The West Coast Eagles unbeaten run in 2025 was ended by a slick Subiaco Lions outfit before bouncing back in the second match of the day to take down the Perth Demons in a rematch of the 2024 grand final.
The first game of the day saw the squad up against a Subiaco side that have found their feet toward the back-half of the season, entering the match on Sunday having won four of their last five games and proving to be a huge premiership threat.
It was a highly competitive contest early with some missed opportunities from the Eagles in front of goal keeping the lead at no more than a goal for the majority of the first half.
A late goal from skipper Ben Green, one of his seven majors for the day, helped edge the lead out to nine points at the main break.
That lead was all but gone just a minute into the third term however, as the Lions put the reigning premiers to the sword with some slick and clean ball movement denying any opportunities at goal, resulting in a 32-point swing as the Eagles were held scoreless in a quarter for the first time since entering the competition in 2023.
With a 23-point deficit at the last change the reigning premiers needed a big response, and a big response is what they received with Green and Paul Whitehurst leading from the middle to get the Eagles back into the game.
A finals-like atmosphere ramped up the pressure for both sides in the final term as the Eagles quick ball movement got them back in the contest, but it was too little too late as they fell short by just 2-points, ending their undefeated streak in what was a great test for finals next week.
WEST COAST EAGLES – 2.4 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 9.9 (63)
SUBIACO LIONS – 2.2 | 3.4 | 8.6 | 9.11 (65)
After tasting defeat for the first time all year, the Eagles looked to bounce back in game two in a clash against the team they’ve played in the past two grand finals, Perth.
The Eagles stormed out of the gate with a first quarter blitz, putting the scores on early with accurate goal kicking from Green and some terrific lockdown defence from Tin Yan Tse on Perth’s forwards keeping Perth’s offensive firepower at bay.
Perth responded in the second quarter, erasing the 31-point deficit to create a fiercely even contest showcasing why these two teams are flag contenders with a half-time margin of only seven points the result.
The momentum swings were on full display in this match as the Eagles rallied once again to take full control of the game in the second half, with Whitehurst and Tyson Knowles up forward the Eagles shook the Demons off to kick twelve goals to four and blow the score out to a 57-point victory at the final siren.
WEST COAST EAGLES – 7.2 | 8.4 | 14.5 | 20.9 (129)
PERTH DEMONS – 2.1 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 11.7 (72)
With the victory, the West Coast Eagles claimed their second consecutive minor premiership finishing with a ten win and one loss season that puts them firmly in pole position to achieve back-to-back grand finals and hopefully premiership glory.
This Sunday will see the full finals series being played out in one day at Cockburn ARC, with the Eagles going straight to the preliminary final at 12:30pm with a chance to secure their spot in the big dance at 2pm. View full fixture here.
