West Coast had a tight tussle with the Kangaroos throughout the match, leveling the scores during the last quarter but ultimately going down by one straight kick to record their seventh straight loss, just one short of the club's record. Dean Cox continued his strong form with 31 hitouts and 24 disposals, and the recalled Brent Staker kicked three goals. North Melbourne's decision to shift a home game to the Gold Coast was far from a success, with the attendance the lowest of any AFL match since Fitzroy folded and the match nearly ending in farce when a light tower failed during the final term.
Summary[]
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Melbourne | 5.2.32 | 7.2.44 | 11.8.74 | 13.11.89 | ||||
| West Coast | 4.3.27 | 9.5.59 | 10.7.67 | 12.11.83 |
Goals: Staker 3, Kennedy, Lynch, McKinley 2, Davis, Stenglein, Wirrpanda
Best: Cox, Embley, Staker, A.Selwood, Masten, Kennedy, Wirrpanda
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Rosa for striking M.Campbell
Milestones: Davis AFL debut
Named sides[]
| West Coast | N.Melbourne | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | 38.B.Jones | 23.Glass | 31.Schofield | B: | 38.Gibson | 36.Watt | 11.Firrito |
| HB: | 6.Nicoski | 22.Graham | 37.A.Selwood | HB: | 39.Harding | 20.Petrie | 2.Lower |
| C: | 32.Embley | 11.Priddis | 24.Rosa | C: | 3.Rawlings | 8.Wells | 28.Riggio |
| HF: | 7.Fletcher | 17.Kennedy | 18.Ebert | HF: | 40.Obst | 23.N.Thompson | 12.Thomas |
| F: | 44.Wirrpanda | 21.Lynch | 14.Seaby | F: | 42.McMahon | 21.Jones | 33.Campbell |
| R: | 20.Cox | 5.Stenglein | 13.Masten | R: | 1.McIntosh | 4.Harris | 29.Harvey |
| I: | 10.Braun | 45.Davis | 27.McKinley | I: | 5.Power | 6.Grant | 7.Simpson |
| 41.Staker | 31.Hale | ||||||
| E: | 35.Armstrong | 28.S.Selwood | 42.Wilkes | E: | 9.Sinclair | 34.Davies | 41.Jos.Smith |
In: Seaby, Staker, Priddis, Davis
Out: C.Jones (ankle), Waters (thigh), McNamara (thigh), Armstrong
New: Ryan Davis (North Shore, NSW)
From the papers[]
The West Australian[]
"A gripping final term had the game up for grabs for both teams and nine minutes after Embley and David Wirrpanda had missed gettable goals, the scores were level and the night was screaming for a hero.
Enter North's Matt Campbell, who had been well beaten to that point by Mark Nicoski. Campbell shone even as one of the light towers blew out as he swooped onto an errant Cox handball to kick an outstanding opportunist goal and put his team seven points in front after 18 minutes played.
A rushed behind with just 54 seconds remaining gave West Coast a chance to emulate the tied result the last time they played at the ground in 1992, but it just was not to be."[1]
The Sunday Age[]
"No one could say the Kangaroos and Eagles didn't come to play, though. Those who stayed away missed a marvellous contest, with many momentum shifts and lead changes. The gutsy Roos prevailed, but it could easily have been a draw.
David Hale was a leader all night for North, with three goals and a big late mark in defence when the game was in the balance. Shannon Grant and Daniel Wells provided spark at ground level, while Adam Simpson was his usual workhorse self.
The Eagles' season is surely now as dusted as coach John Worsfold already predicted. Dean Cox was tireless with 30 hitouts and 24 disposals, while Brent Staker faded after a brilliant opening to finish with three."[2]
WAFL[]
Round 8 (10 May)
Swan Districts (Davis) vs East Fremantle (Staker, Spangher, Houlihan)
Subiaco (Nicoski) vs East Perth
Claremont (MacKenzie, Thomson, McGinnity, Wilkes) vs Perth (Butler, Armstrong, S.Selwood, Sullivan). Stevenson played reserves.
Peel (Arrowsmith) vs West Perth
Bye: South Fremantle
Round 9 (17 May)
South Fremantle (Wilson) vs Swan Districts (Notte)
Perth (Butler, S.Selwood, Sullivan) vs West Perth
Peel (Arrowsmith) vs East Perth
East Fremantle (Spangher, Houlihan) vs Claremont (MacKenzie, Thomson, Wilkes). McGinnity and Stevenson played reserves.
Bye: Subiaco
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2008/121820080517.html
- ↑ Steve Butler, The West Australian (19 May 2008, p.GAM6), "It's the future that matters most"
- ↑ Andrew Stafford, The Sunday Age (18 May 2008), "Nobody home as gutsy Roos edge Eagles": http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=stenglein+and+campbell+and+harvey&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=SAG080518OJ6J64ETG5C
| 2008 season |
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