The West Coast Eagles have suffered a hard-fought loss in their first match of the season, going down by 13 points in a nailbiting clash with Mineral Resources Park co-tenant Perth.
The side were dealt a narrow 15.5 (95) to 16.12 (108) defeat after the Demons snapped the first two of the match.
After being omitted from the AFL team, ruckman Nathan Vardy impressed with four goals and 35 hit outs.
Isiah Winder also owned the forward with five vital goals, including a clutch snap to narrow the margin to one point near three-quarter time.
In the midfield, Brayden Ainsworth (24 disposals, five marks), Xavier O’Neill (31, one) and Zane Trew (24, 10 tackles) put in some serious work to keep the Eagles in the contest until the end of the game.
Luke Foley also ran riot with 24 disposals and five marks in one of the better displays of his career.
The Eagles came into quarter-time leading by 10 points, but it was the resilient display by the Demons that saw them outlast, and outclass the Eagles side.
The Demons worked through the tough conditions to take home the victory, despite several wonky shots on goal, including hitting the post twice in the second term.
The Eagles were caught off guard after a slingshot ball that led Jaiden Hunter to hit a 50m goal after the siren at half time.
The Perth outfit built on that momentum and set the standard for the rest of the match.
The defensive duo in Harry Edwards and Alex Witherden were made to put in some serious work in the backline, with Edwards racking up six marks, and a tremendous spoil in the Demons’ goal square, while Witherden finished with 18 disposals and three marks.
Although Jake Waterman and Winder looked to have saved the day in the final term, snapping one apiece to put the Eagles in front, Perth clawed their way back and took home the points.
DETAILS
WEST COAST: 7.0 7.2 12.3 15.5 (95)
PERTH 5.2 8.8 11.10 16.12 (108)
GOALS
West Coast: Winder 5, Vardy 4, Waterman 2, Nitschke 2, Hug, Hansen
Perth: McPartland 3, Langlands 2, Jones 2, McInnes, Byrne, Smith
BEST
West Coast: Brayshaw, Trew, Foley, Ainsworth, O’Neill, Witherden, Vardy, Winder
Perth: Coniglio, Langlands, Smith, McInnes, Masten, Grey
