As the previous year's grand finalists met for the second time for the season, a number of West Coast players returned for the clash but none was more publicised or more intriguing than that of prodigal son Ben Cousins. As the Eagles fans applauded what he had overcome, Cousins set about reminding everyone just what he could produce on the field, with 38 touches after starting the game on the bench. After a tight first half, West Coast blew the game out in the third quarter and led by as much as 41 points in the final term, before a late run saw the Swans get within a couple of goals.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 2.6.18 | 6.9.45 | 13.14.92 | 16.16.112 | ||||
| Sydney | 2.3.15 | 6.9.45 | 9.9.63 | 15.10.100 |
Goals: Hansen 4, Cox, Staker 3, Judd 2, Chick, Hunter, R.Jones, Lynch
Best: Cousins, Hansen, Staker, Kerr, Cox, Chick, Judd
Injuries: Nil
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Sydney | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | Staker | Glass | Selwood | B: | Richards | Barry | Dempster |
| HB: | Waters | Hunter | B.Jones | HB: | Bevan | C.Bolton | Mathews |
| C: | Embley | Judd | Braun | C: | Ablett | Kirk | Malceski |
| HF: | Chick | Hansen | Stenglein | HF: | O'Keefe | O'Loughlin | Goodes |
| F: | LeCras | Lynch | Seaby | F: | Schneider | Hall | Everitt |
| R: | Cox | Cousins | Kerr | R: | Jolly | J.Bolton | Fosdike |
| I: | Rosa | Priddis | R.Jones | I: | N.Davis | Kennelly | McVeigh |
| Hurn | Schmidt | ||||||
| E: | Armstrong | Fletcher | MacKenzie | E: | Grundy | Phillips | Vogels |
In: Cousins, Hansen, Kerr, Stenglein, Staker
Out: Morton (ankle), C.Jones, McKinley, Armstrong, MacKenzie
Late change: (SYD) Grundy, Vogels for Hall (hamstring), Kennelly (knee)
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"It was the start of 15 minutes of dominance that the fans found intoxicating but which Sydney, and other premiership contenders, would regard as frightening.
Leo Barry, convalescing in the forward line because of apparent hamstring tightness, booted the next goal but West Coast were in control and Cousins orchestrated the charge.
A goal came after he steered his way through hazards on the outer wing in a passage of play involving Tyson Stenglein, Quinten Lynch and Adam Hunter.
Soon after, Nic Malceski thought he'd speared the ball successfully through a gap for Luke Vogels when Cousins intercepted with a half-volley pick-up. His feed to Dean Cox blew West Coast's lead to 23 points."[1]
Players in the WAFL[]
Round 17 (21 July)
East Fremantle (Spangher, Houlihan, McNamara) vs East Perth (McKinley, Spaanderman)
Perth (Armstrong, Butler) vs South Fremantle
Swan Districts vs Claremont (MacKenzie, C.Jones). Thomson played reserves.
Peel (Schofield) vs West Perth. Sharp played reserves.
Bye: Subiaco
Injury list[]
In the lead-up to the round the following players were listed as injured:
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sampi | Personal | Indefinite | ||||
| Wooden | Hip | 4 weeks | (On LTI list 21/6, replaced by C.Jones) | |||
| Brown | Groin | 1 week | ||||
| Nicoski | Shin splints | 1 week | ||||
| Graham | Calf | 1 week | ||||
| Morton | Ankle | 1 week | ||||
| Judd | Groin | Test | ||||
| Butler | Groin | Test | ||||
| Hansen | Finger | Test | ||||
| Staker | Shin splints | Test | ||||
| Cousins | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| Stenglein | Knee | Test | ||||
| Schofield | Undisclosed | Test | ||||
| Thornton* | Knee | Season | ||||
| Wilkes* | Hand | Test |
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2007/161820070721.html
- ↑ Ray Wilson, The West Australian (23 July 2007, p.GAM8), "Cousins back like a man possessed"
| 2007 season |
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<--2006-07 offseason | 2007-08 offseason--> |