Attack might be West Coast’s best form of defence when it locks horns with Greater Western Sydney this weekend, according to Jaymie Graham.
The Eagles’ backline coach told SportFM’s Sports Line program that winning the clearance battle would help his charges keep tabs on the Giants’ dangerous forward line.
In a season where there has been so much change and uncertainty, the stats indicate there is at least one constant in 2020: the teams who manage to dominate play from centre bounces and stoppages generally come out on top.
That’s why Graham said West Coast will be doing everything in its power to get first use of the footy on Sunday.
“I think what’s different is there is a lot more energy to defend for the full four quarters, so if you can win the clearances and win the field position and get it in your half you can lock it in,” Graham said today.
“That has been the case in the past as well, but I think given the shorter quarters teams are up for longer and you don’t have the ebbs and flows as much.
“Our midfield is in good form led by Nic (Naitanui) in the ruck and I think it’s going to be a very good battle this week.
“(GWS has) got winners all over the field. Their midfield with (Josh) Kelly, (Stephen) Coniglio, (Lachie) Whitfield, (Callan) Ward and I’m sure there’s many others there, they’ve got plenty talent.
“They’re a very good stoppage team and as we’ve seen with the footy this year, if you can win the clearances and win field position that’s pretty important.”
West Coast’s match committee will be entrusted to plug two sizable holes in the team's midfield for the round 13 fixture due to the unavailability of premiership onballers Elliot Yeo (groin) and Jack Redden (adductor).
Fortunately the club has another 2018 flag winner, Mark Hutchings, waiting in the wings as well as several emerging ball hunters, including Xavier O’Neil and Hamish Brayshaw.
Interestingly, Graham said the selection panel might pinch one of his defensive stars, Liam Duggan, and throw him onball against the Giants.
“I think with the condensed fixture and we’ve got a few midfielders who are sore, like Elliot Yeo being out, with our defenders playing quite well and Josh Rotham coming in and playing his role, that has been discussed,” Graham said.
“We just need to talk about the balance of our side and what that looks like. He has trained there in the past, he’s got the capabilities and he’s playing strong, solid footy, so that will definitely be a discussion point.”
Regardless of who takes the field at Optus Stadium, West Coast are going to be on guard against a GWS side that will undoubtedly be looking to redeem themselves following a heavy loss to crosstown rivals Sydney last week.
Graham said the Eagles had been training hard all week to ready themselves for a grind against the 2019 grand finalists.
“They’ll be disappointed with their last performance, but prior to that they had actually won three of their last four and similar to us they have played one less game than most, so they’re not really that far out of it when you have a deeper look,” he said.
“We expect them to bounce back pretty hard and like every week we prepare for the opposition at their best. But with the week they’ve copped they’re going to come out pretty hard.
“We’ve probably been there before ourselves, having a rough week. Your pride is on the line and you knuckle down. They’ll be wanting to prove themselves. Also, they’ve got plenty to play for with their season and wanting to finish as high as they can like us.”
