Qualifying Final 2015

West Coast v Hawthorn
Qualifying Final, 2015

Hutchings was one of the Eagles' best. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Date

Fri, 11 September 2015
(6:20pm WST)

Venue

Subiaco Oval

Attendance

42,663

Result

Won by 32

Score

WCE 14.12.96 - 9.10.64 HAW

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West Coast overcame the pre-game loss of midfield general Matt Priddis to stun the reigning premiers Hawthorn and earn a week off and home preliminary final. The win was built in the second term when the Eagles stifled Hawthorn's league-best offense, limiting the Hawks to a single point while putting through five goals of their own. The home side increased their lead to a seemingly insurmountable 50 points at the final change and, although the Hawks closed to within 27 points at one stage in the last, ran out comfortable winners. Skipper Shannon Hurn led from the front with 26 possessions, half of them contested, and Mark Hutchings stepped up in the absence of Priddis to tally 24 touches and an important final-term goal.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		2.2.14		7.6.48		12.11.83		14.12.96
Hawthorn		2.3.15		2.4.16		4.9.33		9.10.64

Goals: Hill, Kennedy 3, Cripps, LeCras 2, Darling, Hutchings, Sheppard, Yeo

Best: LeCras, Hurn, Hutchings, Rosa, Yeo, Kennedy, Shuey, Naitanui

Injuries: McGovern (shoulder), Schofield (hamstring tightness)

Sub: McGinnity for Schofield (hamstring tightness) in the fourth quarter

Milestones: Selwood final appearance

Named side

	West Coast				Hawthorn
B:	25.Hurn	31.Schofield	12.Wellingham	B:	24.Stratton	17.Lake	8.Duryea
HB:	6.Yeo	20.McGovern	18.Ellis	HB:	14.Birchall	6.Gibson	9.Burgoyne
C:	5.Sheppard	11.Priddis	3.Gaff	C:	16.Smith	15.Hodge	10.Hill
HF:	34.Hutchings	27.Darling	2.LeCras	HF:	19.Gunston	12.Frawley	33.Rioli
F:	33.Hill	17.Kennedy	15.Cripps	F:	20.Hale	2.Roughead	22.Breust
R:	9.Naitanui	10.Selwood	13.Shuey	R:	7.McEvoy	5.Mitchell	3.Lewis
I:	26.Butler	4.Sheed	24.Rosa	I:	28.Puopolo	4.Suckling	29.Langford
	22.Sinclair				26.Shiels
E:	35.McGinnity	30.Nelson	38.Newman	E:	41.Howe	40.Hartung	18.Ceglar

In: Selwood, Schofield

Out: Masten (hamstring), Nelson

Late change: McGinnity for Priddis (thigh)

Quarter by quarter

Speculation during the day that Priddis would be a late withdrawal with a thigh strain proved to be on the money, with the prolific midfielder replaced in the side by McGinnity, who started as the sub. Defender Taylor Duryea was Hawthorn's substitute. Despite a dire weather forecast the rain generally held off, apart from some falls in the third quarter and a downpour after the final siren.

First term

Luke Breust gathered a loose ball inside 50 for Hawthorn but his checkside kick hit the post. Hawthorn began anther sortie forward with a Jarryd Roughead speccie on the wing on Butler's head, with the big Hawk pulling up sore. Hill chopped off a Cyril Rioli pass and the Eagles zigzagged their way inside 50 where Yeo marked but his set shot barely scraped in for a point. A stalemate on the outer wing was broken when Naitanui caught Shaun Burgoyne holding the ball and Hurn's spearing pass hit Kennedy, but he shanked his kick into the pocket. Wellingham won another holding the ball free and again Hurn hit a target inside 50, this time LeCras. His shot fell short and a desperate lunge by Kennedy was touched on the line. The kick-in was chopped off by Hill who finally scored the game's first goal.

McGovern came up from a challenge holding his shoulder and eventually headed for the rooms. Wellingham was caught one-on-one in the goalsquare with Jack Gunston and was penalised for holding, with Gunston slotting the goal to put the Hawks within a point. Hawthorn won the clearance and resting ruckman Ben McEvoy marked, but his set shot slewed off the boot and out on the full. Down the other end, Yeo kept his feet in a contest as his opponent went to ground and was able to gather and goal. Ellis caught his former teammate Rioli late in a marking contest and gave away 50, with the Hawk steering through his set shot. Rioli nearly had another opportunity opposed to Ellis, but was forced to try to palm the ball back into play where it crossed the line for a point. Roughead had a chance to goal but fumbled the mark then pushed his rushed kick wide. West Coast wennt forward in the dying seconds but were unable to score, giving Hawthorn a one-point lead.

Second term

McGovern returned to the ground for the start of the quarter. Naitanui nearly took a big pack mark but the ball spilled over the line to tie the scores. A tight out-on-the-full call against Hawthorn became a 50 metre penalty and a rare Sheppard goal from just outside the square. Roughead had a flying shot from 50 but pulled it left. Cripps hit Kennedy lace-out on the lead and his kick wobbled through for a goal. Liam Shiels walked the ball across the boundary line and was penalised, but Sheed's kick from just inside 50 was narrow all the way. West Coast streamed forward but Hill's kick to an open Kennedy was desperately tipped by Brian Lake. A rare kicking-in-danger call was paid against Sam Mitchell but his kick was also narrow. As West Coast threatened, an ambitious kick by Yeo missed everything.

Kennedy got on the end of a forward thrust and kicked his second for the term to push the margin out to 19. He repeated the dose just minutes later froom outside 50. Shuey fought off several tacklers and handed off to Hill who found Yeo inside 50, but his set shot narrowly missed. Gaff won a free kick inside the centre square and LeCras crumbed off the pack to goal and put his team in front by 32. West Coast had a chance to press for another goal inside the last minute but Sheed's pass was smothered over the boundary line.

Third term

Hawthorn went forward early and Shuey was forced to rush the ball over the goal line. Roughead marked inside 50 and kicked truly. Cripps found an open LeCras but his kick went right across the face and was spoiled over the boundary. Rioli was able to run onto a loose ball in the pocket but a left-foot kick was narrow. The Eagles turned over the kick in but Liam Shiels also sprayed his kick. Butler had a chance for a rare goal but his kick went left. Sinclair took a big mark outside 50 and his kick was crumbed by Hill at the feet of Kennedy for his second opportunistic goal of the match and a 30 point lead as the rain began to fall. David Hale answered back for Hawthorn minutes later.

LeCras marked on 50 but his set shot was spoiled over the line, as Hale was subbed out by Hawthorn. Sheppard found LeCras, slightly closer this time, but he pulled his kick left. A kick off the ground found LeCras in the pocket, and this time he played on and kicked round the body for a goal. Puopolo had a quick kick for goal that missed. Rosa found Hill inside 50 who spilled the mark, but the ball finished with Cripps who goaled to make the margin a game-high 37 points. Naitanui then palmed the bounce straight to a running Shuey who hit Kennedy on the lead, but his kick swung left in the wind. Cripps had a chance for a second from a tight angle but just missed. Hill's kick to the top of the square hit a leading Darling who slotted the goal. Hawthorn built off the wing late in the term but Matt Suckling's shot went left. A turnover by Hawthorn in the centre square ended up with Cripps on the goal-line who kicked after the siren to make the margin an even 50 points.

Final term

Roughead marked inside 50 and a soft 50 metre penalty against Schofield made the goal a certainty. Brian Lake marked on the lead and his kick went to the goal line but the Eagles were able to defend it without conceding a point. Rioli found Burgoyne who kicked truly to cut the margin to 38. Kennedy got the ball on his own inside 50 but his kick went across the face for a behind. The ball went quickly down the other end where Burgoyne kicked his season for the term. Kennedy found Sheed with his left foot and the youngster's kick went to the teeth of goal but was kept in play by Hawthorn as rain began to fall again. Gunston had to be carried off with a leg injury after a contest with Hurn. Wellingham superbly ran down Breust from behind to thwart a Hawthorn attack.

Their next attack ended with Isaac Smith who converted his set shot to cut the margin to a worrying 27 points. Darling was manhandled in a marking contest without penalty as West Coast belatedly subbed McGinnity into the game in place of Schofield. Hutchings was pushed in the back inside forward 50 and he made no mistake, putting the match beyond the Hawks. Wellingham took a couple of strong marks to stymie Hawthorn forward moves. Naitanui outmuscled an opponent to take a strong mark and the resulting inside-50 was soccered through out of the air brilliantly by Hill. An unattended Luke Hodge marked inside 50 and kicked truly to cut the margin back to 33. Breust made it 32 with a poster as time expired.

From the coach

"Really proud of the players, obviously losing Pridda before the game was really difficult for him, just a day off probably coming up. Playing against the Hawks at almost full-strength. Really proud of the players.
...
It's a little bit of the unknown for us. The journey we're on at the moment, 'we're enjoying the ride' is pretty much the theme we're in. We just really wanted to test ourselves against the best tonight and play our way, and those guys stood up in what was a really big game for the club. We're in a prelim now.
...
[The midfielders] really stood up. The Hawthorn midfield is a really consistent, well-balanced team, so we had to be the same and I thought even Rosa, Hutchings and Dom, Nic was okay tonight without being the difference. I thought our defenders really stood up as well."

From the papers

The West Australian

"The Eagles took turns, quarter by quarter to dominate. There was captain Shannon Hurn’s standard setting first quarter. There was Luke Shuey and Josh Kennedy dominating the second. Mark Lecras seemed everywhere in the third. Matt Rosa, Brad Sheppard and Mark Hutchings were there all night. Nic Naitanui left his stamp on the game and the imprint of his knee on Hawk ruckman Ben McEvoy’s chest.

The Hawks were reduced to battlers and triers. Sam Mitchell was the only Hawk to keep composure with the ball in hand. Luke Hodge lifted after half time. Cyril Rioli had moments, ditto Jarryd Roughead. But Isaac Smith looked like a bloke with a suspect knee and other Hawks didn’t even have that excuse.

There were only four first quarter goals kicked, but by quarter time the Eagles had their foot on Hawthorn’s throat. Jeremy McGovern had tweaked his suspect shoulder and was in the rooms having it seen to. But the Hawks were getting a seeing to. The kings of cool were searching for composure."

The Age

"Eagles coach Adam Simpson, in his second year at the club since moving over from the Hawks, had been questioned in the lead-up to the game as to whether his style of play would stand up to the added intensity of finals.

That question was answered comprehensively, against a side aiming for a premiership three-peat and a team they hadn't beaten since 2012.

The Eagles forced turnover after turnover and when they went forward they had options galore.

They took 17 marks in attack to Hawthorn's nine, where conjuring goal-scoring options has been such a strength of the Hawks in the past."

Herald-Sun

"West Coast had the match in its keeping with a 50-point lead at the final change, and got home by 32 points despite the Hawks kicking the first four goals of the last quarter.

Backed by a frenzied home crowd, the Eagles grabbed the match by the throat in the second term as their brilliant defence provided the springboard for wave after wave of attacks.

Luke Shuey was outstanding with 11 possessions and three clearances for the quarter and Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy kicked three consecutive goals as the home side assumed control.

West Coast added 5.4 to just one behind for the term to restrict Hawthorn to a half-time score of 2.4 (16) — the Hawks’ lowest ever first-half score in a final and their lowest in any game since they kicked the same score in the first half against Collingwood in Round 15, 2011."

East Perth report

Semi Final (13 September)

An inaccurate East Perth knocked Peel out of their maiden finals campaign with a 22 point win at Rushton Park. Kane Lucas was his usual prolific self with 28 possessions and Tom Lamb kicked two goals and could have had more but for some bad misses.

Appearing for East Perth: Adamson, Barrass, Bennell, Brophy, Karpany, Lamb, Lucas, Lycett, Main, Nelson, Newman, Powell.

Injury list

In the lead-up to the match the following players were listed as injured or unavailable:

Player		Injury		Expected duration
MacKenzie		Knee		Season		(Placed on LTI list 2/4/15, replaced by Lucas)
Brown		Knee		Season		(Placed on LTI list 23/7/15, replaced by Newman)
Tunbridge		Ankle/shoulder		Season
Duggan		Knee		Season
Cavka		Ankle		Season
Waterman		Glandular fever		Indefinite
McInnes		Hamstring		3 weeks
Lycett		PCL		Test
Schofield		Hamstring		Test
Masten		Hamstring		Test
Colledge		Knee		Test
Maginness*		Foot		Season

References

http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2015/24/wce-v-haw

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2015/101820150911.html