West Coast got their season off to a flyer with a demolition job of Melbourne, holding the Demons to just two goals and the lowest total ever conceded by the Eagles. Chris Mainwaring kicked two goals of his own from 32 possessions and Peter Sumich comfortably outscored the Dees with a bag of five.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 3.2.20 | 3.4.22 | 10.6.66 | 14.15.99 | ||||
| Melbourne | 0.0.0 | 0.1.1 | 1.5.11 | 2.8.20 |
Goals: Sumich 5, Brennan 3, Mainwaring 2, Evans, Irving, Matera, Wilson
Best: Mainwaring, Matera, Heady, Waterman, Irving
Injuries: Watters (knee)
Milestones: Evans AFL debut, Hepburn WCE debut, Hynes AFL debut
Records: WCE biggest win vs Melbourne, Melbourne lowest score vs WCE, WCE lowest score conceded vs all teams
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Melbourne | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 7.Turley | 45.Lockyer | 17.McKenna | B: | 27.Wight | 4.Campbell | 37.Flintoff |
| HB: | 24.Worsfold | 22.Hynes | 14.Brennan | HB: | 6.G.Lovett | 11.Stynes | 21.S.Febey |
| C: | 3.Mainwaring | 13.Watters | 1.Heady | C: | 34.Egan | 17.B.Lovett | 14.Grinter |
| HF: | 19.Langdon | 16.Hepburn | 28.Lewis | HF: | 44.Schwarz | 3.Lyon | 7.Owen |
| F: | 36.Hart | 4.Sumich | 21.McGrath | F: | 13.Jakovich | 19.Bennett | 45.Jackson |
| R: | 34.Irving | 5.Lamb | 40.Evans | R: | 1.O'Dwyer | 12.T.Viney | 32.Clark |
| I: | 30.Matera | 39.Waterman | I: | 5.Spalding | 33.Healy | ||
| E: | 33.Kickett | 10.Pyke | 9.Wilson | E: | 25.Eishold | 16.Lovell | 18.Stretch |
Late change: Wilson for Langdon
New: Tony Evans (Claremont), Mark Hepburn (North Melbourne/Claremont), David Hynes (Port Adelaide Magpies)
From the papers[]
The Age[]
"It took Melbourne the first 50 minutes of the 1991 season to score its first goal and, as ridiculous as it may sound, the final score flattered the Demons.
Had the Eagles been as precise in front of goal as they were in the setting up of their forward forays, they would have finished another half-a-dozen goals in front.
The sloppy kicking for goal was spread around, with Brett Heady, newcomer Tony Evans and Peter Matera all guilty of missing opportunities. So, too, was full-forward Peter Sumich, but he continues to grow in the role, exploiting his increased physical strength and his willingness to lead well out from goal."[1]
Canberra Times[]
"Melbourne's usually reliable forwards were placed under so much pressure from the Eagles that the Demons failed to register a goal until the one-minute mark of the third term, and had to wait until 14 minutes into the final quarter before Glenn Lovett added the other.
While the Demons lacked creativity [in] midfield, the Eagles' centre-line formed the basis of their team's success. Half-forward and part-time rover Peter Matera became a livewire across the middle of the ground with extra-ordinary pace and brilliant ball reading skills.
He combined with Chris Mainwaring and Brett Heady to provide the Eagles forwards with plenty of opportunities."[2]
Injury list[]
In the lead-up to the match the following players were listed as injured or unavailable:[3]
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laidley | Knee | 3-4 weeks | ||||
| Keene | Foot | Test | ||||
| Sumich | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| Gwilliam | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| Kemp | Calf | Test |
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1991/111819910324.html
- ↑ David Humphries, The Age (25 August 1991, p.31), "Demon machine a memory as Eagles run riot"
- ↑ The Canberra Times (25 March 1991, p.26), "Melbourne wallows in mediocrity": http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122351508
- ↑ The Age (20 March 1991, p.30), "The injury list"
| 1991 season |
|---|
|
<--1990-91 offseason | 1991-92 offseason--> |