For 12 consecutive weeks, from round 11 to 22, the West Coast Eagles were in the top four and appeared to be in a strong position to launch a concerted September defence of their 2018 premiership.

Unfortunately, a slight stumble in round 22 against Richmond at the MCG and then a freefall in the last qualifying game against Hawthorn at Optus Stadium and the momentum was drained from the campaign.

Sitting at 15-5 going into the mouth-watering contest with Richmond, the Eagles started brilliantly.

With Brisbane scoring a nail-biting win the previous day against Geelong, the Eagles had the opportunity to vault over the Cats into second spot.

They woke on the day of this encounter against the Tigers to bright sunshine, but well aware that the fickle weather in the southern State would turn at some point in the day. If they hadn’t checked the bureau of meteorology website, then a text message from Virgin Airlines, forecasting strong winds that could affect the return flight, certainly raised their awareness.

The game began beneath a sunny, cloudless sky and the Eagles’ start matched the conditions.

They were pristine in every sense; their ball movement slick, skill execution delightful and their finish was virtually flawless, as they rattled on 7.1 in the opening term.

But just as they knew the weather would turn, they were equally confident Richmond would respond. And so they did.

The Eagles led by nine points at the main break, but as they were sorting out their second half plan in the changerooms, the weather was also doing its thing; it started with light drizzle, evolved into heavy rain and wind squalls, making the game a little more basic.

Richmond might have been better suited by the greasy conditions, but the Eagles did not yield.

They were still clinging to a three-point advantage at the last change and remained brave. The Tigers kicked out to a 13-point lead in the middle of the final term before the Eagles fought back and drew level with four minutes to play.

Unfortunately, they could not muster the next score, Richmond found a way and Jack Riewoldt kicked the winning goal with about a minute to play.

Widely regarded as one of the games of the season, the Eagles lost no friends and remained in third position on the ladder despite the defeat. The consequences of losing to Hawthorn the following week, however, would be dire.

The Eagles tackled the eighth-placed Hawks at Optus Stadium and were overwhelming favourites but the visitors had other ideas.

In the weeks leading into this encounter, Hawthorn had adopted a care-free approach; even laughing at the novelty when playing GWS in arctic conditions in Canberra, snow falling during their Friday night fixture in the nation’s capital.

It seemed the theme was for them to have fun and to see where that took them. That same devil-may-care attitude prevailed against the Eagles, the enthusiastic Hawks getting away to a flying start, with veterans Shaun Burgoyne and Isaac Smith in the thick of it, before the Eagles pegged them back to take an eight-point lead at quarter time.

If there was a sense that normal order had been restored, it was quickly erased in the second term as the Hawks continued to play with good energy and there were alarming signs in the Eagles camp, who looked lethargic and shell-shocked.

The Hawks rattled on five goals to one in the term and they were never again headed as they carved out a comprehensive victory – 16.9 (105) 9.13 (67).

The Eagles dropped from third to fifth and suddenly their finals campaign looked vastly different.

They would complete the first of their finals matches as expected, despatching Essendon courtesy of an emphatic 55-point victory, but it was then off to Melbourne to play Geelong in another sudden death final.

As if this challenge was not already challenging enough, the Eagles were de-stabilised in the lead-up, having Willie Rioli ruled unavailable as ASADA and the AFL launched an enquiry into allegations that he tampered with a urine sample taken a couple of weeks earlier.

When the travelling party arrived at the team hotel late on the Wednesday night preceding the Friday evening fixture, an AFL official was waiting to deliver the news. As well as the club and the players handled that situation, it surely had an impact on this performance.

It wasn’t just the loss of Rioli, who left the team hotel the next morning, but the distraction of the news and the subsequent energy spent around the issue. Coaching staff and players did their best to quarantine the matter to those directly involved, but it was a deflating experience.

The Eagles were bold and led by two points at the final change, but the Cats over-ran them to win 13.10 (88) to 10.8 (68).