It is hard to find a more fierce finals rivalry in West Coast history other than the famous Collingwood Football Club.
The two giants of the AFL have met eight times in the finals with the most recent being the epic 2018 Grand Final decider.
No other team has played the Eagles more in finals over the course of the club’s 34 year history.
Incredibly, the eight meetings has produced two draws and two results decided by less than a goal.
One man who has been there for the majority of them is club stalwart Tim Gepp.
The former Footscray and Richmond star joined Mick Malthouse’s coaching squad in 1990 and vividly recalls the first finals clash between the Eagles and Pies, the classic qualifying draw at Waverley Park.
In a second versus third matchup, the two teams traded blows in front of a packed house at Waverley.
The 57,546 fans enjoyed an epic encounter with Collingwood desperate to break its 32 year premiership drought.
The game is remembered for two moments.
The first, a phenomenal goal from the boundary by Collingwood’s “magician,” Peter Daicos.
“It was unbelievable, he was such a special player and we were winning, they needed something and he delivered one of the best goals of all time.”
The other moment came after the siren when Peter Sumich had a shot for goal to win from a short distance but tight angle.
He missed.
“There was confusion after because we had travelled so much the past few weeks and suddenly realised we had to come back again,” Gepp recalls.
Collingwood won the replay easily by 59 points but the teams would meet again in 1994 with the strongly favoured Eagles going for their second tilt at premiership glory.
The 94 contest was a qualifying final at the WACA against the 8th placed Pies.
Tony Shaw played his last game while a young Nathan Buckley starred for Collingwood.
The Eagles were in control until the last quarter when Gavin Brown booted three of his five goals and the game was on a knife’s edge.
West Coast held on for a thrilling two point win and then and went on to win the premiership.
“I just remember Leigh Matthews congratulating us and saying that was one of the fastest he had seen a team play and move the ball,” Gepp says.
Gepp also praised ruckman David Hynes who dominated Damien Monkhorst with a 23 possession game which included 21 hitouts.
“Hynesy was amazing that day and he missed out on ’92 so he was pretty switched on.”
The teams wouldn’t meet again until 2007, another classic in which a young but determined Collingwood team overcame the reigning premiers West Coast who were missing the star trio of Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr.
The game went to extra time where the Magpies were able to hold on.
In many ways it was the start of an era of dominance for the black and white while the Eagles would not return to the finals until 2011, ironically again against the Magpies.
The MCG had become one of the biggest obstacles for success with the Eagles not beating Collingwood since 1995 at the home of football.
In 2011 the Eagles couldn’t overcome the strength of a dominant Magpie outfit led by former West Coast coach, Mick Malthouse and went down again the following year in the semi final.
The Eagles defeated Collingwood in round 17, 2018 at the MCG breaking a hoodoo and would eventually meet the Pies twice in the finals.
The qualifying final in front of a freshly minted Optus Stadium was a pressure cooker atmosphere in which the result could have gone either way.
Trailing by 10 points at three quarter time Gepp says the resilience of this team was as strong as any he had seen.
“There was never any panic, the team just knew what had to be done even when playing from behind.”
The famous Lewis Jetta goal and celebration followed and the Eagles eventually would meet the Pies one more time in the 2018 Grand Final.
Voted the greatest game in the last 50 years in a recent Fox Footy poll, the decider was a titanic battle remembered by that incredible chain of play starting with Jeremy McGovern and ending with Dom Sheed’s pinpoint goal from the boundary.
However, McGovern almost didn’t play, with injury almost ruling out the All Australian.
“Without doubt that performance is the bravest I have seen in my 30 years at the footy club, to overcome that injury and play the way he did was incredible.”
Tim Gepp will again be on hand to witness the ninth meeting between the two sides next Saturday at Optus Stadium.
West Coast has won four out of the last five games against Collingwood and the atmosphere in front of 35,000 fans is sure to create a cauldron which should be a fitting addition to this remarkable series.
West Coast record in finals vs Collingwood
Won 2
Loss 4
Draw 2 (Extra time, Collingwood)
