Round 21 2015

West Coast v W.Bulldogs
Round 21, 2015

Naitanui dominated on his return. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Date

Sun, 23 August 2015 (2:40 PM WST)

Venue

Subiaco Oval

Attendance

37,733

Result

Won by 77

Score

WCE 25.12.162 - 13.7.85 WBD

Brownlow

3 J.Kennedy (WCE)
2 M.Priddis (WCE)
1 L.Shuey (WCE)

Ladder

2nd

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West Coast sewed up a top-four spot with a thumping win over the Bulldogs at a sun-drenched Subiaco. The Eagles kept their noses in front in a high-paced first three quarters, before ramming through nine goals in the final term to tally their highest score of the season. Josh Kennedy all but locked in the Coleman Medal with his haul of seven goals from 21 possessions, and Nic Naitanui dominated with 48 hitouts on his return to the side as Jack Darling celebrated his 100th game.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		5.5.35		11.9.75		16.10.106		25.12.162
Western Bulldogs		3.2.20		9.5.59		12.6.78		13.7.85

Goals: Kennedy 7, Hill 4, LeCras 3, Hutchings, Sinclair 2, Cripps, Darling, McGinnity, Naitanui, Newman, Sheed, Shuey

Best: Naitanui, Kennedy, Priddis, Gaff, Shuey, Hutchings, Hill

Injuries: Naitanui (wrist)

Sub: Newman for Ellis in the fourth quarter

Milestones: Darling 100th game

Named side

	West Coast				Bulldogs
B:	Sheppard	Hurn	Bennell	B:	Morris	Talia	Johannisen
HB:	Ellis	Wellingham	Rosa	HB:	Murphy	Hamling	Wood
C:	Hutchings	Priddis	Sheed	C:	Jong	Macrae	Biggs
HF:	Gaff	Darling	Cripps	HF:	Dahlhaus	Dickson	Crameri
F:	LeCras	Kennedy	Hill	F:	Hunter	Redpath	Stringer
R:	Naitanui	Yeo	Shuey	R:	Campbell	Wallis	Bontempelli
I:	McGinnity	Nelson	Newman	I:	Grant	Pearce	Daniel
	Sinclair				Smith
E:	Barrass	Lamb	Lucas	E:	T.Boyd	Dale	Goodes

In: LeCras, Naitanui, Nelson, Newman

Out: Masten (susp), Lycett (knee), Schofield (hamstring), Butler (hamstring)

From the coach

"The game, in the first half, was a bit of a shootout wasn't it? So I don't think you can put the highest score of the year as the best game of the year. I was really proud of the players, they finished the game off well. In the last quarter we went up another gear so that was pleasing.
...
""I thought the game wasn't really how we like to play in the first half. We like to attack that way but we don't like to defend that way. As much as it would have been exciting to watch, I think they were almost 50 points at half-time, the Doggies. So it wasn't necessarily how we were moving the ball, it was how we were defending I'd like to clean up a little bit. I thought in the second half we defended a lot better. There was a few things going on with personnel with the Doggies that I thought they had to change a few things, it restricted them in the midfield a little bit. We probably took advantage with the clearances and around the ball, to be honest. I don't think you take too much out of the last 15 minutes from a Bulldogs point of view, but we did finish off the game well.
...
"We had a few soldiers down, to be honest, today that played a lot of footy together. We had to shuffle the team a little bit. Great opportunity for Murray Newman to come into the side, albeit as a sub. Rosa had to play on the wing a bit more, so we did a few things differently. Obviously Yeo went down back as well. But they play in a way that is predictable to each other and they've got belief in it, so it seems to be working."

From the papers

The West Australian

"It was high-risk football in the opening half as both sides deployed their run-and-stun game plans.

Kennedy posed a big threat early, pulling in five marks and booting 2.2 in the opening term to put the Bulldogs on the back foot.

But it was game on once Bulldogs spearheads Stringer and Crameri sprung to life.

Stringer kicked four goals in the first half as the pair terrorised West Coast's undersized defence.

But with Naitanui dominating in the ruck, West Coast entered the long break with a handy 16-point buffer."

The Age

"Yet the Bulldogs went blow for blow with West Coast for most of the afternoon; the advantage of 830 games experience difference finally working in favour of the top side, who booted nine goals to one in the final term.

But what a game of football it was. Anyone who didn't watch it missed out on one of the most free-flowing games of the season – where for the majority of the game both sides had forwards, backs and midfielders playing their positions.

For the first three quarters at least."

PerthNow

"The frantic pace didn’t let up in the third, with West Coast taking control with three of the first four goals.

Kennedy landed two set shots in two minutes, with his second a gem from 50m out hard up against the boundary line.

The Eagles added five goals to three in the third term to extend their lead to 28 points.

When Josh Hill kicked his fourth to make it three in a row for him bracketing the final change, West Coast was home."

East Perth report

Round 22 (22 August)

East Perth had a bye.

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		Ongoing
McInnes		Hamstring		8 weeks
Lycett		PCL		4 weeks
Masten		Suspension		2 weeks
McGovern		Hamstring		1-2 weeks
Schofield		Hamstring		1-2 weeks
Selwood		Ankle		1 week
Cripps		Jaw		Test
Naitanui		Bereavement		Indefinite
Maginness*		Foot		Season

References

http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2015/21/wce-v-wb

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2015/071820150823.html