The ANZAC Round continues to produce some season-defining matchups that weigh very heavily on the fortunes of teams looking to make inroads on their ladder position.
Finally, all 18 teams have played the same amount of games, and it seems like everything is somewhat back to normal. We’ve seen some great contests that have left us wanting more, and I didn’t expect it to end here with this matchup between the Suns and the Eagles.
After two wins in a row, and the recent trouncing of Fremantle, the Eagles have become a bearable team to watch. And even without Harley Reid, who’s earned himself a rest, some people still gave West Coast a chance in this one.
Gold Coast looked to bounce back after a dismal performance against Sydney the previous week, which has made people a bit apprehensive about the Suns’ chances of playing finals. Playing at their home ground though, they’re much more of a tougher prospect.
In what is now unofficially known as the battle of the coasts, here’s what caught my eye.
THE FAST START
We’ve seen examples across the year and this round that fast starts in footy are essential in putting pressure on the opposition. Especially when you’re the travelling side on the road.
West Coast set the tone in this one, firing three quick goals before the four-minute mark. Yeo burst out of the middle with a nice rove off Witts, hitting Maric lace out to kick the first goal of the game. It was Yeo who was the culprit for the second goal, snapping across the body from a forward 50 stoppage. The third goal came from Waterman, who has been channelling his inner Fraser Gehrig, coming off 11 goals in the previous two games. It looked like one-way traffic to start proceedings, until a fortunate free kick to Witts gave Gold Coast the first goal of the game.
After this, the Gold Coast mids got to work. They were getting their hands on the ball in the contest and their first layer of defence made it hard for the Eagles to move the ball out of their defensive 50. All of a sudden, the three-goal lead the Eagles had been cut down to four points, thanks to a second goal from Noah Anderson.
It’s something we haven’t been used to in the last three years when watching West Coast, but seeing them start off the game like this made me think I’d be in for an exciting game.
THE RESPONSE
Gold Coast fans at the game and watching at home would’ve been intensely chewing off their fingernails with the way West Coast started. Thankfully, it was short-lived.
The Gold Coast mids got their hands dirty, tightening the screws and making the Eagles have to work harder to win back the ball. I feel a bit sorry for Bailey Williams when he comes up against a ruckman like Witts, who began to dictate terms. It was silver service from Witts, with some beautifully palmed hitouts that found the likes of Rowell, Anderson and Miller. It was those names that kept the ball going forward and put the Eagles’ defence under a fair bit of pressure. The Suns’ forward line applied some good heat also, which slowed down the Eagles’ ball movement. This made transitioning the ball from D50 to F50 a bit of a challenge. Credit to the Eagles though, they did what the game presented to them, and were happy to slow things down and pick their way through the Suns zone. It’s been noticeable how much quicker and direct the Eagles look to move the ball, but they are happy to go into the kick-mark mode of play when they need to slow things down.
I was intrigued to see how McGovern would go without his partner in crime, Barrass, and whether he’d still look to continue taking the game on. From the outset, the Eagles played with a spare in defence, forcing the Suns to kick long to a two-on-one. This looked like it’d play significantly in the hands of McGovern, but the Suns either managed to even numbers up or find targets inside 50. It was a good lesson for Walter who was playing on McGovern, who I’m sure learned a thing or two from the premier defender.
THAT’S MORE LIKE IT, SUNS
After the fast start, I was a bit worried about how Gold Coast would respond. After the main break, it was almost all one-way traffic. Gold Coast just ramped up the pressure and the Eagles struggled to cope at times.
Again, it was Witts who tore both Bailey and Jack Williams to shreds and the clearances started to become a problem. This allowed Anderson, Rowell and Miller to get on the move and assert their dominance in the game. With the ball entering the Suns F50 very frequently, it allowed their backline to set up nicely behind the ball and the ball just bounced out of defence as quickly as it got in there. The Eagles’ forwards certainly didn’t make things easier for their midfield and defenders. Far too often the ball didn’t get marked or at least brought to ground, which allowed the Suns to just run the ball out of defence.
Jake Rogers brought some real spark as a high half-forward, working up the ground to cause the outnumber, and when his team won the ball he was on the end of some good ball movement that led to a score. His speed around the contest made it hard for the Eagles half-backs and midfielder to keep track of him and stop him in his tracks. Going into the final term, Gold Coast kicked the last 6 goals of the quarter and the margin was blown out to a 34-point lead.
THE FINAL TERM
It was still a bit unclear how the game would pan out. It felt as though Gold Coast had the game on their terms.
As the heavens opened up after a Cripps goal, it looked like the Eagles were going to offer up a challenge and not give up too easily. It was refreshing to see, as in the past the Eagles were very quick to raise the white flag if things weren’t going their way.
Yeo had had an impressive game up to this point and continued to fight hard against Rowell, who was putting on another stellar performance. Sheed was subbed on late in the third quarter and the Eagles looked to draw on his experience to break even at centre bounces and around the ground. Waterman continued his rich vein of form running into an open goal for his fourth. McGovern continued to be a wall down back and provided a bit of counterpunch. Finally, the Eagles began to ramp up their pressure, and it wasn’t going to be an easy win for the home side. The only problem, which had marred the Eagles for the majority of the game, was being able to withstand the Suns’ forward pressure and get the ball out of defence.
After being outscored in the third term, the Eagles kicked four of the first five goals to bring the margin closer, but the Suns quickly responded kicking the next three to win by 37 points. Again it was Rogers that bobbed up to be involved in score involvement chains. It would’ve warmed the hearts of Gold Coast fans seeing him hit Walter right on the chest, in what should be something to look forward to for the next 10 years.
AMAZING WHAT CONFIDENCE DOES
When news broke earlier in the season that Oscar Allen would be spending significant time on the sidelines, it looked like another grim season for the Eagles. To be without their number one spearhead and their captain is very hard to prepare for.
The best thing Simmo could’ve hoped for is someone to come in and fill the void and bring what Allen brings, even if it’s half as good. Eagles supporters wouldn’t have had much faith in Darling, as he’d been struggling before Allen went down. Maric is still too young and inexperienced to shoulder that load. Williams had been mooted to play big minutes in the forward line, but he’s not the answer. No one expected Waterman to become the hero.
In what’s shaping up to be one of the stories of the year, Waterman’s reincarnation of a modern-day G-Train has sparked a bit of a resurgence in the form of West Coast. All of a sudden, the Eagles are starting to get more players to stay on the park, their footy is becoming a bit more competitive, and the spark of Harley Reid has made life easier for players and coaches alike. For a team that struggled to kick more than six or seven goals a game, you’ve got Waterman who has kicked hauls of six goals and five goals in consecutive games. In this game, he ended up with four goals and he sits third in the Coleman Medal race. Yes third. That’s something that not even the most biased Eagles fan could’ve predicted. You can see the confidence building in him and hope he carries this form throughout the rest of the season.
How West Coast fought back in the last quarter after being dominated during the third has to be commended. The margin sort of got away from them in the end, but in the past, the Eagles would’ve just turned up their toes and that could’ve easily been a 10-goal loss.
THE ROLE PLAYERS
There’s been plenty said about the Gold Coast star players, and rightly so. I want to give a special mention to some of the bottom six players who would barely get a mention for the roles they perform week in, and week out.
There’s a saying in footy that goes like this when talking about how good a team’s depth is. You would’ve heard the term, “You’re as good as your bottom six”. This rings true when you’re faced with adversity in a game, or during the season. People familiar with the Richmond dynasty of years gone by, know how vital these role players are and how much they bring to the team. I hope the roles of players such as Holman, Berry, Humphrey, and Fiorini don’t go unnoticed. I know Dimma will certainly bring up some of the good work they did in the game review.
Holman, Berry and Humphrey, in particular, provided some elite forward pressure that made it hard for the Eagles to move the ball out of their backline. All three of those players had 35 pressure acts and 8 tackles between them. They continue to work their backsides off ensuring the ball stays in their forward half, and work hard to push right up the ground helping their defence.
THE WASHUP
All in all, it was a great game to watch for two up-and-coming teams. Gold Coast are a little ahead in their rebuild, as they look to make an inaugural finals appearance. For West Coast, they can take some positives in this game, in what is a tough place to win.
After this win, the Suns sit in 9th position on the ladder, equal on points with 8th place, Fremantle. The Eagles join a host of teams on 8 points and find themselves 15th on percentage. They’ll welcome back Reid and Barrass next week, as they take on Essendon at home in what should be a game to look out for. Gold Coast face the 2-5 Lions team that are under pressure and yet to win a game at the Gabba this season, in what will be another must-win game for both teams. There’ll be storylines everywhere you look.
