West Coast notch up ninth 100+ loss in five seasons; Dockers winning streak continues
Welcome Western Water Coolerr is where we round up the talking points from the weekend’s matches and the highlights, disappointments and positives that WA football fans can hold onto as the season progresses.
The Eagles booked fans in for counseling today following a performance that left everyone with more questions than answers.
The 101-point defeat was the ninth triple-figure loss since 2022; The other 17 teams have only seven points combined.
They are at historically low levels.
The Dockers are racking up win after win and their current run reaches six after facing a plucky team from Carlton.
More importantly, they win in different ways each week, with different players stepping up to get the job done.
Fremantle Dockers
What went right?
Luke Jackson may have finished second to teammate Shai Bolton in the Arthur Leggett Medal voting, but he is quickly staking his claim as the competition’s most damaging ruckman.
He showed his rare and unique ability twice: first as a defender in the backfield, and then as a midfielder, scoring two magnificent goals that any elite midfielder would be proud of.
The 24-year-old player completed the statistics sheet with 21 touches, 31 strikes, 8 scores, 6 steals and 2 goals.
Jackson is a huge point of difference for Justin Longmuir’s deployment and a nightmare to match up against.
What went wrong?
Fremantle overturned the result with a devastating four-goal attack to start the final term. The lead swelled to over 42 points as another Carlton faded away, threatening to disfigure the scoreboard.
But what happened was what Justin Longmuir described as a “sloppy ending”.
The Blues began to gain center clearances by controlling the tempo and territory, and were successful in five of the game’s last six majors.
Although the result never felt in jeopardy, the Dockers took their foot off the gas and welcomed the Blues back into the contest. This isn’t something they want to become a habit of.
Silver lining?
They have different winning abilities.
On Saturday night, they scored five goals directly from the centre; this marked their best comeback in over seven years.
The ball movement and turnover game has been very beneficial for Fremantle this year, this performance added another strength to the bow.
West Coast Eagles
What went right?
Other than that, the first five minutes after the first half were a gloomy course. Goals to Jobe Shanahan and Elliot Yeo reduced the lead to 27 points and the Eagles’ chances of making a comeback were slim given that St.Kilda had failed to win the third term all season.
What went wrong?
Both sides had two wins going into the fixture but West Coast stood up. After the buzz and ARC’s misguided call to bring the game back for Rowan Marshall to score in the second quarter, the Eagles wilted.
Saints scored 14 of the last 15 goals in the match, calling into question the attitude and practices of the players, as well as the moves in the coaching field.
Liam Baker’s decision to play forward was confusing. The co-captain played 76 percent in attack.
With senior Jamie Cripps sent off and West Coast looking disorganized behind the ball, Baker’s experience and leadership could have been put to better use in defense and even midfield.
Then there is goalkeeping. In the first quarters of the last four weeks, West Coast were goalless through three quarters and trailed by 3 goals to 18 overall. Yesterday the Eagles were 0.3; They have nothing to show for doing a good job early on, making it incredibly dull.
silver lining
Next week’s opponents. West Coast return home for a game against winless and bottom-of-the-table Richmond and are suddenly attracting a lot of attention.
Although it’s shaping up to be a ‘silver lining’, anything less than a win could end in disaster.
Andrew McQualter’s win-loss record reached 3-27 in his first 30 games. The coach and the club cannot afford to lower their colours.
Paddy Sweeney is a Nine News Perth sports presenter and journalist.
