Pre-season 2012

The Eagles gave up a chance at some early silverware. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

The 2012 NAB Cup was a three round competition, the first round involving teams 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 remaining two rounds featured more standard matches. The two sides with the best records over the three rounds played off in a Grand Final, while the remaining sides played challenge matches in the final week. West Coast qualified for the grand final for the second time in the club's history, but was defeated by Adelaide.

Rules

Sides were permitted 2 interchange players and 2 substitutes, and could replace up to 4 players at half time (except in the first round mini-games).

Ruckmen were not permitted to make contact with their opponent at bounces and boundary throw-ins until the ball left the umpire's hands.

A free kick was paid against the last team to dispose of the ball with a kick or handball before it went out of bounds, where no other player touched the ball before it crossed the line. A similar but stricter rule was in place in 2011.

TV reviews on goals and behinds were introduced.

As usual goals kicked from outside 50 were worth nine points.

Round 1 (pool matches)

Sun, 19 February 2012 (4:45 PM WST)

West Coast, Fremantle and Essendon

Subiaco Oval

Attendance: 27,581

Game 1

		1/2 time		Final
West Coast		0.5.2.32		0.9.3.57
Essendon		0.1.3.9		0.5.6.36

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

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

Injuries: Nil

Gerrick Weedon put his hand up for the small forward spot left vacant by the injured Mark LeCras with an exciting display as the Eagles easily accounted for a rusty Essendon. West Coast opened up a big early lead and were able to make the Bombers pay for numerous turnovers.

Game 2

Fremantle 1.7.5.56 def. Essendon 0.3.2.20

Game 3

		1/2 time		Final
West Coast		0.1.5.11		0.4.6.30
Fremantle		0.0.1.1		0.1.4.10

Goals: Cox 2, Shuey, Weedon

Best: Hurn, Cox, Masten, Stevens, Stevenson, Shuey

Injuries: Darling (head)

In a tight pre-season Derby, West Coast deployed their forward press to great effect, holding the Dockers to just a point for the first half and a single goal for the match. Shannon Hurn dictated play off halfback.

Named squad: Gaff, Sheppard, Nicoski, Masten, Priddis, Shuey, Stevens Swift, MacKenzie, Kennedy, Dalziell, Neates, Cox, Lynch, Mascoulis, Glass, Hurn, Butler, Darling, Smith, Lycett, Wilson, Hill, Brennan, McGinnity, McInnes, A.Selwood, Hamp, McGovern, Hams, Weedon, Tunbridge, Stevenson

Round 2

West Coast v Port Adelaide

Sat, 3 March 2013 (4:10 PM WST)

Rushton Park

Attendance: 9,000 (est)

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		1.3.6.33		1.5.10.49		1.10.11.80		1.12.11.92
Port Adelaide		0.2.5.17		1.5.3.42		1.8.4.61		1.12.6.87

Supergoals: Schofield

Goals: Hams, Kerr, Neates, Stevens 2, Cox, Masten, McInnes, Swift

Best: Masten, Cox, Priddis, Hurn, Kerr, Stevens

Injuries: Nil

West Coast burst out of the blocks but Port Adelaide then pegged them back to result in a thrilling conclusion. In his first game for the year after finger surgery, Daniel Kerr threw off the substitute's vest to drag his side over the line, the veteran midfielder kicking the winning goal. Chris Masten also stood out with 25 touches, more than half of which were contested.

Side: Gaff, Kerr, Sheppard, Nicoski, Masten, S.Selwood, Priddis, Stevens, Swift, Dalziell, Neates, Cox, Lynch, Glass, Hurn, Darling, Smith, Wilson, Schofield, Hill, Brennan, McGinnity, McInnes, Hamp, Hams, Weedon, Stevenson

Subs: (1st half) Kerr for Masten in the second quarter, S.Selwood for Swift in the second quarter
(2nd half)

Port Adelaide: Salopek, Broadbent, Hartlett, Banner, O'Shea, P.Stewart, Jacobs, Cornes, Salter, Wingard, Phillips, Blee, Moore, Carlile, Pittard, Chaplin, Pfeiffer, Butcher, Redden, McCarthy, Newton, J.Westhoff, Young, Ah Chee, Jonas, D.Stewart, Logan, Irons

Round 3

West Coast v St Kilda

Sat, 10 March 2013 (5:10 PM WST)

Subiaco Oval

Attendance: 9,411

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		0.2.3.15		0.4.8.32		1.8.12.69		1.10.16.85
St Kilda		0.1.1.7		0.3.5.23		0.5.9.39		0.7.10.52

Supergoals: Darling

Goals: Cox, Hill, McGinnity 2, Kerr, Rosa, S.Selwood, Stevens

Best: Cox, Masten, Kerr, S.Selwood, Schofield, Waters

Injuries: MacKenzie (concussion)

Despite missing a number of best-22 players, West Coast easily accounted for the Saints on a warm Saturday night with senior players Dean Cox and Daniel Kerr leading the way. Defender Eric MacKenzie sent a scare through the Eagles camp when he had to be stretchered from the field with concussion after smothering a Rhys Stanley kick with his face.

Side: Kerr, Sheppard, Nicoski, Masten, Waters, Naitanui, S.Selwood, Priddis, Stevens, Swift, MacKenzie, Dalziell, Neates, Cox, Rosa, Butler, Darling, Smith, Wilson, Schofield, Hill, Brennan, McGinnity, McInnes, A.Selwood, Hamp, Hams, Weedon, Stevenson

Subs: Priddis, A.Selwood, Stevens, Smith...

St Kilda: Gram, Siposs, Steven, Jones, McEvoy, Hayes, Montagna, Riewoldt, Schneider, Geary, Ledger, Winmar, Goddard, Gilbert, Armitage, Ray, Koschitzke, Dempster, Fisher, Dal Santo, Blake, Stanley, Peake, Simpkin, Milera, Polo, Cripps, Wilkes, Milne

Grand Final

Adelaide v West Coast

Sat, 17 March 2013 (7:10 PM CDT)

Football Park

Attendance: 27,376

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
Adelaide		0.2.2.14		1.3.6.33		2.6.13.67		2.10.17.95
West Coast		2.0.2.20		2.1.6.30		2.4.7.49		2.5.13.61

Supergoals: Hill, Nicoski

Goals: Darling, Hams, Hill, Priddis, Weedon

Best: Priddis, S.Selwood, Butler, Hill, Waters

Injuries: Nicoski (hamstring), Kerr (shoulder), Schofield (ankle)

In their second pre-season grand final, West Coast were never really in the hunt against a switched-on Adelaide side, who punished the Eagles for their too-frequent mistakes. Of more concern for the season proper, however, were the injuries to veterans Mark Nicoski and Daniel Kerr who both finished the game on the bench.

Named sides:

	West Coast				Adelaide
B:	Butler	Glass	Hurn	B:	Johncock	Talia	Otten
HB:	Waters	Schofield	S.Selwood	HB:	Doughty	Shaw	Smith
C:	Rosa	Priddis	Embley	C:	Reilly	S.Thompson	Mackay
HF:	Masten	Darling	Nicoski	HF:	Vince	Tippett	Petrenko
F:	Hill	Cox	Hams	F:	Porplyzia	Walker	Wright
R:	Naitanui	A.Selwood	Kerr	R:	Jacobs	Dangerfield	Van Berlo
I:	MacKenzie	Gaff	McGinnity	I:	Sloane	McKernan	Callinan
	Lycett				Henderson
E:	Stevens	Shuey	Weedon	E:	Jaensch	Lynch	Kerridge

Subs:

Links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NAB_Cup