Pies provide round 17 joy

Collingwood had finally shed the ‘Colliewobbles’ in 1990 when they won their first premiership since 1958. With the euphoria still flowing they travelled to Perth in round 17 1991 sitting seventh on the 15-team ladder.

West Coast were sitting on top of the ladder and were entitled to start favorites but nobody expected what was to follow. After a tight first half the Eagles slaughtered the Pies by 81 points in front of a packed WACA Ground crowd on a Friday night.

Craig Turley and Adrian Barich each kicked an equal career-best four goals. Brett Heady, too, kicked four and wingmen Peter Matera (35 possessions) and Chris Mainwaring (31 possessions) dominated as the home side kicked 14.6 to 3.2 in the second half to win 20.15 (135) to 8.6 (54). Matera, Scott Watters and Turley took the votes.

At the time it was the Eagles’ biggest win over a defending premier, and 29 years later it has been bettered only once – in round 10, 2005 they obliterated 2004 premiers Port Adelaide by 117 points at Subiaco, when they had 16 different goal-kickers and Quinten Lynch led the way with four.

Win No.2 v Collingwood

West Coast had ended Collingwood’s finals campaign in 1994 as they started a September campaign that took them to the flag. They beat the Pies by two points, Melbourne by 65 points and Geelong by 80 points in the grand final.

The qualifying final at the WACA was one of the great games.

It could have turned on a then controversial deliberate out of bounds call against Guy McKenna three minutes from full-time which gave Gavin Brown his fifth goal for Collingwood and pulled the visitors to within two points.

Shortly after a brilliant John Worsfold tackle on Michael Christian won a possession for West Coast that saw Chris Lewis send the ball inside 50.  Brett Heady ran into an open goal.

Jason McCartney replied for Collingwood to pull it back to two points again, and after a free kick was paid against Chris Mainwaring to Jon Hassell Collingwood had one last chance.

With 14 seconds to play Hassell dished it off to Gary Pert who bombed it long. Mick McGuane slipped in from the side and got two hands to a pressured but uncontested chest mark and spilled it. He was 20m out. A moment that could have changed history.

It wasn’t until round 17, 1995 that West Coast and Collingwood met again, and this time the Eagles weren’t about to rely on any such sliding doors moments. They thumped the Pies by 50 points at Subiaco.

Brayden Lyle, later to captain Port Adelaide in their first AFL game in 1997 when first-choice skipper Gavin Wanganeen was suspended, was an unlikely hero. In his eighth game at 22 Lyle had a team-high 27 possessions to pick up three Brownlow Medal votes.

Chris Lewis, in his 168^th game, kicked six goals – his best haul since he kicked seven in his 19^th game in 1987. He picked up two votes.

Malthouse 300

Mick Malthouse became the 15^th person to coach 300 AFL games as West Coast travelled to the ‘Gabba to meet the Brisbane Bears in round 17 1996. And the fourth-youngest.

At 42 years 345 days, Malthouse was younger than all but Dick Reynolds (39/62), Allan Jeans (41/268) and Percy Bentley (42/43). And Reynolds and Bentley had the clear advantage in that they were long-serving playing coaches before getting to 300 games.

Bentley had six years as playing coach at Richmond before reaching 300 at Carlton, and Reynolds had 12 years in the dual role at Essendon before posting his triple century. Jeans coached 300 games at St Kilda before later coaching Hawthorn and Richmond.

Malthouse joined a 300-game coaching club that had its first member in 1928 with Jock McHale and also included Dan Minogue (1937), Frank Hughes (1945), Bentley (1949), Reynolds (1954), Reg Hickey (1959), Norm Smith (1964), Jeans (1975), Tom Hafey and Ron Barassi (1979), John Kennedy (1985), David Parkin (1991), Kevin Sheedy (1993) and Robert Walls (1995).

Malthouse had coached his first game at Footscray aged 30 years 227 days in round 1 1984 having ended his 174-game playing career at St Kilda and Richmond at the end of 1983.

Ironically, Malthouse coached his 300^th game against John Northey, who would become the next member of the 300 Club in 1997.

West Coast were second on the ladder as they prepared to face the fifth-placed Bears 23 days after the announcement of Brisbane-Fitzroy merger.

They led by seven points at halftime but six goals from a 19-year-old Jason Akermanis in his 31^st game, 35 possessions from Adrian Fletcher and 32 possessions and four goals from Michael Voss spoiled the celebrations. The Bears won by 47 points.

Andrew Donnelly kicked an equal career-best five goals for West Coast in what turned out to be the 132^nd and last AFL game for Don Pyke. A shoulder injury ended his AFL career although he did get back to play in Claremont’s 1996 WAFL premiership.

After Northey became the 16^th 300-game AFL coach he was followed by Leigh Matthews (2002), Denis Pagan (2005) Rodney Eade (2011), John Worsfold (2016), Alastair Clarkson (2017) and Ross Lyon (2019).

Heady 150^th and No.3 against Collingwood

Brett Heady played his 150^th game for West Coast as they travelled to Victoria Park to play Collingwood in round 17 1998, enjoying a 21-point win as he qualified for Life Membership.

Jarrad Schofield had 26 possessions and three Brownlow Medal votes and Brendon Fewster had a career-best 25 possessions and a goal to pick up two votes. Drew Banfield kicked three goals and Andy Lovell played his 164^th and last AFL game.

Win #4 v Collingwood

The round 17 wins over Collingwood rolled on in 2002 when West Coast enjoyed a 58-point canter at Subiaco. Glen Jakovich had 28 possessions for three Brownlow votes, Daniel Kerr and Michael Braun picked up the minor votes, and Phil Matera kicked four goals.

Wirrpanda ton….at last

After making his debut at 16 in 1996 David Wirrpanda battled to cement a place in the West Coast side. It wasn’t until round 17, 2003 that he finally reached 100 AFL games, and in between his 1^st and his 100^th he watched his side play 75 games.

It is a figure that only six Eagles have topped. Sam Butler was 115 games between his 1^st and his 100^th. Others with a longer wait were Daniel Metropolis (103), Beau Waters (94), Karl Langdon (84), Jason Ball (84) and Mark LeCras (81).

But it was all worthwhile for the ever-popular ‘Wirra’ when he celebrated his ‘ton’ with a 56-point Subiaco win over Hawthorn. Ben Cousins had 32 possession for three Brownlow votes and Brent Staker, a Broken Hill boy drafted at #37 in the 2002 AFL National Draft and now coach of the Brisbane Lions AFLW team, kicked two goals on debut.

Five out six ain’t bad

Daniel Kerr was a round 17 specialist through the prime of his career. In six round 17 matches from 2002-07 he polled Brownlow Medal votes in five of them for a total of 10.

After his two votes in 2002 he missed out in 2003, polled West Coast’s only votes in interstate losses to Port Adelaide and Sydney in 2004-05, and when they took on Adelaide at Subiaco in round 17, 2006 he was a key part of a midfield than demolished the Crows.

Ben Cousins (3), Kerr (2) and Michael Braun (1) shared the votes in an 82-point triumph after Braun had a career-best 41 possessions and Quinten Lynch kicked four goals.

And in round 17, 2007 Kerr claimed three votes with 34 possessions as West Coast pummelled the Western Bulldogs at Docklands by 87 points. Lynch kicked another five and Brent Staker four in Will Schofield’s debut.

Tim who?

Who remembers Tim Ruffles? Impartial observers may recall him as the utility player from Narrandera in southern NSW who played five games and kicked two goals for Fremantle in 2009-10.

But Eagles fans will know him as the 18-year-old whose second and last AFL goal in his third game cost them a win in derby #30 - round 17, 2009.

West Coast had trailed at every change but hit the front six minutes into the final quarter via Mark LeCras. Clancee Pearce replied quickly for the Dockers and later Jay Van Berlo did likewise, but 22 minutes in it was only five points the difference. Eagles were a chance.

In the last few minutes Ruffles, who had kicked his first AFL goal in the third quarter, experienced both the high and the low of his short career. He kicked his second goal that got Fremantle home and gave him his only win in the AFL. And he blew out his knee.

It was the first of two knee reconstructions for Ruffles. He did it again late the following year in a 116-point round 21 loss to Hawthorn when Fremantle coach Ross Lyon controversially ‘rested’ much of his top side ahead of the finals.

A ton for Ellis

Xavier Ellis had made his AFL debut for Hawthorn at the Gabba in 2007. More than seven years, a premiership and a move across the country later, he was back at the Gabba in round 17, 2014 to play his 100^th AFL game.

He took with him a place in West Coast history. The Gippsland Power product was the first player to join the Eagles as a free agent under rules introduced by the AFL at the end of the 2010 season, having done so at the end of 2012.

Ellis, a bargain pick-up as an unrestricted free agent, had originally been claimed by Hawthorn with pick #3 in the 2005 National Draft behind #1 Marc Murphy and #2 Dale Thomas and ahead of #4 and new Eagles teammate Josh Kennedy.

He’d made the move west with new Eagles coach Adam Simpson, who had established a close relationship with him during his time as an assistant coach at Hawthorn.

Later to play for West Coast against Hawthorn in the 2015 grand final and now a member of the Perth media, Ellis posted his 100^th game as the Eagles beat the Lions by 12 points. Luke Shuey was best afield with 30 possessions and two goals.

Another player with a place in West Coast history had a less pleasing moment in the same game. Jacob Brennan, son of Michael Brennan and the club’s first genuine father/son pick, played at AFL level for the last time.

A big first-up assignment       

Tom Barrass made his AFL debut for West Coast in Round 17 2015 against Sydney at Subiaco. He was just 19 and got his chance when Jeremy McGovern pinged his hamstring but there was no easing him into the big time.

He gave away 16 years and 364 games in experience to his first opponent – dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes. Seven games from retirement, Goodes had 15 possessions and kicked a goal but Barrass won high praise for his own 15 possessions in a more than solid beginning.

The big backman, drafted by the Eagles at #43 in the 2015 National Draft with a pick traded from the Gold Coast, had a prime seat as West Coast kicked the first seven goals of the game against their long-time rivals and enjoyed a 52-point win.

Matt Priddis (34 possessions) and Andrew Gaff (32 possessions) dominated through the midfield and Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy kicked three goals but Nic Naitanui, with 12 possessions, four contested marks and 41 hit-outs, took the three Brownlow Medal votes.

A Sheppard ton

Brad Sheppard played his 100^th AFL game and Mark Hutchings his 50^th as West Coast beat Carlton by seven points at the MCG in round 17, 2016. It was a more comfortable win than the final scores suggest, with the Blues kicking the last three goals in ‘junk time’. Andrew Gaff, with 30 possessions, picked up three Brownlow Medal votes. Patrick McGinnity played his last game. 

Win #5 v Collingwood

West Coast were travelling beautifully at round 17, 2018, on track for the club’s fourth premiership, and along the way celebrated their fifth consecutive round 17 win over Collingwood.

It was the third-placed Eagles against the second-placed Magpies at the MCG. The home side kicked the first three goals inside 10 minutes but thereafter the tide turned. Completely.

With Jack Redden playing his 50^th game in blue and gold, West Coast kicked 15 of the next 21 goals to win 15-12 (102) to 9-13 (67).

Redden, Andrew Gaff and Luke Shuey had 30 possessions each, and Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Willie Rioli kicked three goals each, but Jeremy McGovern, superb in defence, picked up the three votes.

One measly point

It was so close. For the sixth time West Coast met Collingwood in round 17 last year. And in front of 56,251 people on a Friday night at Optus Stadium they were so close to making it a perfect 6-0, going down by a measly one point.

The Eagles had led at every change. By two points at quarter-time, 13 points at halftime and 16 points at three-quarter time. But the scoring dried up. In the first 26 minutes of the final quarter Collingwood added 2.6 to 0.0.

With three minutes to play and Collingwood up by two points Jack Darling marked near the 50m arc on the boundary line. It was the Dom Sheed pocket except on the opposite side of the country.

He was just too far out. His long bomb landed in the goal square and was rushed through for a behind.

There was still time, but despite some genius ruck work by Nic Naitanui against Brodie Grundy they couldn’t get it done. Collingwood won 11.12 (78) to 12.5 (77).

Jarrod Cameron was a shining moment for the Eagles. In his fourth game the 19-year-old flyer kicked three goals in the first quarter and finished with four.