Essendon headed west for the final games of coach Kevin Sheedy and captain James Hird, but West Coast looked set to spoil the farewell party when they led by 44 points at three-quarter time. Bombers veteran Scott Lucas then put on a show, kicking seven last-quarter goals to put the Dons within reach of a fairytale. The Eagles were able to hold on through the efforts of Rowan Jones, who kicked three goals to go with his 30 possessions, Adam Hunter's rebound from defence and Brent Staker's soccered goal to seal the win. The Bombers' comeback cost West Coast a top-two spot, finishing below Port Adelaide on percentage.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 5.1.31 | 12.2.74 | 19.4.118 | 21.6.132 | ||||
| Essendon | 2.3.15 | 5.6.36 | 11.8.74 | 19.10.124 |
Goals: R.Jones, Morton 3, Chick, Cousins, LeCras, Seaby, Wirrpanda 2, Cox, Lynch, Stenglein
Best: R.Jones, Hunter, Stenglein, Cousins, Cox
Injuries: Priddis (cork)
Milestones: Chick 250th AFL game, Morton final appearance
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Essendon | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 38.B.Jones | 23.Glass | 44.Wirrpanda | B: | 20.Slattery | 22.Michael | 30.Ryder |
| HB: | 8.Waters | 39.Hunter | 5.Stenglein | HB: | 8.Winderlich | 25.Lucas | 10.McVeigh |
| C: | 37.Selwood | 11.Priddis | 10.Braun | C: | 24.Stanton | 5.Hird | 31.Fletcher |
| HF: | 17.Chick | 41.Staker | 6.Nicoski | HF: | 33.McPhee | 3.Gumbleton | 42.Lovett-Murray |
| F: | 14.Seaby | 21.Lynch | 2.LeCras | F: | 34.Neagle | 18.Lloyd | 12.Welsh |
| R: | 20.Cox | 9.Cousins | 7.Fletcher | R: | 27.Laycock | 11.Peverill | 6.Monfries |
| I: | 24.Rosa | 15.C.Jones | 18.R.Jones | I: | 26.Heffernan | 23.Bolton | 16.Bradley |
| 25.Hurn | 13.Lovett | ||||||
| E: | 1.Brown | 45.McNamara | 12.Morton | E: | 19.Hille | 43.Houli | 39.Hocking |
In: Chick, C.Jones, Nicoski
Out: Judd (rested), Hansen (hamstring), McNamara
Late change: (WCE) Morton for Selwood (calf); (ESS) Hille for Ryder
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"West Coast needed a rousing win to boost their percentage well above Port Adelaide in the hope of hosting a home final.
Driven by the defensive rebound of Adam Hunter, Matt Rosa and Brett Jones, coupled with the midfield and forward work of Rowan Jones, Chad Fletcher and Ben Cousins, West Coast were looking for a healthy percentage return after galloping to a 51-point lead in the third term.
But by game's end, the Bombers had fallen just short at 21.6 (132) to 19.10 (124) and claimed a moral victory because they fired one, last glorious shot for James Hird and Kevin Sheedy and, in the process, scuttled West Coast's hopes of a home final."[1]
Players in the WAFL[]
Round 23 (1 Sept)
East Perth (McKinley, Spaanderman) vs Swan Districts
Claremont (MacKenzie, Thomson, Wilkes) vs Peel (Schofield)
East Fremantle (Brown) vs West Perth (Sharp)
Perth vs Subiaco
Bye: South Fremantle
Injury list[]
In the lead-up to the round the following players were listed as injured:
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spangher | Shoulder | Season | ||||
| Wooden | Hip | Season | (On LTI list 21/6, replaced by C.Jones) | |||
| Sampi | Personal | Indefinite | (On LTI list 24/7, replaced by McNamara) | |||
| Kerr | Finger tendon | 4-5 weeks | ||||
| Hansen | Hamstring | 2-3 weeks | ||||
| Graham | Knee | 1 week | ||||
| Embley | Hamstring | 1 week | ||||
| Chick | Throat | Test | ||||
| Armstrong | Knee | Test | ||||
| Butler | Groin | Test | ||||
| Thornton* | Knee | Season |
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2007/051820070901.html
- ↑ Ray Wilson, The West Australian (3 September 2007, p.GAM6), "Hurt Eagles head to Port in a storm"
| 2007 season |
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<--2006-07 offseason | 2007-08 offseason--> |