West Coast ended up on the wrong side of a four-quarter arm wrestle with St Kilda in a virtual elimination final for both sides. In a match played at a finals-like intensity, the Eagles led by 3 points at every change and opened up a 14-point lead early in the final term but, in a season-long pattern, gave up the lead late in the match to snap an eight-game winning streak against the Saints and fall out of the top eight. Josh Kennedy again led the way with five goals and skipper Shannon Hurn had 22 possessions and eight marks.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Kilda | 3.2.20 | 7.5.47 | 10.7.67 | 15.13.103 | ||||
| West Coast | 3.5.23 | 7.8.50 | 10.10.70 | 14.11.95 |
Goals: Kennedy 5, LeCras 3, Darling 2, Cripps, Karpany, McGovern, Sheed
Best: Kennedy, Sheed, Gaff, Yeo, Mitchell, Hurn, Redden
Injuries: Hurn (cut head)
Milestones: Karpany final appearance
Named sides[]
| West Coast | St Kilda | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | McGovern | MacKenzie | Hurn | B: | Geary | Brown | Roberton |
| HB: | Sheppard | Schofield | Duggan | HB: | Newnes | Carlisle | Webster |
| C: | Gaff | Mitchell | Nelson | C: | Savage | Dunstan | Billings |
| HF: | Redden | Darling | Partington | HF: | Sinclair | Riewoldt | Acres |
| F: | Cripps | Kennedy | LeCras | F: | Gresham | Bruce | Membrey |
| R: | Petrie | Shuey | Yeo | R: | Longer | Ross | Steven |
| I: | Sheed | Masten | Hutchings | I: | Steele | Stevens | White |
| Karpany | Weller | ||||||
| E: | Priddis | Vardy | Hill | E: | Hickey | Wright | McKenzie |
In: Masten
Out: Barrass (groin)
Quarter by quarter[]
Both sides went in as named. The Docklands roof was closed for the encounter.
Club Champion votes[]
| Kennedy | 15 | Duggan | 4 | ||
| Hurn | 14 | Yeo | 4 | ||
| Darling | 8 | Partington | 3 | ||
| LeCras | 8 | Cripps | 2 | ||
| Hutchings | 7 | Petrie | 2 | ||
| Gaff | 5 | Sheppard | 1 | ||
| MacKenzie | 5 | Shuey | 1 | ||
| McGovern | 5 | Karpany | 0 | ||
| Mitchell | 5 | Masten | 0 | ||
| Redden | 5 | Nelson | 0 | ||
| Sheed | 5 | Schofield | 0 |
From the coach[]
"We did a lot right. I thought the boys were pretty brave, but couldn't sustain it in the end. We just got out-supplied in the last quarter. When we did get it in our front half we looked quite dangerous. I think I'm going to look at the glass half-full on this one. I think the effort and the intent was there. Ability to execute all day is obviously something that we're working on. I think contested ball was pretty even at three-quarter time and we just got blown away in the last quarter, both around the contest and probably around the ground. We just couldn't hold up for long enough, albeit the game was on the line with a minute to go. I thought we were pretty brave, but not good enough today.
"It's [the final quarter drop-off] happened a few times. It's a combination of not being clean enough and getting beaten around the contest at stoppages, but also on the outside. It is disappointing. We're mixing through personnel to try and explore different ways to get a different look for our team. We'll continue to do that and continue to expose our younger players to waht was a finals-type game today.
"...That was a big one [result], but there's still a pulse. The boys are pretty tight at the moment, they're pretty galvanised. Despite all the outside noise, they're still having a go. We're still going in with a real positive mindset this week."
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"The Eagles were up by more than two goals after Mark LeCras’ third goal midway through the final term.
But going into the final minutes of an entertaining, fast-paced encounter, it was the Saints who found the will to win.
Josh Kennedy put the pressure on with his fifth goal to get his team within one point at the 27-minute mark. But rather than feel the pressure, the Saints responded with a terrific mark to Josh Bruce and a match-winning goal by Jack Billings.
The 15.13 (103) to 14.11 (95) loss sees the Eagles drop to ninth on the ladder, behind eighth-placed Essendon on percentage."
The Age[]
"West Coast's defensive aggression soared in the second term whicht also made them a more dangerous attacking unit.
The Eagles kicked four goals in a row in the middle of the quarter by locking the Saints in their defensive 50 but St Kilda responded with their own volley of majors, kicking three in a row to end the half and stay in touch with their opponents.
The intensity rose again in the third term, with the pressure taking its toll on players. Not even the most experienced could avoid the heat in the game, with Riewoldt inexplicably missing a shot running into an open goal.
That allowed West Coast to rebound. They went coast-to-coast from the retiring Saint champion's mistake, Kennedy getting the finish on the run from 50 meters."
East Perth report[]
Round 20 (5 August)
East Perth thrashed arch-rivals West Perth by 84 points at Arena Joondalup to leapfrog the Falcons into the top five. The home side controlled early play but the Royals hit the front just before quarter time and then raced away, kicking seven goals in the second term while holding West Perth scoreless. Jake Waterman kicked two goals from seven marks in his senior debut and Sharrod Wellingham also kicked a brace from 23 possessions in a midfield role.
Appearing for East Perth: Cole, Gorter, Hill, McInnes, Mutimer, Snadden, Vardy (*first East Perth appearance), Waterman(*), Watson, Wellingham. Reserves: Bayok, Rioli.
Injury list[]
In the leadup to the match the following players were listed as injured:
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | Foot | Season | ||||
| Lycett | Shoulder | Season | ||||
| Naitanui | Knee | Late 2017 season | (On LTI list 21/3/17, replaced by Petrie) | |||
| Venables | Toe | 3-4 weeks | ||||
| Lamb | Knee | 1-2 weeks | ||||
| Rotham | Hamstring | 1-2 weeks | ||||
| Butler | Hamstring | 1 week | ||||
| Jetta | Calf | 1 week | ||||
| Priddis | Quad | Test | ||||
| Shuey | Ankle | Test | ||||
| Vardy | Glute | Test |
Links[]
http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2017/20/stk-v-wce
Nick Rynne, The West Australian (6 August 2017), "Finals hopes fade as Eagles lose to St Kilda in a last-gasp thriller": https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/finals-hopes-fade-as-eagles-lose-to-st-kilda-in-a-last-gasp-thriller-ng-b88559600z
Anthony Colangelo, The Age (6 August 2017), "St Kilda pull off stunning victory against West Coast, keep finals hopes alive": http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/st-kilda-pull-of-stunning-victory-against-west-coast-keep-finals-hopes-alive-20170806-gxq8la.html
| 2017 season <--2016-17 offseason | Playing squad | Coaching panel | 2017-18 offseason--> |
|---|
|
JLT Series : 1 (GWS) | 2 (FRE) | 3 (MEL) |