It was a tough day out for the WAFL Eagles on Saturday, falling to East Perth by 67 points at Mineral Resources Park.
The Eagles couldn’t make the most of the prime football conditions, struggling to get into the game as the Royals took control, tearing West Coast apart with the precision of their kick-mark game.
While the Eagles showed patches of good form, it wasn’t enough to stop the second-placed Royals in the 7.9 (51) to 17.16 (118) defeat.
Jack Petruccelle was a standout for the Eagles, managing a team-high 23 touches, four marks, four tackles and a goal, while Harley Sparks (21 disposals) and Jamaine Jones (19 disposals, three tackles and a goal) were also important around the contest.
Loch Rawlinson was active early, finishing with two goals for the game, and young gun Archer Reid took some strong marks inside forward fifty resulting in a goal.
East Perth opened the scoring for the game with a goal to Thomas Medhat, his first of three for the game, before Christian Ameduri added another, his first of three, in a strong start for the visitors.
West Coast responded with back-to-back majors through Reid and Shannon Lucassen, but East Perth stepped it up a level and took at 17-point lead into the quarter-time break.
The Royals continued with their clean entries inside their forward fifty, the Eagles unable to come up with a response, and would have been thankful that East Perth struggled with some inaccuracy in front of goals.
In a fourth-quarter surge by the blue and gold, Jones and Josh Burke opened the final term with a goal each, reducing the margin to 45 points.
The defensive pressure from the Royals proved too tough an ask for the Eagles’, with a final late goal from Petruccelle a highlight in an otherwise disappointing outing.
WEST COAST 2.4 2.5 4.6 7.9 (51)
EAST PERTH 5.3 9.8 13.11 17.16 (118)
GOALS
West Coast: Rawlinson 2; Reid, Lucassen, Jones, Burke, Petruccelle
East Perth: Medhat, Peak, Amaduri 3; Hille, Graham 2; Crowden, Randall, Hill, Van Diemen
BEST
West Coast: Petruccelle, Reid, Lucassen, Flynn, Baker, Jones
East Perth: Tedesco, Crowden, Medhat, Wright, Willcocks, Schumacher
