What’s On | Round 8
West Coast Eagles v Melbourne
Saturday, May 3 | 5.35pm (AWST) | Optus Stadium / Whadjuk
Gates open 4.00pm

Join us at Optus Stadium this Saturday night when we take on Melbourne in prime time!

Be in your seats from 5.15pm to celebrate the milestone of our real-life mascot, Auzzie the Eagle, as she takes her 200^th flight at a West Coast Eagles home match! 🦅

This match day, the West Coast Eagles are proudly partnering with Foodbank WA to support families affected by food stress. With your help, we can provide food to West Aussies in need. Donate online, or visit the Fan Zone inside Gate D, and other locations around the stadium to see our Foodbank Volunteers to purchase your Foodbank Hunger Ghrelin and make your donation!

The McCusker Charitable Foundation is very generously matching donations – for every $1 you donate, they will donate $2 to help put food on the tables for those who need it most.

Fan Zone

Don’t miss the new activations coming to the Fan Zone this Saturday! Head to the western concourse on Level 1 (inside Gate D) from 4.00pm:

• Start your collection of personalised footy cards from the Fan Zone this season! We'll snap your photo and print it on the playing card with your name and the specialty figure of the match – this week, collect a limited edition Auzzie the Eagle playing card, in honour of her 200^th flight 🦅
• Find the QR code by Auzzie’s wingspan to guess what her flight time will be, to go in the draw to win a 2025 AFL squad-signed guernsey!
• For Foodbank Round, make ‘The Hunger Ghrelins’ out of playdough and visit the Foodbank volunteers to purchase your own, or donate to Foodbank.
• Selected player signings will take place from 4.35pm.
• Fan Zone favourites will be back this match day, including facepainting, airbrush tattoos, arts and crafts, Triple M giveaways, games and more!

Match Day Timeline

4.00pm | Gates and Fan Zone open

5.15pm | Auzzie’s 200^th flight around the stadium

5.24pm | Team entry

5.35pm | Bouncedown

Quarter-time | Turn your eyes to the field as we cheer on Super Fruity, the Foodbank mascot, as he looks to complete Foodbank’s race to a million meals

Half-time | AGL Dance Cam

Three-quarter time | Crown 50m Kick to Win competition – be in your seat at half-time for your chance to be selected

Post-match | Player giveaways to lucky fans around the boundary

Beat the Bounce

Enjoy a huge discount on a classic hot dog for round 8 – only available until bouncedown, so get in early!

Curtain Raiser

Gate C will open from 3.30pm for the Town of Victoria Park Walking Footy match. Early arrivals for curtain raiser matches will be restricted to a small viewing area until general seating opens at 4.00pm.

Public Transport

Remember to plan your journey ahead of Saturday with Transperth’s Journey Planner.

Public Transport is included in the cost of your match day ticket, with free travel on Perth’s buses and trains three hours either side of the match. If asked, please show your ticket to the driver or inspector.

With the opening of the Ellenbrook line, direct trains from Fremantle to Perth Stadium Station will not be operating before AFL matches.

Bus route 652 (Mirrabooka Bus Station) and route 653 (Galleria Bus Station) will now arrive and depart from Bus Hub. Patrons will no longer need to walk across Matagarup Bridge.

The Armadale/Thornlie train line is closed until mid-2025. Suburban Event Buses will run to and from Optus Stadium, and trains will continue to operate between Victoria Park and Perth Stations, including Stadium Station. Information on changes to Optus Stadium special event services can be found here.

Seat Return Program | Reserved Seat Members

Can’t make it to the match? Our Seat Return Program is available now for rounds 8, 10, 12 and 14. If your seat successfully sells, you’ll receive a credit towards your 2026 membership renewal.

Credits will not apply if your seat does not sell, or if you do not attend and do not return your seat.

Where and when: Optus Stadium, Saturday, May 3, 5:35pm

TV: Delayed on 7 and 7plus in WA (7pm), live on Fox Sports and Kayo (see broadcast guide here)

Last time we met: West Coast 8.10 (58) defeated by Melbourne 17.10 (112) at the MCG, round 18, 2024.

West Coast last faced the Dees in round 18 last season, falling at the MCG by 54 points. Melbourne came out firing from the opening bounce, blowing the Eagles out of the water early to take a 39-point lead into the quarter-time break. While the Eagles produced some good moments, they were on the backfoot as they struggled to get a hold on the game. A few of the positives for West Coast were the performance of co-captain Oscar Allen who finished with four goals, Jake Waterman kicking a couple of majors and Jeremy McGovern giving a trademark performance in defence.

What it means for the Eagles: The Eagles are chasing their maiden victory for 2025, showing positive signs on a number of occasions in the first seven rounds, but unable to get over the line. Senior coach Andrew McQualter has been vocal and honest about the team’s need for improvement, with the young squad focusing on growth and development as they acclimate to a new game style. A win on Saturday would do a world of good for the team’s confidence and would be a just reward for the hard work they have been putting in on and off the field. In a game of milestones, co-captain Oscar Allen plays his 100^th Eagles game, Tim Kelly notches 150 AFL games and youngster Bo Allan will make his highly-anticipated debut.

The stat: West Coast had 30 intercept possessions in their attacking midfield last round, their most in a game since 2018.

The match-up: Matt Flynn v Max Gawn

All eyes will be on the ruck battle this week, with Eagles big man Matt Flynn coming face-to-face with Melbourne’s Max Gawn. The Demons skipper is one of the most imposing figures in the League and claimed his seventh All Australian blazer at the end of last season. Gawn is coming into this game following an outstanding performance against Richmond last week, finishing with a game-high 34 hitouts, 25 disposals, nine marks, and four tackles. It will take Flynn’s best to keep Gawn quiet, hopefully nullifying his impact on the game.

It’s a big week for: Auzzie the Eagle

West Coast’s majestic mascot Auzzie the wedge-tailed Eagle will take off for her 200^th pre-game flight on Saturday. Auzzie debuted for the club in 2007, relocating from Alice Springs to start her mascot career at Subiaco Oval. Auzzie has become an important ambassador for her species, providing awareness and education through her club involvement and her home at the Western Australian Birds of Prey Centre. Eagles supporters will have the opportunity to get their photo taken with Auzzie at half-time in the Fan Zone, located on Level 1 at Optus Stadium.

Big call: Defender-turned-midfielder Brady Hough will kick his first AFL goal on Saturday, having never kicked a major in his previous 60 games.

Milestones: Oscar Allen 100 games (club), Tim Kelly 150 games (AFL), Bo Allan debut, Auzzie the Eagle 200 flights

Melbourne captain Max Gawn produced one of his great performances to lead the Demons to a third straight win, overrunning West Coast at Optus Stadium to win by 32 points on Saturday night.

Gawn turned the game in a phenomenal third quarter and finished with a career-high 35 disposals as the Demons built their form in a balanced performance to win 16.12 (108) to 11.10 (76).

Given a scare by the Eagles and trailing by six points at half-time, Melbourne sharpened up in the second half and crushed West Coast at stoppages, kicking their highest score of the season despite losing key target Harrison Petty to concussion.

The result extended West Coast's worst start to a season to 0-8, with the team's stoppage struggles laid bare against Gawn as the Eagles’ midfielders struggled to impact the contest.

Defender Reuben Ginbey was assertive, while co-captain Oscar Allen continued in his role down back and looked comfortable, with Jake Waterman and Elijah Hewett each kicking three goals.   

The Eagles copped a blow at half-time when star defender Jeremy McGovern was substituted following a hit to the head in a marking contest, with Jake Melksham likely to be scrutinised after nudging the backman into traffic.

Gawn was the reason for their dominance both at stoppages and then around the ground, playing like a midfielder and winning 22 contested possessions, nine clearances and finishing with a game-high 12 score involvements in one of the individual games of the season, finishing his night with a fourth-quarter goal.

With star midfielder Clayton Oliver managed this week, premiership sidekicks Christian Petracca (29 disposals and eight clearances) and tagger Jack Viney (18 and seven) lifted as the Demons dominated clearances 48-26. 

They had a deep list of contributors, including young gun Harvey Langford (25 and five clearances) and Caleb Windsor (20 and five inside 50s), and should draw great confidence ahead of a clash against Hawthorn at the MCG next Saturday.

The Demons got the game on their terms early through stoppage dominance, winning the first 10 clearances of the game as Viney, Gawn and Petracca asserted themselves in a scrappy contest.

They repeatedly won the ball at the coalface and got it into space, but it was a familiar case of breaking down inside 50, with 2.2 for the quarter and a nine-point lead well under what they should have expected.

The pattern continued in the second term and the Demons looked more assertive with their ball movement, but more missed opportunities kept the contest alive before the Eagles pounced with four goals in 10 minutes.

Aside from the first quarter against Brisbane in round two, it was probably the best period of football West Coast has played this season, with Jack Williams, Elijah Hewett, Jayden Hunt, and Tyler Brockman all kicking excellent goals as the Eagles grabbed a six-point lead at the main break.

The intensity lifted early in the third and the Demons welcomed it, making their move with a seven-goal quarter that broke the Eagles' spirit, with Gawn racking up 14 disposals, four marks, 10 hit-outs, and four clearances in a phenomenal quarter that ensured the final term was a formality as both teams lapsed defensively.

West Coast will face Richmond in round nine at the MCG on Sunday. 

WEST COAST 0.5 4.7 6.7 11.10 (76)

MELBOURNE 2.2 3.7 10.12 16.12 (108)  

GOALS

West Coast: Waterman 3, Hewett 3, Cripps 2, Williams, Hunt, Brockman

Melbourne: Turner 3, Fritsch 2, Langdon 2, Petracca, Melksham, Windsor, Viney, Pickett, Chandler, Sharp, Gawn, Spargo

BEST

West Coast: Waterman, Ginbey, Hewett, Allan, Maric, Baker

Melbourne: Gawn, Petracca, Langford, Turner, Chandler, Viney

INJURIES

West Coast: Ginbey (nose), McGovern (concussion), A Reid (lower leg)

Melbourne: Petty (concussion)

SUBSTITUTES

West Coast: Tom Cole (replaced Jeremy McGovern at half-time)

Melbourne: Harry Sharp (replaced Harrison Petty at half-time)

Crowd: 41,991 at Optus Stadium