A quick scan of West Coast and Essendon’s statistics shows how evenly the sides are matched in several key battlegrounds heading into tomorrow night’s elimination final at Optus Stadium.
When it comes to inside 50s, the Eagles have averaged 51 entries to the Bombers’ 50.6.
What about average goals per game? That’s 12.8 to 11.2 in West Coast’s favour.
The Bombers edge the Eagles by the smallest of margins for average centre clearances (12.3 to 12.1) and an even slimmer difference for inside 50 tackles (9.4 to 9.3).
The list goes on.
And that’s why West Coast midfield coach Nathan van Berlo believes the team that capitalises on its chances will advance to next week’s semi final.
“It could make for a very even contest come Thursday,” van Berlo told 6PR’s Sportsday WA program.
“It could be who makes the most of their opportunities and potentially who wins the battle of supply from clearances on the night. It’s going to be a great contest all round.”
Van Berlo said the Eagles had enjoyed a good build up to the elimination final.
He said the team had put a premium on improving its contested work and team defence during the pre-finals bye.
“We have certainly ramped up training the last couple of sessions in terms of our ability to train the contest side of things and also our team defence, which is hard to do at certain stages throughout the season with short breaks and travel,” the midfield coach revealed.
“We’ve certainly been able focus in a bit on our contest work as well as our defence, which we felt was lacking a little bit in the last couple of weeks.
“It’s been a good chance to hone in and make sure we’re sharp in that space because, as I said, with the Bombers their best is very good.
“They can certainly play some exciting footy, so defensively we have to be really strong.”
While West Coast’s midfield and backline will have to be at their best tomorrow night, the forward group will also have to play its part to keep speedy Bombers Adam Saad and Connor McKenna in check.
Van Berlo said the Eagles were acutely aware of the dynamic duo’s attacking prowess, having beared witness to it on several occasions the past few seasons.
“Statistically we’ve seen that the Bombers generate a lot of their scores from the back half and it probably does come off the back of those two in particular,” he said.
“Their ability to rebound off half back, run and take the game on through the middle is when we see the Bombers at their best.
“We’ll certainly have our forwards on their toes to keep in them in check defensively but also make them accountable offensively.
“It’s going to be a good battle for us.”
