West Coast kicked the first six goals, then survived a Jonathan Brown onslaught to post a win in the first match of the season. Daniel Kerr reveled in his new role as the #1 mid, while Dean Cox dominated in the ruck.
Summary
| 1/4 time | 1/2 time | 3/4 time | Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 6.2.38 | 7.5.47 | 10.7.67 | 14.8.92 | ||||
| Brisbane | 1.2.8 | 4.4.28 | 9.6.60 | 11.10.76 |
Goals: LeCras, Seaby, Waters, Wirrpanda 2, Braun, Cox, Fletcher, Hunter, Lynch, Staker
Best: Cox, Kerr, Seaby. Priddis, Wirrpanda, Braun, B.Jones
Injuries: Hunter (knee)
Milestones: Nicoski 50th game
Named sides
| West Coast | Brisbane | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B: | B.Jones | Glass | Wirrpanda | B: | Drummond | Merrett | Patfull |
| HB: | Waters | Hunter | A.Selwood | HB: | Stiller | Macdonald | Begley |
| C: | Embley | Kerr | Braun | C: | Notting | Adcock | Johnstone |
| HF: | Fletcher | Hansen | Rosa | HF: | Power | Brown | Lappin |
| F: | Graham | Lynch | LeCras | F: | Bradshaw | Brennan | Hooper |
| R: | Cox | Priddis | Stenglein | R: | Charman | Black | Rischitelli |
| I: | Hurn | Nicoski | Seaby | I: | Copeland | Leuenberger | Selwood |
| Staker | Corrie | ||||||
| E: | Masten | McNamara | S.Selwood | E: | Sherman | Henderson | Proud |
From the coach
"We used the ball very well. Our decision making and ball use for the start of the season was exceptional in the first quarter, but we came back to the field a lot after that. I thought we were able to compose ourselves a bit as well and got it back going.
"...Our first few possessions in the second quarter were errors which allowed them to kick goals and get their confidence up. I'm not sure exactly, but maybe their first three or four goals came from our poor errors. That got them right into the game and our guys got a bit more hesitant after that.
"...There's no doubt it's been a trait of our squad over the last few years, over the last four or five years, that we never give up. Whether we're playing well or playing below our best, we never give up."[1]
From the papers
The Age
"Brown started to get support from Daniel Bradshaw, who kicked three third-quarter goals, and the Eagles' midfield - their great strength during the reign of Judd, Cousins Kerr and company - began to dissolve in a puddle of sweat-soaked turnovers as battlers looked instinctively for champions who were no longer there.
Eagles coach John Worsfold pulled his trademark move in the third term, shifting Adam Hunter forward, and it worked.
Hunter kicked a goal, so did Dean Cox and the Eagles had the lead back.
Brisbane would never head them again.
The Eagles kicked four goals to two to kick-start their 2008 campaign."[2]
WAFL
Round 1 (20-22 March)
South Fremantle (Wilson) vs Subiaco
Perth (Armstrong, S.Selwood, Sullivan) vs East Fremantle (Spangher, Masten, McNamara, Houlihan, Arrowsmith)
Claremont (Thomson, Wilkes, Stevenson) vs West Perth
Peel (Schofield, Ebert) vs Swan Districts (Notte, Davis)
Bye: East Perth
Injury list
In the lead-up to the round the following players were listed as injured:
| Player | Injury | Expected duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | Knee | Season | ||||
| Butler | Osteitis pubis | 2 weeks | ||||
| Schofield | Shoulder | 2 weeks | ||||
| MacKenzie | Knee | 1 week | ||||
| Kerr | Hamstring | Test |
Links
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2008/181920080322.html
- ↑ The West Australian (24 March 2008, p.GAM16), "Word for word"
- ↑ Mark Duffield, The Age (23 March 2008), "Brown magic not enough": http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=seaby+and+drummond&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=SAG080323JE3FN7FBO8C
| 2008 season |
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<--2007-08 offseason | 2008-09 offseason--> |