In a game that started out in perfect football conditions, with some good signs in the first quarter, it soon turned into pouring rain and a scrappy contest ending with the Eagles going down in a 8.7 (55) to 12.10 (112) loss.

Senior coach Kyal Horsley said our ball movement and connection was good, and outside of a few poor defensive decisions, the game felt even and was setting up for an exciting contest.

“At the quarter time break the game changed dramatically. As a team we didn’t adjust to the conditions and to West Perth’s credit, they were able to control the wet weather game,” Horsley said.

“We took some great learnings out of the contest and with wet weather predicted again this week, we look forward to making the adjustments.”

Top Performers:

Harley Sparks

Harley played all facets of the game well and was used in multiple positions. His ability to win contest and take territory stood out in the conditions, and it was good to see him back in the form he displayed last year.

Jack Williams

Jack provided a strong contest in the air and on the ground. He created multiple turnovers with his defensive pressure and was rewarded with four goals.

James Ewing

James played the conditions well. He was reliable in all contests and made good decisions with his positioning, a real standout in the back half.

AFL Listed Players:

Archer Ried

In a game not suited to players of Archers size, he consistently provided the right option and was a strong target in front of the ball, with minimal reward.

Bo Allan

Bo played with a tenacity and physicality which stood out in the conditions. He had some explosive moments where he opened the game up for us.

Coen Livingstone

Coen competed hard in trying conditions. He was able to halve the contest in the ruck and when forward, created multiple chances for the team and was rewarded with two goals.

Hamish Davis

Hamish played well across all four quarters. He was able to influence the game from the wing which was impressive, given the heavy conditions and lack of open side play.

Harry Barnett

Harry battled hard when in the ruck and was able to take some strong marks around the ground. He got most of his possessions centre forward which highlights his ability to transition and get involved.

Harvey Johnston

After a quiet start, Harvey lit up with a huge goal-saving tackle that kick-started his impact on the game. In tough conditions on the wing, he stood up in some crucial contests. Particularly under a pressuring high ball where he managed to take the mark and ease the strain on the team.

Lucca Grego

The week off served this young man well. He looked to have that zip in his game again. His clean hands at ground level stood out in the conditions and he played a well-rounded four quarter performance.

Jobe Shanahan

Jobe played as a defender and had a strong impact in the air with a team high of six spoils, also showing his ground level agility with five tackles. His ball use was again on show at 80% by foot in the difficult conditions, well above the 57% from both teams.

Loch Rawlinson

A pleasing performance from Loch. He brought his extremely high work ethic and was able to link the ground for us. Finishing with 15 disposals, five of which were inside 50 and two leading to direct scores.

Rhett Bazzo

Rhett had a good dual with Tyler Keitel. He competed hard and won some good battles. Over the course of the game Keitel took the points but it was tough with the supply coming in.

Malakai Champion

Malakia started the game off with real energy and was causing havoc in the front half, setting up two goals in the first quarter and making a real difference. Unfortunately, when the rain came down it took away the ball movement and flow of the game which impacted the small forwards.