Led by two of the greatest players in club history the West Coast Eagles produced a stunning come-from-behind victory for the ages against Richmond at Optus Stadium tonight.
With Josh Kennedy ubiquitous inside – and outside of the attacking arc – and 2018 premiership captain Shannon Hurn patrolling the backline imperiously, the Eagles came from 22 points behind in the middle of the last quarter to win 13.7 (85) to 12.9 (81).
Kennedy, the greatest goal-kicker in club history, had a spring in his step from the start after having a week off last round, while Hurn controlled things in the back half to thwart Tiger attacking moves and then launch forward surges.
He even drifted down the ground in the pulsating final moments that helped West Coast power to victory and hit Kennedy with a lace out pass with laser-like precision.
Kennedy kicked four goals and with support from Oscar Allen, Jamie Cripps and Co. their accuracy in front of goal was a major factor.
It was fitting that Kennedy, the most consistent contributor in the game, should kick the goal in the last minute that snatched back the lead for the Eagles. After marking a low ball from Liam Ryan, he snapped around the body from the set shot and nailed it – to an enormous roar from the crowd that might have been heard in his home town of Northampton.
With fellow 2018 premiership stars Tom Barrass and Nic Naitanui, the advantage of big game experience was a telling factor. Midfielders Jack Redden, Dom Sheed and Elliot Yeo also stepped up to the occasion and were influential.
But it wasn’t all about the hardened professionals. A brace of rising stars were far from over-awed by the occasion.
Midfielder Luke Edwards in just his second game, had 27 possessions. But more important than that was his composure with ball in his hand. The crowd might have been going crazy with noise, but Edwards was super calm in the crisis, picking up 10 disposals in the frenetic last quarter.
Defenders Luke Foley and Harry Edwards also shone at important stages, underlining the quality in the next generation of players.
Barrass was outstanding, especially in the last quarter. After having his hands full with Jack Riewoldt early, he took a number of telling intercept marks in the second half.
The first half ebbed and flowed, the intensity set from the get-go, with first one team and then the other enjoying moments of control.
The Tigers set the tone for the early pressure levels, but after five or six minutes the Eagles match the intensity and with forward Josh Kennedy imposing himself inside the forward arc, West Coast enjoyed a four-point advantage at the first break.
Again, the good periods for the Eagles coincided with the work of Naitanui, while Jamie Cripps and Jamaine Jones tried to generate tension at ground level.
Midfielders Redden and Sheed led the way around the contest and youngsters Harry Edwards and Foley showed once again that are emerging players of note.
After kicking out to a nine-point advantage in the middle of the second term, Richmond banged on three successive goals, built around the work rate of Kane Lambert and Bachar Houli.
But the Eagles responded as they benefited from their own intensity, a goal from Jake Waterman pegging the margin back to four points in Richmond’s favour at the main break.
Details
West Coast Eagles 3.0 7.1 8.3 13.7 85
Richmond 2.2 7.5 9.9 12.9 81
Goals – West Coast Eagles: Kennedy 4; Allen, Cripps, Waterman 2; Naitanui, Jones, Ryan. Richmond: Riewoldt, Lambert, Coleman-Jones, Martin 2; Aarts, Bolton, Castagna, Graham.
Best – West Coast Eagles: Kennedy, Hurn, Naitanui, Barrass, Redden, Sheed. Richmond: Lambert, Houli, Short, Vlaustin, Baker, McIntosh.
Injuries – West Coast Eagles: Nil Richmond: Nil
At Optus Stadium
Crowd: 50,834
