Round 7 2012

Essendon v West Coast
Round 7, 2012

Waters was among West Coast's best. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Date

Sat, 12 May 2012 (7:40 PM EST)

Venue

Docklands

Attendance

43,260

Result

Lost by 61

Score

ESS 16.17.113 - 7.10.52 WCE

Brownlow

3 B.Stanton (ESS)
2 J.Watson (ESS)
1 P.Ryder (ESS)

Ladder

1st

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With an injury crisis hitting hard, the previously unbeaten West Coast were never really in the hunt and were given a 61 point hiding by a switched-on Bombers outfit. The Eagles kept the game reasonably close in the first half but were blown away in the third quarter. Premiership veterans Dean Cox and Beau Waters led West Coast but had little help.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
Essendon		1.6.12		5.10.40		12.14.86		16.17.113
West Coast		1.3.9		3.5.23		3.7.25		7.10.52

Goals: Waters 2, Brennan, Darling, Hill, Kerr, McGinnity

Best: Cox, Waters, Brennan, Kerr, Hill, Gaff

Injuries: Priddis (concussion)

Sub: Neates for Priddis (concussion) at half time

Milestones: Waters 100th game, Neates AFL debut and only appearance

Named sides

	West Coast				Essendon
B:	26.Butler	23.Glass	25.Hurn	B:	21.Heppell	26.Hooker	15.Dempsey
HB:	8.Waters	16.MacKenzie	34.Brennan	HB:	34.Hardingham	22.Carlisle	31.Fletcher
C:	24.Rosa	11.Priddis	3.Gaff	C:	5.Stanton	4.Watson	11.Zaharakis
HF:	7.Masten	21.Lynch	33.Hill	HF:	17.Melksham	12.Crameri	Monfries
F:	13.Shuey	27.Darling	29.Lycett	F:	29.Davey	30.Ryder	7.Jetta
R:	20.Cox	10.S.Selwood	4.Kerr	R:	44.Bellchambers	39.Hocking	40.Howlett
I:	1.Brown	35.McGinnity	5.Sheppard	I:	2.Dyson	14.Lonergan	42.Lovett-Murray
	19.Neates				32.Colyer
E:	15.Swift	14.Stevens	38.Newman	E:	10.McVeigh	20.Slattery	47.Dell'Olio

In: Brown, Neates

Out: A.Selwood (hand), Hams (susp)

New: Ryan Neates (Claremont/Carine JFC)

From the coach

"I wouldn't say they (injuries) have taken a toll tonight, but I would say that we got outplayed tonight. Essendon looked sharper and used the ball better and really, that was the key. You can't measure what injuries affect it, but that's what it was.

"Well, it came in pretty quick early on (in the third) and they scored. You have little runs like that, it's hard to say why. You know, we're a pretty good defensive side and we rate our key backs to be doing the job. It went in there and they scored really quickly four or five times and that was the game really, there and then. In that seven or eight minute period, they put the game out of reach. We hadn't been playing brilliantly up until then, but just scoring that quickly gave them a massive margin.

"...We've played some speedy teams this year, but we didn't play good footy tonight. Are we now a team that can't play against the Essendons or is that just tonight? History would say that we're better than what we played tonight, but we have to be prepared to do the work to become better."

From the papers

The West Australian

"Essendon's start to the third quarter summed up the game.

First there were the fierce tackles on MacKenzie and Sam Butler from Ryder and Davey that gave Nathan Lovett-Murray an easy running goal.

Then another ferocious tackle from Stewart Crameri on Sheppard won a free kick which turned into a certain goal after Patrick McGinnity booted the ball away.

It was the 35th game Essendon had played since LeCras torched them for 12 goals at the same venue in an Eagles win in 2010 and showed how much had changed."

The Age

"This was as close to a complete performance as the Bombers have turned on since those heady days of 2000. That it came against the AFL's only undefeated team made it that little bit sweeter.

Essendon hit the ground running, literally. The Dons chased, harassed, and tackled with the sort of relish the Eagles had been used to inflicting on others. After grinding down West Coast's resolve for a half, Essendon cashed in on the scoreboard.

The Bombers' 17-point half-time lead over the Eagles had been an advantage hard won. While they had looked the better team from the outset, and were on top in all the important areas, it wasn't an edge necessarily reflected on the most important chart of all, the scoreboard.

Skipper Jobe Watson had started the ball rolling in his usual clearance and possession winning way. David Zaharakis had come along for the ride, as had Brent Stanton - again. But all the Dons had to show for it come quarter time was a three-point lead, 1.6 the wasteful toll. Indeed, West Coast had led until only two seconds before the first-term siren. But Leroy Jetta's goal to close out the quarter was just a taste."

WAFL results

Round 9 (12 May)

West Perth (Strijk) vs East Fremantle (Stevens). Papertalk played reserves

Peel (Wilson) vs Claremont (Stevenson, Weedon, Hamp, McGovern)

East Perth vs South Fremantle

Swan Districts (Newman) vs Subiaco

Bye: Perth

Injury list

In the lead-up to the match the following players were listed as injured:

Player		Injury		Expected duration
LeCras		Knee		Season
Kennedy		Ankle		10 weeks
Embley		Shoulder		9 weeks
Nicoski		Hamstring		6-7 weeks
Dalziell		Knee		5 weeks
Hams		Suspension		2 weeks
Smith		Ankle		1-2 weeks
Schofield		Suspension		1 week
Naitanui		Hamstring tightness		TBC
Brown		Eye		Test
A.Selwood		Hand		Test

References

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2012/051820120512.html

http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2012/7/ess-v-wce