After a thrilling four quarters between West Coast and the Kangaroos, Nic Naitanui flew over a pack in the dying seconds of the fourth term to take a mark, and slotted the game-winning goal after the siren.
With Patersons Stadium exploding with celebrations when the Sherrin sailed through the centre posts, Naitanui embraced the West Coast fans on the fence and a few seconds later was encircled by his teammates.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
But not only was this match hugely triumphant on the field, it was an enormous victory off the field as well.
This year, AFL Indigenous Round falls on an away game for West Coast, so the club got celebrations underway early by recognising the contribution of Indigenous Australians to the AFL at last Friday night’s match.
The West Coast Eagles dedicated its match against the Kangaroos to raising funds for and awareness of the David Wirrpanda Foundation (DWF), a charity formed by West Coast legend David Wirrpanda, which aims to enrich the lives of young people in the Indigenous community.
Supported by BHP Billiton, the Foundation held its seventh annual tin shake at the game, as well as selling limited edition DWF scarves and caps around the ground.
Thanks to the generosity of West Coast fans, as well as BHP Billiton who through their matched giving program can double the amount raised by their employees, the match raised more than $76,000 for the DWF to enable its important work to continue.
All funds will go directly to the DWF mentoring programs which aim to promote strong role models and healthy life choices among young Indigenous people.
The West Coast Eagles would like to thank each and every fan who contributed to this cause, and it’s principal community partner BHP Billiton, for making the match a huge success.
