Metro’s magical six

A 20-year-old Daniel Metropolis made his debut for the West Coast Eagles in round three, 1992 against St Kilda at Subiaco. And what a debut it was. Four goals with his first four kicks, and an equal club debut record of six goals in a 33-point win.

It was a personal-best for the son of ex-Subiaco player Peter Metropolis in a career that spanned 108 games for West Coast from 1992-2000 and six games with Fremantle in 2001 after he was drafted at #16 in the 1991 National Draft.

Paul Harding, recruited from St Kilda after starting his career at Hawthorn, played his first game in blue and gold as Paul Peos kicked four goals and Craig Turley picked up three Brownlow votes.

Amazingly, despite his boom introduction Metropolis struggled for a regular game early in his career. He played four games in his debut season, two in 1993 and none in 1994. It was 1995 before he could get to selection night with any degree of ongoing certainty.

The only other West Coast player to kick six goals on debut was Steven Jackson against the Brisbane Bears at Carrara in 1989. And ironically, Metropolis was drafted by West Coast with the selection they received from Richmond in a trade for Jackson.

Metropolis, too, left a less appealing mark in the record books on debut. He gave away six free kicks. Only three Eagles have been free-kicked more in one game – Andrew MacNish in 1989, Karl Langdon in 1992 and Elliot Yeo in Round 1 this year.

And his Eagles games tally of 108 is second-highest among Eagles players not to poll a vote in the Brownlow. Only Brent Staker’s 110 games is higher. Mark Seaby (102) is the only other 100-game player not to poll a vote.

The first round three derby

Ilija Grgic played 23 games for West Coast, and only polled five Brownlow Medal votes for the club. Yet three games into his Eagles career in 1997 he was equal leader in the medal count.

Having joined West Coast after 62 games with the Western Bulldogs from 1993-96, Grgic polled two medal votes in his first Eagles game against Sydney in Round 1, and three in the round three derby against Fremantle.

It was the second and last three-vote haul of his 87-game career, which ended with two games at Essendon in 1999. And regardless of the fact that he didn’t poll again big Ilija, all 203cm and 106kg of him, had made a big impact with his 18 possessions and one goal on the biggest stage in WA football.

It was the fifth derby overall and the first of seven that have been played in round three. West Coast won the first four in 1997-98-2005-07, lost the next two in 2008-15 and lost the last one in 2016.

Double century for Lewis

Chris Lewis was the fifth Eagles player to 100 games for the club and the second to 200 behind Guy McKenna. And he did it in memorable fashion, with a 27-point win over Fremantle at Subiaco in round three 1998.

It was derby #7 and maintained the Eagles’ perfect record against Fremantle, which eventually stretched to nine before their first derby loss in 1999.

Lewis had 11 possessions and kicked a goal as West Coast, 26 points up at quarter time, withstood a Dockers tally and steadied to win by 27. Fraser Gehrig kicked five goals to earn three Brownlow votes.

Farewell to Victoria Park

West Coast played seven times at Victoria Park, the famous former Collingwood homeground, for a 4-3 win/loss record. They lost their first three visits and won their last four.

Their last visit to a ground known for being the less than hospitable because of the antics of home fans was round three, 1999 when they posted their biggest win by 36 points.

It was the second-last game ever played at Victoria Park in a year in which Collingwood would finish with the wooden-spoon.

After Collingwood led by 13 points at quarter-time West Coast took charge in the second quarter and won 16-15 (111) to 11-9 (75).

Laurie Bellotti, a 191cm Indigenous utility player from a basketball background in Carnarvon, made his debut for the Eagles as Scott Cummings, new to the club from Essendon and Port Adelaide, kicked seven goals in a season in which he would kick a career-best 95 goals in 24 games to win the Coleman Medal.

Andrew Williams kicked four goals, the Brownlow votes went to Ben Cousins, Drew Banfield and Cummings, and, for the first and only time, West Coast’s Michael Gardiner, in his 28th game at 19, played against Collingwood’s Michael Gardiner in his third game at 21.

While the outstanding career of Gardiner #1, the Eagle turned Saint, is well known, Gardiner #2 was less noteworthy. He hailed from a basketball background via WAFL club Subiaco, was claimed by Collingwood in the 1997 pre-season draft, and played seven games.