In slippery conditions, the WAFL Eagles pushed East Fremantle all the way in a see-sawing contest before the Sharks finished strongly to claim a 8.17 (65) to 7.6 (48) victory at Good Grocer Park on Saturday.
The sun eventually broke through after a wet start, forcing both sides to adapt to the shifting conditions. For the Sharks, the stakes were high with their finals hopes on the line, while the Eagles were searching for their third win of the season.
The match began as an arm wrestle, with just one goal kicked in the opening 23 minutes. East Fremantle dominated territory with 16 inside 50s but could only convert one major, taking a 13-point lead into quarter time.
West Coast responded brilliantly in the second term, with quick goals to Loch Rawlinson and Jack Walsh trimming the margin to a single point.
After the Sharks briefly steadied, Noah Long struck twice including one after a strong contested grab from Coen Livingstone to give the Eagles a six-point half-time lead in one of their best quarters of the season.
The visitors carried that momentum into the third term, as Livingstone and Jack Williams extended the margin to 17- points. But East Fremantle surged late, with goals to Jed Hagan, Tom Joyce and Luke Strnadica flipping the contest and giving the Sharks a narrow three-point buffer at the final change.
The lead continued to change hands in a tense last quarter, with Long’s third major putting West Coast back in front. However, East Fremantle finished the stronger, with Max Murphy, Mitch Zadow and Milan Murdock all finding the scoreboard to seal an 8.17 (65) to 7.6 (48) victory.
Eagles Rising Star nominee Tyrell Dewar returned to WAFL duties and was a solid contributor down back finishing with 28 disposals and three marks.
Long impressed in attack with 17 disposals, six tackles and three goals. Bailey Williams was a force at stoppages, amassing 34 hit outs. Coen Livingstone also stood tall under sustained pressure, contributing 13 hit outs and three inside 50s.
For the Sharks, Milan Murdock was outstanding with a game-high 41 disposals, 10 tackles and seven marks. Tom Joyce was also prolific, collecting 30 disposals, while Mitchell Zadow impressed with 24 touches, 10 marks and two goals.
While disappointed with the result, the Eagles can take several positives from the performance of their younger brigade and their ability to match a finals-bound side for much of the day.
The Eagles will aim to turn their near miss into a win next Saturday when they host Swan Districts at Mineral Resources Park in the second last game of the WAFL season.
EAST FREO: 1.9 2.10 5.14 8.17 (65)
WEST COAST: 0.2 4.4 6.4 7.6 (48)
GOALS
East Freo: Cocking, Zadow, Hagan, Joyce, Strnadica, Murphy, Zadow (2), Murdock. West Coast: Rawlinson, Walsh, Long (3), Livingstone, Williams.
BEST
East Freo: Hagan, Zadow, Cleaver, Joyce, Murdock, Strnadica. West Coast: Dewar, Long, Jamieson, Hunt, Livingstone, Sparks, Johnson, Grego.
