West Coast has upset Essendon by four points, recording a much-needed win in windy conditions while denting the Bombers' finals chances.
Two early goals with the breeze held the Eagles in good stead for the day as they utilised their scoreboard advantage and tackling prowess to record a 3.5 (23) to 2.7 (19) victory at Windy Hill.
In front of their vocal faithful, the home side struggled to convert, ultimately failing to find an avenue to goal until it was too late.
Emma Swanson (25 disposals, 12 tackles, eight clearances) showed her maturity as she injected both class and energy into the Eagles' midfield, while Maddy Prespakis (30 disposals, 11 tackles, nine clearances) was once again a force to be reckoned with around stoppages.
West Coast dominated forward 50 territory on the back of its ferocity at stoppage, recording the first four inside 50 entries and the first seven clearances of the game, bouncing back from a challenging round seven match-up against reigning premier Narrm.
Aisling McCarthy and Amy Franklin set the tone with two goals in the first five minutes, but Essendon was not short of answers as Prespakis worked her way into the contest.
The Eagles, however, utilised their tackling prowess to propel the ball forward even when second to the ball. As a result, most of the game was played in the Eagles' forward half early, reflecting the high workrate of a side desperately seeking victory.
Both Jess Sedunary and Beth Schilling succumbed to injury early for the Eagles, however they showed no signs of slowing down, stringing together a four-quarter effort for the first time in a long time.
Essendon's stoppage dominance has been its strength all year but it was largely unable to overcome the Eagles in the contest early. Natalie Wood's side was kept goalless in the first quarter, a feat achieved by only ladder-leading Adelaide so far this season.
The Bombers were unable to escape the wrath of the Eagles, struggling to find space, time and composure despite dominating possession at multiple stages throughout the contest. While struggling to battle the wind, the absence of Daria Bannister also seemed to hamper their ability to find an outlet and limited their run and carry.
Star forward Bonnie Toogood came in as the competition leader for marks, but Sophie McDonald restricted her ability to find space while the wind affected the Bombers' ability to provide her with their usual delivery. The importance of the captain's influence came to the fore in the fourth term, which saw her register Essendon's first goal.
West Coast's young gun Ella Roberts (16 disposals, three marks) showed class and composure through the middle – assisting Kellie Gibson's game-breaking goal – while Georgia Nanscawen (21 disposals, 17 tackles, six clearances) continued to prove her importance to the Bombers' midfield.
The Bombers rose to the challenge in the final term as they began to influence the game from the centre, but it was too little, too late as classy goals from Toogood and Amber Clarke weren't enough to get the home side over the line.
ESSENDON 0.1 0.4 0.4 2.7 (19)
WEST COAST 2.1 2.1 3.4 3.5 (23)
GOALS
Essendon: Toogood, Clarke
West Coast: McCarthy, Gibson, Franklin
BEST
Essendon: Prespakis, Nanscawen, Toogood, Wales
West Coast: Swanson, Roberts, Bushby, Thomas
INJURIES
Essendon: Cain (concussion)
West Coast: Sedunary (cork), Schilling (knee)
Reports: Nil
Crowd: TBC at Windy Hill
