West Coast had another "honourable" but still relatively heavy loss, going down by 40 points to Port Adelaide. Playing in Adelaide for the second straight week, once again the Eagles lost touch with their opponents with a poor second term, and trailed by as much as 48 points early in the third before fighting back to reduce the margin. Jai Culley kicked four goals in an unfamiliar forward role and Bailey Williams shrugged off an injury cloud to record 13 clearances and 37 hitouts, but the injury curse struck again with returning skipper Luke Shuey failing to complete the match after hurting his ankle.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Adelaide | 3.2.20 | 9.6.60 | 13.9.87 | 16.13.109 | ||||
| West Coast | 2.3.15 | 3.6.24 | 7.8.50 | 10.9.69 |
Goals: Culley 4, Allen, Darling 2, Petruccelle, Waterman
Best: Kelly, Culley, B.Williams, Gaff, Waterman
Injuries: Shuey (ankle), Clark (cut head)
Substitutes: (WCE) Bazzo for Shuey (ankle) in the third term; (PA) Williams for Marshall (concussion) in the second term
Milestones: Culley Rising Star nomination
Jumper: Away, white shorts
Named sides[]
| West Coast | Port Adel | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 23.Witherden | 37.Barrass | 14.Duggan | B: | 21.Aliir | 12.McKenzie | 1.Jonas |
| HB: | 31.Jones | 35.Rotham | 5.Hunt | HB: | 14.Bergman | 3.Burton | 5.Houston |
| C: | 16.L.Edwards | 13.Shuey | 39.Clark | C: | 10.Boak | 16.Wines | 7.Duursma |
| HF: | 10.Petrevski-Seton | 27.Darling | 7.Ginbey | HF: | 41.McEntee | 33.Byrne-Jones | 2.Powell-Pepper |
| F: | 21.Petruccelle | 12.Allen | 2.Waterman | F: | 15.Rioli | 30.Lord | 4.Marshall |
| R: | 32.B.Williams | 11.Kelly | 3.Gaff | R: | 11.Finlayson | 20.Rozee | 9.Butters |
| I: | 26.Trew | 29.Foley | 36.West | I: | 6.Farrell | 28.Drew | 18.Horne-Francis |
| 49.Culley | 27.Teakle | ||||||
| E: | 24.O'Neill | 30.Barnett | 33.Bazzo | E: | 23.Williams | 26.Bonner | 44.Mead |
| 40.Jamieson | 19.Georgiades |
In: Shuey, Trew, Foley, West (sub)
Out: Yeo (groin), Long (injured), Hough (injured), O'Neill
Quarter by quarter[]
Both sides went in as named, with defenders Rhett Bazzo and Dylan Williams starting as subs. The game was played in bright sunshine.
From the coach[]
"We went in pretty positive that we could perform well, and we didn't in the second quarter. So, I think it was six goals to one. The rest of the quarters were probably breakeven, I would have thought they might have tipped us over and a couple of little stats here and there, but not by a lot. So, you know, we don't accept the loss. But there's also a reality as well with what we're dealing with. So, we're just seeing growth and some real positive signs and some areas of our game and individuals, which we're really proud about, but we want to win. So, getting in that's hard at the moment with what we've got. And I think they try and the effort is there. And we're trying to play a way that keeps a scoreboard ticking over whilst we can defend and we probably not getting that right all the time. But yeah, stages today that we thought we had had the game in our hands to a certain degree. And there were times when it was slipped away. And pretty obviously that was the same quarter.
"...He (Culley) is a midfielder, we don't have any forwards available at the moment. So we've got a couple of mids pushing forward. And he's 194 centimetres, and he can take a grab. So he's trained in that role briefly in preseason in his second role as key position forward, and he got a look today at ground level. So yeah, we're really pleased for him that he's found a little niche there. And keeps his spot in the side. And he's given us a good look.
"...I'm a little excited. Yeah, people must get frustrated at seeing me excited. I think because we're trying our best. And look, if it's not good enough, and you know what will be will be, but the environment is positive. We don't like losing, we don't accept losing. It's just reality. And we're chasing, and we've got a plan in place. It's a longer term plan. It's set up with development and growth within the football club. So we've goy the right stuff. And now it's just getting the guys games and fit and healthy and keep giving maximum effort. Like it's guilt free footy. If you bring that max effort, and I think they're doing it. We're just not winning it."[1]
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"The Eagles played with intensity and to their detriment at times, stuck to the new game style of faster ball movement, but they could not match the class of the Power.
Port Adelaide looked early on like they were not going to take advantage of an easy kill, succumbing to the Eagle pressure and their simple skill errors.
For a second-straight week, the Eagles had a big lapse in the second term and the Power happily took advantage, kicking six goals to one to break the game open by half-time.
Classy speedster Connor Rozeee was near on unstoppable, tearing the Eagles apart across the ground with 29 disposals and two goals to earn the Peter Badcoe VC Medal as the best-on-ground."[2]
Reserves[]
Round 3 (23 April)
West Coast's reserves suffered another triple-figures loss, despite a third-quarter fightback saving them from complete annhilation by East Fremantle. Callum Jamieson recorded 17 disposals and 26 hitouts in his return to action.
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 2.1.13 | 2.1.13 | 6.5.41 | 8.5.53 | ||||
| East Fremantle | 7.4.46 | 15.7.97 | 17.8.110 | 25.11.161 |
Goals: Downsborough, Lucassen 2, Kemp, Sambo, Schofield, A.Waterman
Best: Kemp, A.Waterman, Browne, Nelson, Jamieson, Schofield
Injuries: Nil
Named side:
| West Coast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 54.Browne | 68.Watson | 63.Hansen | |
| HB: | 38.Baker | 67.O'Sullivan | 76.Lloyd | |
| C: | 80.Sambo | 48.Nelson | 59.Nitschke | |
| HF: | 55.A.Waterman | 75.Eastough | 70.Lucassen | |
| F: | 43.Dewar | 81.Schofield | 62.Downsborough | |
| R: | 73.J.Edwards | 58.Levien | 60.Deegan | |
| I: | 78.Chatley | 52.Kemp | 61.McCarthy | |
| 64.Mercer | ||||
| E: | 74.Frost | 71.Johnstone | 65.Stevens |
In: Baker, Schofield, J.Edwards, Chatley, Kemp, McCarthy
Out: Bazzo, Barnett, Trew (AFL), Hewett(ankle), Burgiel (hamstring), Creasey (ankle)
Late changes: Barnett, Jamieson for Chatley, Mercer
New: Jordyn Baker (East Perth)
Injury list[]
In the leadup to the round the following players were listed as unavailable:
| Player | Injury | Expected return | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGovern | Hamstring | TBC | ||||
| Ryan | Hamstring | TBC | ||||
| Cripps | Ankle | TBC | ||||
| Naitanui | Achilles | TBC | ||||
| Sheed | Throat | TBC | ||||
| Cole | Ankle | TBC | ||||
| Chesser | Knee | TBC | ||||
| Hewett | Ankle | TBC | ||||
| Burgiel | Hamstring | TBC | ||||
| Winder | Knee | TBC | ||||
| Baker | Conditioning | TBC | (not on official list) | |||
| H.Edwards | Wrist | 4-5 weeks | ||||
| J.Williams | Ruptured spleen | 4-5 weeks | ||||
| Yeo | Adductor | 3-4 weeks | ||||
| Shuey | Hamstring | Test | ||||
| Jamieson | Ankle | Test | ||||
| B.Williams | Hamstring | Test |
References[]
https://www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/4831
- ↑ westcoasteagles.com.au (24 April 2023), "Pressing questions: Round 6": https://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/1315184/pressing-questions-round-6
- ↑ Mitchell Woodcock, The West Australian (22 April 2023), "Luke Shuey injury compounds West Coast Eagles’ woes in fighting Port Adelaide defeat": https://thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/luke-shuey-injury-compounds-west-coast-eagles-woes-in-fighting-port-adelaide-defeat-c-10423231
| 2023 season <--2022-23 offseason | Playing squad | Coaching panel | 2023-24 offseason--> |
|---|
| AFLW | Reserves |
|
Pre-season : 1 (PA) | 2 (ADL) |