In the first game played under lights at Subiaco, West Coast made short work of the visiting Swans, extending their lead at every change and holding Sydney to just five goals for the match to start the new season on top of the ladder. Peter Matera was electric with 31 possessions and two goals and former Bulldogs Ilija Grgic dominated the ruck in his first game in blue and gold.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 2.1.13 | 5.2.32 | 9.5.59 | 12.6.78 | ||||
| Sydney | 1.1.7 | 3.2.20 | 5.5.35 | 5.7.37 |
Goals: Cousins 3, Ball, Pe.Matera 2, Banfield, Heady, Lewis, McIntosh, Morrison
Best: Cousins, Banfield, Grgic, Pe.Matera, Lewis, McKenna
Injuries: Donnelly (knee), Evans (knee)
Milestones: Grgic WCE debut, Wooden AFL debut
Records: Sydney lowest score vs WCE
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Sydney | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 24.Worsfold | 11.McIntosh | 7.Gehrig | B: | 29.Garlick | 30.Bayes | 7.Seymour |
| HB: | 17.McKenna | 50.Turnbull | 8.Metropolis | HB: | 38.Licuria | 1.Roos | 3.Lewis |
| C: | 13.Wooden | 30.Matera | 3.Mainwaring | C: | 24.Orchard | 12.Dyson | 16.Corcoran |
| HF: | 39.Waterman | 26.Ball | 28.Lewis | HF: | 19.O'Loughlin | 17.Mooney | 34.Luff |
| F: | 5.Lovell | 12.White | 29.Donnelly | F: | 5.O'Brien | 31.Carey | 27.Chapman |
| R: | 14.Grgic | 6.Banfield | 35.Cousins | R: | 15.Stafford | 8.Cresswell | 14.Kelly |
| I: | 18.Evans | 1.Heady | 2.Kemp | I: | 10.Filandia | 32.Wilson | 9.Grant |
| E: | 36.Hart | 42.Morrison | 16.Symmons | E: | 20.Stevens | 39.Kinnear | 41.Cook |
Late change: Morrison for Worsfold (ankle)
New: Ilija Grgic (Footscray), Josh Wooden (NSW-ACT Rams/Lockhart JFC)
From the papers[]
The Age[]
"Despite grit and style by the likes of skipper Paul Kelly, Dale Lewis, Craig O'Brien, Peter Filandia and first-time senior player Paul Licuria, Sydney could not get past the blanket defence of Ashley McIntosh and Guy McKenna all night.
Chris Lewis showed his pre-season predictions of a return to best form were true as he dominated the midfield play against Dale Lewis and then Kevin Dyson. Cousins was outstanding, as was born-again wingman Peter Matera.
Matera, in fact, provided the night's highlight - a classic goal in the 21st minute of the final term.
He stole a chip out of defence by Kelly, then pushed the ball towards the boundary with his body over the line while, at the same time, bouncing off Lewis before making a blind turn and goaling from an acute angle."[1]
WAFL[]
Round 1 (29-31 March)
Perth (Sikora) vs Swan Districts
Peel vs South Fremantle (Sumich, Ph.Matera)
Claremont (Gardiner, Marshall, Stone) vs East Perth (Wirrpanda)
West Perth (Smoker, Webb) vs East Fremantle
Bye: Subiaco
Injury list[]
In the lead-up to the match the following players were listed as injured or unavailable:[2]
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunstan | Ankle | Season | ||||
| Jakovich | Knee | 10 weeks | ||||
| Fewster | Knee | 10 weeks | ||||
| Cummings | Knee | 6-8 weeks | ||||
| McKenna | Hamstring | Test |
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1997/161819970329.html
| 1997 season |
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<--1996-97 offseason | 1997-98 offseason--> |