The WAFL Eagles have made it three wins on the bounce, holding off a late Swan Districts surge to claim a dramatic one-point victory at Mineral Resources Park on Sunday afternoon.
In perfect football conditions over the ANZAC long weekend, West Coast produced their best start of the season before coming under immense late pressure to record a 94–93 win in a tight contest.
Coming off back-to-back victories and carrying a 12-game losing hoodoo against the Swans, the Eagles burst out of the blocks with intent, dominating the opening term and setting the tone early.
Caleb Datson opened the scoring for West Coast following a slick centre-bounce passage, before adding his second shortly after to give the Eagles an early advantage. Sasha Kernutt and Tom Gross continued the momentum as the Eagles piled on the goals, with Matt Owies also hitting the scoreboard as West Coast surged to a commanding 31-point lead.
The Eagles finishing the first quarter with their most dominant opening stanza of the season. Late goals from the Swans trimmed the margin before quarter time, but the Eagles still took a healthy 27-point lead into the first break.
The Swans responded in the second term, lifting their intensity around the contest and beginning to apply scoreboard pressure. While they were able to stem the flow, West Coast consistently found answers, with Owies continuing his strong afternoon in front of goal and Archie Watt converting to keep the 33-point margin in Eagles’ favour.
The contest settled into a more evenly through the second quarter, with goals to Zach Provest and Leo Steed reducing the margin to 26-points. Rhett Bazzo, Callum Jamieson and Josh Burke were outstanding in defence, while Thomas Edwards-Baldwin’s move deeper provided calm and stability as West Coast carried a 27-point lead into the main break.
Swan Districts emerged with renewed intent after halftime, lifting their pressure and capitalising through the midfield. Consecutive goals saw the margin quickly reduced, with Jackson McLachlan proving a constant threat as the Swans closed to within a single kick.
Datson steadied the Eagles at a critical moment with a composed finish, before Harry Barnett slotted a crucial set shot to restore some breathing space. Despite the Eagles’ ability to momentarily halt the momentum, the Swans continued to press, and the margin was cut to 12-points at three-quarter time, setting up a tense final quarter.
Owies opened the final term with his fifth goal, but the Swans refused to go away. A wave of midfield pressure saw the Swans surge forward, trimming the margin goal by goal before snatching a five-point lead for the first time late in the contest.
With the game hanging in the balance, Gross snapped the winning goal, and the Eagles held on under pressure to seal a memorable one-point victory.
Matt Owies was outstanding for the Eagles, finishing with five goals in a commanding forward performance. Targeted throughout the contest, Jamie Cripps’ leadership and on-field guidance proved invaluable to the group.
Gross was influential throughout, recording 21 disposals and three goals, while Fin Macrae was strong through the midfield finishing with 25 disposals.
For Swan Districts, Steed impressed with 14 disposals and two goals, while Clint Hinchliffe was prolific with a game-high 29 disposals and nine inside 50s. McLachlan was also dangerous up forward, finishing with four goals.
The WAFL Eagles will look to carry their winning momentum into round five when they face East Perth at Mineral Resources Park, with bouncedown at 2:10pm on Saturday, May 2.
West Coast: 7.6, 10.8, 12.9, 14.10 (94)
Swan Districts: 3.3, 6.5, 10.10, 13.15 (93)
Goals
West Coast: Owies (5), Datson (3), Gross (3), Kernutt, Watt, Barnett.
Swan Districts: McLachlan (4), Steed (2), Petric (2), Cipro, Harvey, Provest, Reidy, Kelly.
Best
West Coast: Owies, Gross, Macrae, Edwards-Baldwin, Cripps, Dewar, Hutchinson
Swan Districts: Pina, Cipro, Chalcraft, Steed, McLachlan, Hinchliffe, Kelly, Petric.
