Celebrating their 30th year in the competition, the Eagles overcame the pre-game loss of champion midfielder Matt Priddis to comprehensively outpoint Richmond. The home side strangled the Tigers in the first half, holding them to just eight inside-50s, and could have held a massive lead if not for some frustrating inaccuracy in front of goal. Elliot Yeo kicked two goals from 25 possessions and Andrew Gaff led all comers with 33 disposals.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 6.8.44 | 10.13.73 | 13.16.94 | 18.17.125 | ||||
| Richmond | 2.0.12 | 3.1.19 | 6.3.39 | 9.3.57 |
Goals: Darling 4, Hutchings, LeCras, Kennedy, Shuey, Yeo 2, Hill, Jetta, Lycett, Redden
Best: Shuey, Yeo, Gaff, McGovern, Darling, Naitanui
Injuries: nil
Reports: Lycett for striking T.Vickery
Named side[]
| West Coast | Richmond | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 25.Hurn | 16.MacKenzie | 20.McGovern | B: | 12.Astbury | 18.Rance | 25.Chaplin |
| HB: | 5.Sheppard | 31.Schofield | 30.Nelson | HB: | 1.Vlastuin | 14.Houli | 5.B.Ellis |
| C: | 6.Yeo | 11.Priddis | 23.Jetta | C: | 37.Menadue | 6.Grigg | 33.McIntosh |
| HF: | 7.Masten | 27.Darling | 8.Redden | HF: | 23.Lambert | 4.Martin | 15.Moore |
| F: | 2.LeCras | 17.Kennedy | 33.Hill | F: | 8.Riewoldt | 27.Lloyd | 29.Vickery |
| R: | 9.Naitanui | 3.Gaff | 13.Shuey | R: | 16.Hampson | 10.Edwards | 9.Cotchin |
| I: | 26.Butler | 15.Cripps | 14.Duggan | I: | 7.Lennon | 17.Rioli | 32.C.Ellis |
| 29.Lycett | 28.Hunt | ||||||
| E: | 28.Cole | 34.Hutchings | 35.McGinnity | E: | 20.Maric | 26.Miles | 45.Short |
No change
Late change: Hutchings for Priddis (groin)
Quarter by quarter[]
The game was played on a fine and warm Friday night but a number of West Coast players went into the match under clouds, which resulted in one late change when Matt Priddis withdrew and was replaced by Mark Hutchings.
Club Champion votes[]
| Yeo | 10 | LeCras | 4 | ||
| Gaff | 9 | Lycett | 4 | ||
| Shuey | 9 | Schofield | 4 | ||
| Darling | 8 | MacKenzie | 3 | ||
| McGovern | 6 | Cripps | 1 | ||
| Naitanui | 6 | Hill | 1 | ||
| Sheppard | 6 | Masten | 1 | ||
| Hurn | 4 | Butler | 0 | ||
| Hutchings | 4 | Duggan | 0 | ||
| Jetta | 4 | Nelson | 0 | ||
| Kennedy | 4 | Redden | 0 |
From the coach[]
"We started well. We wanted to bring a lot of pressure to the game. We knew that teams that travel here really want to start well and it was a really important part of the game for us to bring that pressure. We backed that with some contested ball and we got some good supply.
"...There were times when we just bombed it in. I think we had some pretty heavy scoring shots in the first half, so I’m not complaining too much. The forward half pressure that we supplied was handy.
"...I think the message from us was the collective, what can we do as a full unit regardless of our personnel and who’s in and who’s out. There’s probably a perception around that we do rely on Pridda, and we do. He’s a fantastic player, but it’s good to give other players and get some experience into Duggan and Hutchings and Redden and these guys. It was good that we could get away with a win without one of our best players in our side."[1]
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"Richmond kicked the first goal and then watched as West Coast went on a rampage. The Eagles went to the first break leading by 32 points after having 19 inside 50s to four and 14 scoring shots to two.
Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey were prolific in the midfield and the Tigers had no answer to Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy close to goal.
West Coast extended that lead to 54 points during the second term as Andrew Gaff joined the midfield party. The Eagles were without Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis who withdrew from the match because of soreness."[2]
The Age[]
"The final margin was even flattering for the Tigers.
Richmond had been inside their attacking 50 only eight times in the first half to the Eagles' 36 and the home side was inaccurate in the front of goal, with 10.13 to 3.1 on the board.
Two of those Richmond goals were kicked only because West Coast defenders – Josh Hill and Jackson Nelson – fumbled deep in defence, and Lambert and Daniel Rioli were in the right place at the right time.
The Eagles were without Brownlow medallist Matthew Priddis, who pulled out before the game because of a thigh injury. Richmond should surely have made the same call on Hampson. The ruckman has carried a calf injury in the early rounds and by early in the second quarter against the Eagles he could barely walk – his thigh also was heavily bandaged. West Coast face a tough task next week, with a trip to the SCG to meet Sydney. But they'll go with confidence."[3]
PerthNow[]
"The Eagles did the damage in the first half, despite not taking their chances in front of goal.
Having left out Matt Priddis, there was a host of willing workers ready to pick up the slack.
West Coast’s 54-point lead at the major break came after its on-ball brigade, led superbly by Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff and Elliot Yeo, feasted on the dominance of Nic Naitanui over an incapacitated Shaun Hampson.
The numbers were ugly for the Tigers, who were restricted to a paltry eight inside 50 entries for the first half.
The home side piled on 23 scoring shots to four across the first two quarters, with the ledger ending up at 35-12 for the night."[4]
East Perth report[]
Round 5 (16 Apr)
After a messy and inaccurate first half, East Perth cruised away from arch-rivals West Perth in the second half of their clash at Leederville. Tom Cole was electric with 27 possessions and Patrick McGinnity also tallied 27, while Sharrod Wellingham made a solid return from injury.
Appearing for East Perth: Adamson, Allen, Barrass, Bennell, Brophy, Cole, Giles, Lamb, Lucas, McGinnity, McInnes, Partington, Wellingham. Reserves: Karpany, Mutimer, Snadden, Tunbridge
Injury list[]
In the leadup to the match the following players were listed as injured or unavailable:
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheed | Pectoral | 7 weeks | ||||
| Brown | Finger | 7 weeks | (Placed on LTI list 24/3/16, replaced by Colledge) | |||
| Ellis | Achilles | 3 weeks | ||||
| Wellingham | Knee | Test | ||||
| Mutimer | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| MacKenzie | Toe | Test | ||||
| McGovern | AC joint | Test | ||||
| Cripps | Thigh | Test | ||||
| Waterman* | Glandular fever | Indefinite | ||||
| Tunbridge* | Back | Test |
References[]
http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2016/4/wce-v-rich
https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2016/141820160415.html
- ↑ westcoasteagles.com.au (16 April 20016), "Full QA transcript: Adam Simpson": http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2016-04-16/full-qa-transcript-adam-simpson
- ↑ Craig O'Donoughue, The West Australian (15 April 2016), "West Coast smash hapless Tigers": https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/afl/a/31363191/follow-the-eagles-tigers-clash-with-the-west/
- ↑ Brad Elborough, The Age (15 April 2016), "Tigers fail to step up again as Eagles soar": http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/afl-season-2016-tigers-fail-to-step-up-again-as-eagles-soar-20160415-go7tc6.html
- ↑ Braden Quartermaine, PerthNow (16 April 2016), "Electric Eagles thump deplorable Tigers": http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/west-coast-eagles-defeat-richmond-by-68-points-round-4-2016-at-subiaco-oval/news-story/de3a52436592575a9857a931510b15e3
| 2016 season <--2015-16 offseason | Playing squad | Coaching panel | 2016-17 offseason--> |
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NAB Challenge : 1 (ADL) | 2 (GC) | 3 (ESS) |