In a thrilling nail-biter to start the 2007 finals series, West Coast's hearts were broken by the three-point losing margin as well as the sight of Ben Cousins hobbling through the Football Park changerooms with a torn hamstring in what would turn out to be his final Eagles appearance. West Coast had led by as much as four goals in the second half but wilted under the pressure applied by the Power. The loss of Cousins led the midfield decimated, with Daniel Kerr absent and Chris Judd staggering around the forward line, although Tyson Stenglein and Matt Priddis did their best to fill the gap.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Adelaide | 1.3.9 | 2.7.19 | 6.9.45 | 9.14.68 | ||||
| West Coast | 2.3.15 | 3.6.24 | 7.10.52 | 9.11.65 |
Goals: Judd, Lynch 2, Cox, Hurn, LeCras, Rosa, Seaby
Best: Stenglein, Priddis, Embley, Hunter, Cox, Judd
Injuries: Cousins (hamstring), B.Jones (face), Rosa (shoulder)
Milestones: Cousins final appearance, Judd final appearance
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Port Adelaide | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | Staker | Glass | Selwood | B: | Pettigrew | Thurstans | Wilson |
| HB: | Waters | Hunter | B.Jones | HB: | P.Burgoyne | Chaplin | Surjan |
| C: | Stenglein | Priddis | Braun | C: | Cassisi | S.Burgoyne | Salopek |
| HF: | Chick | Lynch | Wirrpanda | HF: | Rodan | Westhoff | Pearce |
| F: | LeCras | Judd | Seaby | F: | Ebert | Tredrea | Motlop |
| R: | Cox | Cousins | Embley | R: | Lade | C.Cornes | K.Cornes |
| I: | Hurn | R.Jones | Fletcher | I: | Boak | Brogan | Carlile |
| Rosa | Logan | ||||||
| E: | C.Jones | Nicoski | Morton | E: | Bentley | Lonie | Mahoney |
In: Judd, Embley, Selwood
Out: C.Jones, Nicoski, Morton
Late change: Nicoski for Fletcher (groin)
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"The bravest defeats are often the cruellest and this one will cut the Eagles to the bone.
Driven to control of the match-up until three-quarter time by midfielder Tyson Stenglein's tireless efforts and Dean Cox's dominance of the ruck, a stingy defence's dominance of Port's forward line and Port's wayward kicking, the Eagles eventually ran out of legs and bodies.
They were still in front when Cousins fell late in the third term, clutching at his left hamstring. But the Power were coming hard and they were not going to be stopped.
Kane and Chad Cornes, kept busy for much of the match by Cousins and Beau Waters, seized complete control of the match after three-quarter time and West Coast's seven-point lead at the final change dwindled."[1]
The Age[]
"A glaring mistake by Chad Cornes, when he ran over the mark giving the Eagles an easy goal with a little over three minutes to go, put them within a point, and Port then missed easy chances.
It was a superb contest between two embattled sides playing as if there were no tomorrow. With the heartbreaking injuries aside, it was for most part a close match, paving the way for heroes to emerge.
They came early in the last quarter in the form of Kane Cornes, and moments later, Steven Salopek, who took a courageous and timely mark for another goal, and the Power sensed victory.
Port had turned a 24-point deficit into a seven-point lead midway through the last term, but typically, the Eagles continued their fight. Of course, it was all in vain."[2]
Players in the WAFL[]
Semi Finals (8 Sept)
South Fremantle (Graham) vs East Perth (McKinley, Spaanderman)
Claremont (MacKenzie, C.Jones, Wilkes) vs Subiaco. Thomson played reserves.
Injury list[]
In the lead-up to the round the following players were listed as injured:
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spangher | Shoulder | Season | ||||
| Wooden | Hip | Season | (On LTI list 21/6, replaced by C.Jones) | |||
| Sampi | Personal | Indefinite | (On LTI list 24/7, replaced by McNamara) | |||
| Kerr | Finger tendon | 3-4 weeks | ||||
| Butler | Groin | 2 weeks | ||||
| JUdd | Groin | Test | ||||
| Priddis | Corked thigh | Test | ||||
| Hansen | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| Embley | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| Selwood | Calf | Test | ||||
| Armstrong | Knee | Available | ||||
| Graham | Knee | Available | ||||
| Thornton* | Knee | Season |
Links[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2007/131820070907.html
- ↑ Mark Duffield, The West Australian (8 September 2007, p.168), "Winged Eagles on thin ice"
- ↑ Ashley Porter, The Age (8 September 2007), "Power wins a thriller over winged Eagles": http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=seaby+and+burgoyne+and+salopek&pb=age&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=AGE070908ML3N07JEKU9
| 2007 season |
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<--2006-07 offseason | 2007-08 offseason--> |