The West Coast Eagles have suffered a heartbreaking 13-point defeat at the hands of Gold Coast, after leading by 16 points midway through the fourth quarter.
The round two clash at Whitten Oval was a back-and-forth affair for a majority of the game, but it was the Suns who had the final say after booting five late goals in the final moments of the match to cement a 7.4 (46) to 5.3 (33) victory.
West Coast’s Belinda Smith did all she could at half-back, with 16 disposals and 12 intercepts and four rebound 50s, while skipper Emma Swanson (20, seven tackles) and Aisling McCarthy (13, one goal) led the midfield.
It was West Coast’s first Melbourne hub match and the weather was ideal for football, with both sides battling it out at ground level and attempting to capitalise on the conditions. This led to some scrappy football in the first quarter with neither side managing a major score to their name.
But McCarthy changed this for West Coast in the second term after an unselfish kick across the face of goal from Melissa Caulfield, with Ashlee Atkins also snapping one of her own later in the quarter.
From there, a struggle ensued, with both teams hungry to secure four premiership points. But it was Gold Coast that edged West Coast by two points coming into the final quarter after a goal from Sarah Perkins.
In the fourth, Mikayla Bowen (12 disposals, eight tackles) ignited the Eagles early with a terrific goal, with Kellie Gibson and Maddy Collier joining the list of individual goal scorers.
The electrifying start gave West Coast all the momentum, but it the Suns fought back, managing to send the ball inside 50 to live wire Kate Surman who snapped a goal and narrowed the deficit to 10 points.
From there, the Suns’ resolve was evident with Tara Bohanna booting three goals in the closing minutes and Surman kicking one more. This handed Gold Coast a 13-point victory after coming from 16 points behind.
There were positives to take away from the match, with West Coast’s younger contingent – the likes of Bowen, Charlie Thomas and Bella Lewis – all showing promising signs in the midfield, while last week’s debutants in Evie Gooch (11 disposals, three rebound 50s) and Aimee Schmidt (six) also looked at home.
West Coast now head into a six-day break before facing 2020 premiers, Adelaide, at Punt Road Oval.
WEST COAST 0.0 2.0 2.2 5.3 (33)
GOLD COAST 0.2 1.4 2.4 7.4 (46)
GOALS
West Coast: McCarthy, Atkins, Bowen, Gibson, Collier
Gold Coast: Bohanna 3, Surman 2, Dupuy, Perkins
BEST
West Coast: Smith, McCarthy, Swanson, Bowen, Hooker
Gold Coast: Surman, Bohanna Rowbottom, Hampson, Stanton
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil
