West Coast defied a big first-half deficit and a shortage of fit players to challenge Sydney late, but it ultimately wasn't enough with the Swans prevailing by 15 points on a warm Sunday afternoon. New captain Ben Cousins was inspirational with 38 possessions and Michael Gardiner had 23 possessions and a goal, ably assisted by debutant Dean Cox.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 3.1.19 | 5.3.33 | 10.8.68 | 13.11.89 | ||||
| Sydney | 4.2.26 | 12.8.80 | 14.9.93 | 15.14.104 |
Goals: Taylor 3, Wilson 2, Braun, Fletcher, Gardiner, Kerr, McIntosh, Merenda, Prior, Wirrpanda
Best: Cousins, Fletcher, Kerr, Gardiner, Wirrpanda, Taylor
Injuries: Braun (hamstring), Jakovich (shoulder), Morrison, Munro
Milestones: Cox first AFL game
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Sydney | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 46.Carroll | 11.McIntosh | 16.Prior | B: | 4.Mathews | 6.Dunkley | 22.Saddington |
| HB: | 37.Williams | 27.Jakovich | 5.Morrison | HB: | 33.Warfe | 25.Schauble | 21.Barry |
| C: | 10.Braun | 9.Cousins | 6.Banfield | C: | 11.Maxfield | 8.Cresswell | 13.McPherson |
| HF: | 30.Pe.Matera | 40.Wilson | 4.Kerr | HF: | 19.O'Loughlin | 37.Goodes | 10.Williams |
| F: | 44.Wirrpanda | 14.Cummings | 7.Fletcher | F: | 34.Luff | 27.Ball | 9.Ahmat |
| R: | 1.Gardiner | 18.Jones | 8.Taylor | R: | 1.Stafford | 2.Schwass | 28.Crouch |
| I: | 22.Collica | 20.Cox | 21.Merenda | I: | 24.Bolton | 15.Doyle | 12.Fosdike |
| 31.Munro | 31.Kirk | ||||||
| E: | 15.Chambers | 39.Hunter | 50.Turnbull | E: | 5.O'Keefe | 20.J.Stevens | 16.S.Stevens |
In: Cox, Munro
Out: Sierakowski (knee), Glass (ankle)
Late change: Hunter for Cummings (ankle)
New: Dean Cox (East Perth/Dampier JFC)
From the papers[]
Sydney Morning Herald[]
"The Swans managed just 24 points in the second half, while the Eagles added 56. The Subiaco crowd, which had been all but silenced in the first half, found its voice as the Eagles moved closer.
With six minutes to go, West Coast fans were dreaming the impossible dream. But, unlike the Swans of last year, this 2001 team has found some maturity and even while the Eagles gathered momentum there was a sense of solidarity in the Swans that was missing in 2000.
Wayne Schwass, Maxfield, Jason Saddington, Jason Ball and Cresswell steadied the ship, and with two minutes to go the Eagles' fire had been doused. The 15-point margin probably flattered West Coast."[1]
WAFL[]
Round 2 (7 April)
East Fremantle (Green, McCarrey, Miller) vs West Perth
Claremont vs Peel
Swan Districts vs Perth
Bye: East Perth, South Fremantle, Subiaco
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2001/161820010408.html
- ↑ Alan Kennedy, Sydney Morning Herald (9 April 2001, p.25), "Swans caught coasting but avoid rocks"
| 2001 season |
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<--2000-01 offseason | 2001-02 offseason--> |