Crunch time

West Coast were going along beautifully as the business end of the 1992 season approached, having won four in a row to climb from sixth to fourth at round 17. But they hit a speedbump at round 18 when they lost by 11 goals to fifth-placed St Kilda at Waverley.

With ladder leaders Geelong at Kardinia Park to follow in round 19 it was crunch time.

So, coach Mick Malthouse issued a statement at selection. He made five changes for a mixture of injury, form and a general shake-up.  Don Pyke, out since round four, Ryan Turnbull, out since round seven, Mark Hepburn, out since round nine and Dean Laidley, out since round 14, all returned with Matt Clape, who had missed the loss to the Saints.

They replaced David Hart, David Hynes, Paul Peos, Chris Waterman and Scott Watters.

It was all part of a coach Malthouse’s fine-tuning of what would be the Eagles’ first premiership side 10 weeks later. He played no less than 28 different players in the last seven home-and-away games and three finals.

It was confirmation, too, that a good squad rather than just a good team wins premierships, and a defining period for a large slice of the 10 players involved in the selection shake-up. Good for some, and not so good for others.

It was almost as if Malthouse had a fair idea of what his best side looked like and was just waiting to pull it all together at the right time.

Of the five inclusions for round 19 only Pyke played in the finals. And of the exclusions, Waterman was back a week later and would go on to play in the premiership, Hart and Hynes would play a part in the September campaign before missing the ‘big one’, and Clape and Turnbull were young players whose future was down the track.

But for Peos it was the end of his first stint with the Eagles. After playing 51 games for the club from 1987-92 he didn’t play again in the premiership year, spent 1993-94 with the Brisbane Bears, and returned to West Coast for four games in 1995.

Laidley played rounds 19-20 and never again for the Eagles. He joined North Melbourne in 1993.

Hepburn played rounds 19-20-21-22-23 but missed finals selection. He was delisted later that year and after 12 months travelling overseas joined Sydney in 1994 for a further seven games.

And Watters played rounds 19-21-23-24 but was also overlooked in the finals and made his way to Sydney for 1993-94 and later Fremantle for 1995-96.

As it turned out, 17 members of the beaten round 18 side would play in the grand final with Pyke and three others who were always going to figure at crunch time when fit and available.

Ashley McIntosh, who missed rounds 18-19, returned for round 20. Guy McKenna, who had only played one game since round eight and Brett Heady, who had played one game since round nine, returned in round 21.

The grand final selection squeeze later claimed Hart and Hynes when they were omitted to make way for Heady and vice-captain Michael Brennan after both had missed the preliminary final with injury.

But at the time it was about finding top form against Geelong, the premiership favorites who were coming off two thumping wins by 73 points and 82 points. And the Eagles did it brilliantly.

They kicked 7.2 to 2.2 in the first quarter and were never seriously challenged, winning by 19 points in Peter Wilson’s 50^th game in blue and gold despite five goals for the Cats from ex-Eagle Geoff Miles.

Dean Kemp picked up three Brownlow votes for 35 possessions, and Chris Mainwaring one vote for 30 possessions. Peter Sumich and Karl Langdon kicked three goals each.

Back or forward?

Ashley McIntosh is remembered best by most as an ever-reliable Eagles defender. And not surprisingly given that he kicked 23 goals in his last eight years and 155 games, and in 1996 was named in defence in the Eagles ‘Team of the Decade’ to celebrate the club’s first 10 years in the AFL.

But he was a more than useful forward in his early days, and as selectors for the ‘Team of the Quarter Century’ in 2011 decided, was the perfect interchange pick. Capable of playing back or forward.

In his first 87 games from 1991-95 McIntosh kicked 85 goals, and took a special liking to the Brisbane Bears. He kicked a career-best six goals against the Bears in 1992, and in round 19, 1993 booted five in a 60-point Eagles win at the Gabba to pick up his first three-vote rating in the Brownlow Medal.

McIntosh and Sumich (six) all but outscored the Bears on their own as David Hart collected two votes for 30 possessions in Derek Hall’s second and last game for the Eagles before he moved to Geelong.

Eagles and Dockers

Brendan Krummel played his ninth and last game for the Eagles in round 19, 1994. The East Fremantle WAFL product had 11 possessions in a 66-point win over Fitzroy at Whitten Oval in which Peter Matera was judged best afield, Don Pyke had a team-high 30 possessions for two votes and Chris Lewis picked up one vote for 16 possessions and three goals.

Ordinarily, it would not be especially big news. But Krummel’s last game for one WA club opened the door for him to be part of an historic moment with the other WA club the following year.

Krummel, Dale Kickett and Scott Watters were ex-Eagles who were members of the very first Fremantle side in round one, 1995, so becoming the first three players to play for both WA clubs.

For Krummel it was his only game with Fremantle before 64 games at Hawthorn.

Kickett, a two-game Eagle in 1991 after a stint with Fitzroy in 1990 and before stints with St Kilda in 1992 and Essendon in 1993, went on to play 135 games with his fifth club.

And Watters, a 46-game Eagle from 1989-92, played 37 games with Sydney from 1993-94 before 26 games with Fremantle in 1995-96.

Since 1995 a further eight players have joined the ‘played for both WA teams’ club.

Interestingly, though, there has only been one since 2002 – Jarrad Schofield. And he played 131 games with Port Adelaide in between his two stints in Perth.

In chronological order after Krummel, Kickett and Watters, the other eight have been Brendon Retzlaff, Tony Godden, Greg Harding, David Hynes, Trent Carroll, Brendon Fewster, Daniel Metropolis and Schofield.

Just as Krummel, Kickett and Watters shared the moment in round one, 1995, so did Godden and Hynes when they debuted together for Fremantle in round one,1996.

Of the 11, only Harding and Carroll played with Fremantle before West Coast. The other nine wore Eagles colors before Dockers colors. Details are:-

PLAYED FOR BOTH W.A. CLUBS
Players	West Coast			Fremantle
	Games	Goals	Years	Games	Goals	Years
Kickett, Dale	2		1991	135	24	1995-2002
Krummel, Brendan	9	3	1992-1994	1	0	1995
Watters, Scott	46	13	1989-1992	26	6	1995-1996
Retzlaff, Brendon	3	0	1993	6	2	1995
Godden, Tony	13	8	1993-1995	11	6	1996, 1998
Harding, Greg *	9	0	2001	69	3	1996-2000
Hynes, David	73	55	1991-1995	13	4	1996-1997
Carroll, Trent *	45	6	2001-2004	33	1	1997-1999
Fewster, Brendon	33	27	1996-1999	37	16	2000-2002
Metropolis, Daniel	108	46	1992-2000	6	2	2001
Schofield, Jarrad	63	34	1993-1998	12	2	2005-2006
* Only Harding and Carroll played for Fremantle before West Coast.

 

At least there was Jack

It wasn’t a good day for West Coast in round 19, 2010 as they hosted Brisbane Lions at Subiaco, but it was a day in club history nevertheless. And there was one good thing to come out of it, even if it did take six years.

It was a virtual wooden-spoon grand final. The Eagles, 16^th on the ladder with a 4-14 win/loss record, against the 15^th placed Lions at 5-13 but on a seven-game losing streak.

The home side kicked the fist two goals before the visitors got six of the next seven, including three to Jonathan Brown in his 199^th game. Lions by 27.

The Eagles got the next four to level the scores before Pearce Hanley, a 21-year-old Irishman in his ninth game, kicked his first goal to put the Lions back in front. Mark LeCras answered for the Eagles but Ryan Harwood did likewise for the Lions. They led by five points 23 minutes into the third term.

Twenty-one goalless minutes followed. Brisbane kicked four behinds in a row and West Coast five.

Twelve minutes from full-time the Lions’ Michael Rischitelli, later to pick up three Brownlow Medal votes, hurried a clearing kick from the last line of defence and picked out the Eagles’ Andrew Strijk perfectly. He converted from 25m on the angle and they led by two.

The 1992-94-2006 premiers had never finished with the wooden-spoon. There was still hope.

The Eagles kicked long from defence and Josh Kennedy flew over the pack. He barely touched it and Daniel Merrett, in his 100^th game, mopped up the loose ball and kicked into the Brisbane forward 50.

Jonathan Brown was one-on-one with 21-year-old Mitch Brown in his 37^th game. They went to work. The younger Brown fell to the ground and the older Brown marked on his chest.

“That’s a very, very interesting decision,” Jason Dunstall said in commentary, but noted that it was no different to five other such instances earlier in the game.

Brown lined up his fifth. Off his boot it went left and Dunstall said “he’s missed it” but it swung back. With five seconds to play it was Brisbane 10.10 (70) to 9.11 (65). They were home.

Eagles coach John Worsfold was philosophical post-match. “Fifteenth or sixteenth … it doesn’t really matter. We still believe we can bring a lot of players through to have a lot of success together,” he said, later to take the club to 4^th, 5^th and 13^th in the next three years.

Scott Selwood had 28 possessions and kicked a goal for West Coast, while Matt Priddis had 26 possessions and a goal for two votes as Brett Jones, Ben McKinley and Lewis Stevenson each played their last game for the Eagles.

And the good thing to come out of it for the Eagles?

A 19-year-old Jack Redden had 27 possessions and was among the best for the Lions in his 29^th game and his second game at Subiaco, having played his second game at the WA home of football in 2009.

Six years later Redden was wearing blue and gold, and eight years later he was an Eagles premiership player.

More milestones

For a club that has always prided itself on recognising significant player milestones round 19 ,2011 was a big day for the Eagles. Adam Selwood played his 150^th game, Matt Priddis his 100^th, Eric Mackenzie his 50^th and Scott Lycett his first.

Rebounding well from their 2010 wooden-spoon, the Eagles were fifth on the ladder at 11-5 when they travelled to Docklands to meet the 12^th-placed Western Bulldogs.

They went in with plenty of confidence, having belted the Dogs 10 weeks earlier when Josh Kennedy kicked 10 goals in a 123-point slaughter in round 9 at Subiaco.

There was no Kennedy in round 19 but at three-quarter time the Eagles had things under control. They were up by 25 points at 13.11 to 10.4.

But in 12 minutes the Dogs kicked five goals without reply. Barry Hall, Callan Ward, Hall and Daniel Giansiracusa twice split the big sticks. Dogs by a goal. Suddenly it was on.

Jack Darling kicked a steadier for West Coast from a mark at half forward before Andrew Embley kicked two behinds. The Eagles defence stood firm and the clock ticked past 30 minutes.

Dean Cox pulled down a big pack mark at full forward and when he kicked truly from point blank range it was over. West Coast won 15.13 (103) to 15.5 (95).

The last-minute Cox goal not only clinched the win but, coming on top of 27 possessions, 37 hit-outs and six contested marks, clinched three Brownlow votes as Andrew Gaff (31), Matt Priddis (31) and Matt Rosa (30) dominated the possession count.

That was close

The Gold Coast Suns had done it tough in their first two years in the AFL in 2011-12. They’d endured a 6-38 win/loss record and had lost four times by 100+ points and a further 19 times by 50+.

But they made huge progress in their third season in 2013, so much so that when the Eagles escaped with a 17-point win over the Suns at Subiaco in round 19 there was much relief.

The Suns had beaten the bottom four sides and the side that would finish 10^th for five wins, but in round 17 they’d surprised a Collingwood outfit that would later sit sixth on the home-and-away ladder at round 22. The Suns were no longer easy beats.

The Eagles were 22 points up at the last change but twice in the last term the Suns pulled to within two points. Mark Hutchings and Bradd Dalziell answered the first time, and then Ashton Hams and Sharrod Wellingham did it again.

At the 29-minute mark, with still seven minutes play, Jarrod Harbrow cut the home side’s advantage to nine points and it wasn’t until Eric Mackenzie kicked just his fourth goal in his 95^th game that the Eagles were safe. They won 20.10 (130) to 17.11 (113).

Dean Cox’ dominant display in the ruck earned him three Brownlow votes, while Josh Kennedy’s five goals earned him two votes in what was Hams’ 39^th and last game. The round 19 curse struck again.