West Coast was dealt a heartbreaking blow at the hands of Swan Districts after the siren at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Round 15 saw an incredibly thrilling back-and-forth matchup between the Eagles and the Swans, an unbelievable contest from the visitors ending in heartbreak as the Swans snatched the victory with a goal after the final siren, winning 12.11 (83) to 12.8 (80).
Eagles midfielder Greg Clark (37 disposals) was an absolute ball magnet throughout the game, leading both teams in disposals and kicks (24) and did an outstanding job to keep his side in the contest.
Zane Trew (32 disposals, one goal) starred against his old team, while Next-Gen talents Jordyn Baker (21 disposals, one goal) and Tyrell Dewar (18 disposals, one goal) were both influential around the ball.
Big man Callum Jamieson (19 disposals) was imposing, while crafty ball-getters Luke Edwards (19 disposals, one goal) and Isiah Winder (17 disposals, one goal) had no trouble injecting themselves into the game.
Josh Rotham (14 disposals) and Harry Barnett (eight disposals) were a little quiet but still managed to play their part in what was a promising showing from West Coast.
It was a dream start for the Eagles, recording the first two goals of the game off the boots of Tyrell Dewar and Zane Sumich, with Sumich kicking his second first term major to give his side a six-point lead after the first 16 minutes.
The Swans retaliated in the second half of a strongly contested first quarter, Jesse Palmer converting two goals to give the home side a three-point lead at quarter time.
The margin was pinballing between the two teams for the entirety of the game, Swans kicking out to a 19-point buffer before second-term West Coast goals from Sumich and Luke Edwards brought the Eagles back within eight points at half time.
West Coast struck first in the second half with a goal from Josh Burke to reduce the margin to just two points, before Shannon Lucassen put the visitors in front with his first goal of the day.
Swans, who have never lost to this West Coast WAFL side, stepped up their pressure and once again responded to take a three-point lead into the final term.
In a game that kept on giving, the fourth quarter was no exception. Jordyn Baker was clutch, kicking his first WAFL League goal with three minutes remaining to put West Coast back in front by three points.
Mere seconds prior to the final siren sounding, Tom Edwards marked the ball inside the Swans’ forward 50 , kicking truly after the siren to gift his side a three-point victory, and delivering the crushing blow to a brave Eagles team.
Details
Swan Districts 4.4 7.6 9.8 12.11 (83)
West Coast Eagles 4.1 6.4 9.5 12.8 (80)
Goals – Swan Districts: Edwards, Kemp 3; Palmer 2; Clarke, Pina, Jones, Lynch
West Coast: Sumich 3; Edwards, Winder, Trew, Baker, Dewar, Kemp, Burke, Nitschke, Lucassen
Best – Swan Districts: Turner, McLachlan, Kemp, Edwards, Cipro, Clarke
West Coast: Clark, Trew, Jamieson, Sumich, Deegan, Baker
Crowd: TBC
