The West Coast Eagles produced one of the great qualifying round victories of their storied 34-year history when they came from behind to lock down a place in the 2020 finals series.
Despite playing their fifth game in 18 days and being without captain Luke Shuey, dual Club Champion Elliot Yeo, 2018 player of the finals Jack Redden, the versatile Mark Hutchings, and 2018 premiership hero Dom Sheed, the Eagles clawed back from a goal down in the last quarter to win by 15 points.
Aside from being without a large portion of their much-heralded midfield they also lost four-time all-Australian defender Jeremy McGovern just before half-time to compound an already serious lack of senior talent.
When St Kilda kicked the first three goals of the last quarter, they had turned a 12-point deficit into a six-point advantage which creeped out to eight points, but the Eagles found a way and won 9.11 (65) to 6.14 (50).
Led brilliantly by Tim Kelly and Andrew Gaff, who did not come off the ground at any stage of the game, the senior players led the way.
Nic Naitanui dug deep into his bag of tricks, Tom Barrass was sensational down back, Liam Duggan relished a return to the midfield and both Brad Sheppard and Shannon Hurn were brilliant down back.
Tom Cole kicked his third goal in as many weeks, the last of the game, that saw the Eagles jump into the top four.
The Eagles took a while to get going in the first quarter, but about mid-way through they started to work their way into the battle.
Kelly was doing some good work through the middle and hit Jack Darling lace out with a 50 metre pass and Darling converted from the fringe of the arc to give the Eagles their opening goal.
The Eagles put the Saints under pressure in the forward half and that created the next opportunity. The Saints tried three ways to find an exit before they coughed the ball up in the corridor, Liam Duggan sent a sweeping handpass in the direction of Liam Ryan, who capitalised from point blank range.
Unfortunately, another dubious review went against the Eagles in the shadows of quarter time when Jack Lonie kicked the ball and it appeared that it was touched in a marking contest between Tim Membrey and Tom Barrass.
The review system suggested it was inconclusive and could not over rule the umpires’ call which was a goal.
West Coast maintained the intensity around the contest in the second term and controlled the game by forcing the Saints into error from the ferocity of their pressure.
The Eagles dominated the term, kicking 3.5 to nothing to take a 13-point lead into the half.
With tall options Josh Kennedy, Darling and Oscar Allen causing issues for the Saints defence, West Coast was pressing hard.
Senior on-ballers Kelly and Gaff were setting a wonderful standard through the midfield and the defence – led by Barrass, Shannon Hurn, Brad Sheppard and Jeremy McGovern – held sway.
After needing medical clearance to continue after a head knock in the first quarter, McGovern strained a hamstring deep into the second term.
The third quarter was a war of attrition and leading from the front in the absence of McGovern was Barrass, who was outstanding.
The Eagles defence again held up under the assault from the Saints, while Kelly and Gaff continued to accumulate plenty of ball and Brayden Ainsworth was doing a nice job opposed to experienced Saints on-baller Zac Jones.
The Eagles were looking like they might be another soldier down with Allen also going under a concussion test after another heavy knock.
But he was cleared to continue and kicked an important last quarter goal.
West Coast Eagles 2.1 5.6 5.9 9.11 65
St Kilda 3.5 3.5 3.9 6.14 50
Goals – West Coast Eagles: Darling, Allen 2; Kennedy, Kelly, Cole, Ryan, Gaff.
St Kilda: Ryder, Membrey, Butler, Ross, Marshall, Lonie.
Best – West Coast Eagles: Kelly, Barrass, Ryan, Gaff, Sheppard, Hurn, Naitanui, Duggan.
St Kilda: Steele, Clark, Ryder, Howard, Membrey.
Injuries - West Coast Eagles: McGovern (hamstring)
