West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson and his staff are rarely surprised by what they opposition brings.

They scrutinise their opponents forensically, so they generally know what to expect.

Against Adelaide they knew they came with a gun midfield, that usually acquired big numbers courtesy of the Crouch brothers, they had a couple of dangerous forwards and defenders who enjoyed launching a counter attack.

While the Brad and Matt Crouch racked up almost 80 possessions between them, Rory Laird accumulated 27 touches in defence and their forward line was productive – albeit Darcy Fogarty might not have been the anticipated star with five goals – as they delivered as expected.

The Crows had finals aspirations on the line so Simpson and his cohorts knew they would represent a challenge and that they did. But the Eagles responded, were efficient and established an early lead.   

Adelaide refused to yield, however, nudged to within a point at the half, before the Eagles slipped into top gear.

With solid contributions coming across the board from the midfield group, led by Luke Shuey, Elliott Yeo, Andrew Gaff, Dom Sheed and Jack Redden the Eagles ensured a steady supply of opportunities forward of centre.

With the efficient forwards going to work, West Coast kicked away to a 27-point advantage in the middle of the third term.

Adelaide continued to fight, not surprising considering the stakes, and edged within a couple of goals on several occasions in the final quarter, but the Eagles found a way to consistently respond. They were never headed through the course of the evening and maintained their quest for a top four finish – possibly higher.  

Power forward Jack Darling led the charge with a polished display of his vast range of skills. He crashed packs to take numerous contested marks, kicked three goals himself and also set up several others.

In conjunction with young guns Jake Waterman and Oscar Allen, who each kicked three goals, the multii-faceted Eagles forward division challenged the Crows’ defensive capacity. Allen once again shared the ruck responsibilities with Tom Hickey and was a solid contributor in both roles.

Key defenders Tom Barrass (10 marks) and Jeremy McGovern (four) were again effective in thwarting opposition attacking moves while Shannon Hurn was prevalent as the primary rebounding option out of the back half.

Brad Sheppard was largely opposed to Crows livewire Eddie Betts and kept him under control, the magical forward kicking just one goal – when Sheppard was briefly otherwise deployed.

Meanwhile, Willie Rioli, as a support player through the midfield, and in his usual high half-forward role, played arguably his most complete game at the elite level, Liam Ryan was constant threat and in conjunction with Jack Petruccelle ensured the Crows defence was always on its toes.

The game also marked the return of Jamie Cripps after a four-week absence from a groin injury.     

Round 21, 2019
Optus Stadium

West Coast Eagles      3.4       6.6       11.9     13.12   90
Adelaide                     1.4       6.5         8.5       12.8   80

Goals – West Coast Eagles: Darling, Allen, Waterman 3; Ryan, Rioli, Sheed, Kennedy. Adelaide: Fogarty 5; Walker 2; Murphy, Sloane, Betts, B Crouch, Knights.