Round 5 2021

West Coast v Collingwood
Round 5, 2021

Allen takes a screamer. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Date

Fri, 16 April 2021 (6.10pm WST)

Venue

Perth Stadium

Attendance

54,159

Result

Won by 27

Score

WCE 16.7.103 - 11.10.76 COL

Brownlow

3 O.Allen (WCE)
2 J.Darling (WCE)
1 J.Redden (WCE)

Ladder

6th

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West Coast bounced back from a poor loss to defeat Collingwood in a bruising Friday night encounter. The Eagles started slowly but turned up the pressure with a big second and third term, opening up a 41-point lead at the final break. Collingwood made things interesting with some final-term goals but the Eagles were able to hold them off. Oscar Allen kicked a career-high five goals, Jack Darling matched that with five of his own and Dom Sheed kicked three goals in a five-minute period, while Jack Redden recorded a career-best 37 disposals in his 100th West Coast game.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
West Coast		3.1.19		9.5.59		14.6.90		16.7.103
Collingwood		5.4.34		7.5.47		7.7.49		11.10.76

Goals: Allen, Darling 5, Sheed 3, Brander, Kelly, Kennedy

Best: Darling, Allen, Redden, Sheed, McGovern, Kelly, Witherden, Gaff

Injuries: Cole (cut head), Rotham (cut head)

Medical subs: (WCE) Jones, unused; (COL) Sier for De Goey (facial fracture) in the second term

Milestones: Redden 100th WCE game, Witherden WCE debut

Jumper: Home, blue shorts

Named sides

	West Coast				Collingwood
B:	5.Sheppard	37.Barrass	23.Witherden	B:	37.Maynard	23.Roughead	3.Quaynor
HB:	28.Cole	20.McGovern	30.Nelson	HB:	11.Keane	30.Moore	38.Howe
C:	3.Gaff	11.Kelly	14.Duggan	C:	25.Crisp	10.Pendlebury	9.Nobld
HF:	15.Cripps	27.Darling	10.Brander	HF:	7.Daicos	41.Mihocek	2.De Goey
F:	7.Langdon	17.Kennedy	12.Allen	F:	17.C.Brown	14.Cameron	24.Thomas
R:	9.Naitanui	4.Sheed	8.Redden	R:	4.Grundy	19.Greenwood	22.Sidebottom
I:	24.O'Neill	2.Waterman	35.Rotham	I:	16.Mayne	44.Madgen	31.McCreery
	19.Vardy				18.Macrae
E:	29.Foley	33.Ainsworth	31.Jones	E:	21.Ruscoe	6.T.Brown	46.Cox
	22.Winder				36.Sier

In: Witherden, Langdon, O'Neill, Vardy

Out: Hurn (calf), Ryan (shin), Petruccelle (hamstring), Jones, Winder (medical sub)

Quarter by quarter

Both sides went in as named, with Jamaine Jones and Brayden Sier the medical subs. The match was played under lights in fine and cool conditions.

First term

West Coast successfully absorbed several forward entries by Collingwood before finally moving the ball inside 50, where Allen was able to chase down Chris Mayne and win a free kick, converting his set shot from the pocket to open the scoring. The Magpies answered back quickly when a kick spilled over the back of a marking contest and was crumbed by Brodie Mihocek. Collingwood again turned the ball over inside their defensive 50 with an errant Jack Crisp kick finding Brander, who goaled from directly in front. A flying shot by Langdon hit the behind post. Mihocek took a strong mark over the top of McGovern at the top of the 50 but his set shot faded right. A dribbled kick by Josh Daicos similarly missed to the right as Collingwood locked the ball in their front half. A long shot by Crisp drifted across the face and was rushed through to narrow the margin to three points.

Scott Pendlebury found rookie Beau McCreery inside 50 and he converted to give the Magpies the lead. West Coast answered back quickly when a composed kick from Duggan found Waterman, who handed off to Kelly running inside 50 and kicking truly. At the next centre bounce, Jordan De Goey copped an accidental hip from Kelly that caused him to immediately start bleeding from the nose. As he left the field, Collingwood went forward where Brodie Grundy took a towering mark and goaled to swing the lead back his side's way. Kelly had a chance to goal at the other end but his running shot hit the post. Grundy again drifted forward and took a contested mark, goaling from the top of the square to open up an eight-point lead. Darcy Moore made it a 14-point lead after marking and goaling from a similar spot, as De Goey returned to the field. Collingwood went immediately forward again but Steele Sidebottom put his shot just to the left of the goalpost. West Coast pressed for a late goal but Collingwood were able to hold them off, going into the first break with a 15-point margin.

Second term

De Goey started the second term in the rooms being assessed for concussion as West Coast had the first scoring chance of the quarter, with Cripps hitting Darling with a low bullet and Darling kicking his first. Collingwood answered quickly down the other end through Callum Brown to restore their 15-point lead. Allen took a huge mark inside 50 and goaled, as Jeremy Howe was helped from the field after grabbing at his hamstring in the marking contest. A flying shot by Cripps drifted across the face for a behind. Cole forced a turnover just outside 50 and Redden found Allen, but his set shot slipped the wrong side of the post. A floating ball from Gaff inside 50 found Kennedy but he too was just off with his shot. Witherden found Waterman just outside 50 and his set shot went all the way to the line where a quick-thinking Darling kicked over his head, but a lengthy score review found that the ball had been touched off the boot.

Collingwood sub Sier officially entered the game for De Goey, out with a facial injury. West Coast had injury worries of their own with Kennedy heading for the bench after being tripped by Mark Keane off the ball. Keane gave away a free kick to Darling who unleashed a monster goal from outside 50 to put the Eagles ahead by a point. He got his third for the term moments later after taking a mark just inside the arc, and then a fourth after running down Isaac Quaynor in front of goal. Collingwood kicked a goal against the run of play when Cole caught Mihocek high in front of goal, giving away a free kick. Mihocek had a chance for another shortly afterwards but his snap went wide. With time expiring, Duggan found Allen at the top of the square and the youngster took a big mark, goaling after the siren to put his side two goals up.

Third term

Nelson had a rare shot on goal but his snap round the corner missed to the left to open the scoring for the second half. Collingwood moved the ball quickly down the other end but West Coast were able to weather the storm and eventually send the ball inside 50 where Kennedy won a free kick and squeezed his set shot through for his first goal. Both sides traded possession for several minutes before some quick ball movement found Allen inside 50, with the youngster kicking truly from 40 metres on a reasonable angle to record his fourth goal.

After another lengthy period of back-and-forth, Mihocek marked in an acre of space at the top of the 50 but hung his set shot out to the right to narrow the margin to an even four goals. Collingwood went forward again but Barrass took an impressive pack mark. The Magpies continued to control territory and Mihocek had another opportunity from deep but missed to the left. Another forward entry was intercepted by Brander and the Eagles got the ball to Sheed at the top of the 50, who played on and goaled to extend the margin to 29 points. Naitanui took the ball himself out of the centre and stormed forward, taking out Levi Greenwood in the process, and the ball once again ended up with Sheed who kicked his second. Moments later he had his third, with Allen controlling a loose ball on the boundary line and handballing inboard to the left-footer who kicked truly off a step. West Coast nearly had another opportunity, with Allen marking a split-second after the siren sounded, but still went into the final break up by 41 points.

Final term

Collingwood went forward from the opening bounce and found their skipper Pendlebury, who pushed his set shot to the left. A quick snap by McCreery was smothered out of bounds by McGovern. Collingwood continued to press and a soft free kick to Mihocek against Rotham just outside the goalsquare resulted in an easy shot, but McGovern standing the mark got a hand on it for another behind. A heavy collision between Mihocek and Barrass left both players down for a period but they both played on, at least initially. Some poor checking left Moore on his own 30 metres out and he slotted his set shot to narrow the margin to 33. West Coast had an opportunity but Duggan's centering ball was rushed over the behind line by Keane. Collingwood went quickly down the other end and McCreery goaled on the run from 50.

A promising forward entry by West Coast was cut off, with Collingwood transitioning the ball quickly down the other end and Darcy Cameron running into an open goalsqure to reduce the margin to just 22. McCreery had another opportunity from the boundary but his set shot drifted across the face for a behind, as Mihocek joined Collingwood's ruled-out players with a shoulder injury. Kelly dropped a ball inside 50 where Darling was infringed by Brayden Maynard, and the big forward kicked his fifth goal to give the Eagles some breathing space. Collingwood moved quickly down the other end but a set shot by Moore hit the behind post. Rotham was able to intercept a Collingwood kick and delivered to Allen, who outmarked his opponent and kicked his fifth to seal the win. The Magpies moved the ball forward where Cole and Rotham clashed heads while attempting to tackle John Noble. Both left the ground under the blood rule, Cole after some lengthy on-field treatment. Moore goaled shortly afterwards to cut the margin back to 27 points, that being the final score.

From the coach

"It was a good battle. Geez our crowd helped, having 55,000 supporters. I mean, we've got to get better away from home, but to come home and play in front of that crowd, it was a really good atmosphere for the players. We started a bit scratchy, I thought Collingwood were pretty sharp. They dug in all night, lost a few important soldiers, but we got our way back in the game through the contest in the second quarter. Our good was brilliant and our bad was a bit scratchy. Probably lost a bit of field position throughout the game but were quite effective in front of the ball with our talls, and I thought our backs were pretty good too."

From the papers

The West Australian

"As Magpies stars began to drop, the game changed complexion in the second term. With Jordan De Goey ruled out with a facial injury and Jeremy Howe going down with a hamstring injury, West Coast sensed their opportunity and their swarming pressure got them back into the contest.

It was Darling’s quarter, with the key forward kicking four goals after not getting a kick in the opening term, as the Eagles booted six goals to two to turn the game around.

The home side turned around the contested ball battle that coach Adam Simpson had labelled critical before the match and it fuelled 16 forward entries to six for the term and 7-0 edge in marks inside 50.

If Darling emerged the main man, Allen was an able sidekick and had three goals himself by half-time before both finished with five."

The Age

"At times it seemed as though a power-packed Eagles front line would blow the visitors away but Buckley’s men dug in and while they never looked seriously like winning after taking a surprise first quarter lead they at least managed to give themselves some faint hopes into the final term before succumbing 16.7 (103) to 11.10 (76).

Jack Darling, Josh Kennedy and youngster Oscar Allen proved a compelling strike force for the Eagles while midfielder Dom Sheed, with three goals in three minutes during a dominant third quarter, ensured the Eagles would take the four points.

Whoever is in charge of the Magpies is always under pressure, and even though less than a quarter of the season has elapsed Buckley is already in the firing line. This fourth loss in five games is unlikely to quell the criticism, even though there were mitigating circumstances.

Injuries to key defender Jeremy Howe- who damaged a hamstring in the second quarter - and to midfielder Jordan De Goey with what has been described as a facial injury early in the match ensured that Collingwood’s resources were stretched to the limit."

Reserves

Round 3 (17 April)

West Coast suffered their second straight drubbing, thumped by Swan Districts at Bassendean. The Eagles were held to two goals in the first three quarters before piling on some late goals to improve the margin. Luke Foley had 28 possessions from half-back while Jamaine Jones, having been the unused medical substitute in the AFL the previous evening, kicked two goals from 26 touches.

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
Swan Districts		4.6.30		6.9.45		10.15.75		13.16.94
West Coast		0.2.2		1.4.10		2.4.16		8.7.55

Goals: Jones 2, Ainsworth, Brayshaw, Flint, Johnson, Nitschke, Sinclair

Best: Jones, Ainsworth, Foley, Brayshaw, H.Edwards

Injuries: Nil

Named side:

	West Coast
B:	58.Busher	42.H.Edwards	55.Flint
HB:	66.McGee	38.Johnson	51.Marlin
C:	54.Sinclair	16.L.Edwards	26.Trew
HF:	63.Hansen	41.Ah Chee	59.Nitschke
F:	61.Robilliard	40.Jamieson	39.Cameron
R:	32.Williams	45.Brayshaw	34.Hutchings
I:	57.Bentley	60.Deegan	52.Feeney
	65.Hobbs
E:	67.Borgogno	62.Cary	53.Humble

In: Johnson, Ah Chee, Cameron, Hutchings, Flint, Bentley, Hobbs

Out: Witherden, Langdon, Foley, Ainsworth (AFL), Fitzgerald (inj), Cary, Humble

Late changes: Foley, Ainsworth, Jones for Ah Chee (knee), Hansen, Hobbs

WCE debuts: Seb Bentley (University)

Injury list

In the leadup to the match the following players were listed as being injured or unavailable:

Player		Injury		Expected return
Rioli		Suspension		18 weeks
Yeo		Groin		TBC
Shuey		Hamstring		TBC (expected 8-10 weeks)
Hurn		Calf		2-3 weeks
Cameron		Groin		Test
Johnson		Back		Test
Venables*		Concussion		Indefinite
Hutchings*		IT band		Test
Ah Chee*		Hamstring		Test

References

https://www.afl.com.au/matches/3007

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2021/041820210416.html