neates, Glass, Rosa, Hurn, Butler, Darling, Smith, Lycett, Schofield, Embley, J.Jones, C.Wilson, B.Jones, Broome, Hamp, Strijk, Hams, Weedon, Oakley-Nicholls, Stevenson

Quarter Final

West Coast v Gold Coast

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 (4:40 PM WST)

Subiaco Oval

Attendance: 12,625

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		0.3.6.18		0.6.9.45		0.8.12.60		0.12.15.87
Gold Coast		1.1.1.16		1.3.2.29		1.4.7.40		1.5.11.50

Goals: Cox, Ebert, Kennedy 2, Gaff, Hams, LeCras, Naitanui, Rosa, C.Wilson

Best: Cox, S.Selwood, A.Selwood, Brown, Shuey, Rosa

Injuries: Nil

West Coast won reasonably comfortably against the new kids on the block, although Gold Coast were able to keep pace with them for most of the first half. Dean Cox provided the Suns' young rucks with an early lesson, tallying 16 possessions and two goals.

Side: Brown, LeCras, Gaff, Ebert, Masten, Naitanui, S.Selwood, Priddis, Sheppard, Shuey, MacKenzie, Kennedy, Dalziell, Cox, Lynch, Neates, Rosa, Hurn, Darling, Smith, Schofield, McGinnity, C.Wilson, A.Selwood, Hams, Weedon

Em: Stevens, B.Jones, Broome

Late change: B.Jones for MacKenzie (hamstring)

Gold Coast: Lock, Harbrow, Magin, Hunt, Jolly, Krakouer, Flanagan, THompson, McKenzie, Daye, Toy, Nicholls, Swallow, D.Stanley, Shaw, Coad, Matera, Liddy, Hutchins, Rischitelli, Bennell, Day, Prestia, Caddy, Patrick, Gorringe, Tape, Taylor

Semi Final

West Coast v Collingwood

Sat, 5 March 2011 (5:40 PM WST)

Subiaco Oval

Attendance: 15,360

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		0.2.2.14		0.4.4.28		0.7.8.50		0.8.8.56
Collingwood		1.1.5.20		1.4.10.43		1.6.12.57		1.9.17.80

Goals: LeCras 3, Kennedy, Naitanui, Nicoski, Shuey, Smith

Best: Cox, Priddis, LeCras, A.Selwood, Shuey

Injuries: Brown (shoulder), Naitanui (shoulder)

West Coast bowed out of the pre-season competition in a rugged encounter with the Magpies. In a worrying sign for the season proper Nic Naitanui and Mitch Brown were both forced from the field with shoulder injuries and Matt Rosa was a late withdrawal with a hamstring. Dean Cox continued his strong pre-season and Matt Priddis amassed 30 touches.

Side: Brown, LeCras, Gaff, Ebert, Nicoski, Masten, Waters, Naitanui, S.Selwood, Priddis, Sheppard, Shuey, Swift, Kennedy, Dalziell, Cox, Lynch, Glass, Rosa, Hurn, Smith, Schofield, Embley, A.Selwood, Strijk, Weedon

Em: Stevens, Darling, B.Jones

Late change: B.Jones for Rosa (hamstring)

Collingwood: Davis, McCarthy, Maxwell, Krakouer, O'Brien, Pendlebury, Blair, D.Thomas, Rounds, Beams, Jolly, Wood, Reid, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Keeffe, Johnson, Buckley, Sinclair, Dawes, Cloke, Toovey, Fasolo, Swan, Gordon, Hunter, Perham, Bolton, McNamara

NAB Challenge

Fremantle v West Coast

Sat, 12 March 2011 (11:00 AM WST)

Fremantle Oval

Attendance: 6,583

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
Fremantle		3.2.20		5.6.36		11.7.73		13.12.90
West Coast		1.4.10		6.7.43		10.9.69		11.15.81

Goals: C.Wilson 3, Ebert, LeCras 2, Darling, Embley, Kennedy, Shuey

Best: Shuey, LeCras, Darling, Rosa, Hurn, Gaff

Injuries: A.Selwood (hamstring)

Fremantle broke through for their first win of 2011 in a see-sawing affair played deep in Dockers heartland. Mark LeCras kicked two goals despite playing plenty of midfield time, and Luke Shuey continued his solid start to the season.

Side: LeCras, Gaff, Ebert, Nicoski, Masten, Waters, S.Selwood, Priddis, Shuey, MacKenzie, Kennedy, Dalziell, Cox, Lynch, Neates, Rosa, Hurn, Darling, Smith, Lycett, Schofield, Embley, C.Wilson, A.Selwood, Hams, Stevenson

Em: Swift, Brennan, Strijk

Subs: Lycett for Cox at half-time, Neates for ...

Fremantle: Ballantyne, Pitt, Fyfe, Suban, McPhee, Palmer, Griffin, Mzungu, Grover, Crowley, Mundy, McPharlin, Anthony, Mayne, Roberton, Faulks, Pavlich, Sandilands, Hill, Lower, Silvagni, Johnson, Walters, Duffield, Crichton, Van Berlo