The West Coast Eagles have taken all before them this season, leaving football experts and pundits around the country questioning how they have risen from an outside chance to play finals to a genuine premiership contender. After 17 rounds, Adam Simpson’s side have now proven for an extended period of time that they are the real deal. Since losing to the Western Bulldogs in round one, the Eagles have won 13 of 15 games to sit comfortably in second position with a home final now the focus. They swept aside an undermanned Sydney side last Sunday at Domain Stadium by 52 points, following on from an impressive last fortnight against Collingwood and Adelaide.
 
When you consider how comprehensively injury has struck the Eagles back six, it’s hard to believe how well they have done this season. In the off-season club captains Darren Glass and Beau Waters retired. And then before the season had even got off and running, 2014 best and fairest winner Eric McKenzie did a knee, before fellow key defender Mitch Brown did the same thing. Enter Jeremy McGovern. The man affectionately known as ‘Mitts’ for obvious reasons, became one of the best key defenders in the game almost overnight. McGovern won’t play against Gold Coast due to a hamstring strain; Will Schofield won’t play either after being substituted out of last Sunday’s game with a calf injury.
 
Who will play on Charlie Dixon? Or Tom Lynch? Tom Barass played his first game against Sydney last weekend alongside Schofield before he departed the game. One player who has really emerged this season is Brad Sheppard. The former first round draft pick has become one of the best intercept players in the game, reading opposition attacks early to come across and chop out. Hardly built to play on a Dixon or Lynch, but capable of assisting teammates as part of a team defence mentality. Sharrod Wellingham is another reason why the Eagles backline has functioned so smoothly this season, with the former Collingwood premiership player fulfilling a similar role to Sheppard. He has collected 109 intercept possessions this year – ranked 5th in the competition – and has redirected opposition turnovers into 130 points – ranked 1st. Add Shannon Hurn and his game breaking foot into the mix and its not hard to see how the Eagles have coped so well.
 
West Coast’s forward line has been strengthened even more in the last six weeks with the return of Jack Darling to their setup. After missing the first ten rounds due to a stress fracture in his foot, Darling has kicked 14.7 from six games to add another element to the Eagles weaponry up forward. Coleman medal leader Josh Kennedy still remains the most dominant key forward in the land with 56 majors for the season. He hasn’t done it all on his own though. Mark LeCras has 31 goals for the year, whilst Josh Hill and Jamie Cripps have 26 each. Cripps has become an integral part of the Eagles forward setup with his ferocious pressure critical in creating repeat forward 50 entries. He is ranked seventh in the league for total pressure points after round 17 and should definitely be in the discussion for the All Australian squad.
 
The midfield depth at Subiaco right now is almost as good as it gets. They have a great balance of outside class and inside grunt led by last year’s Brownlow medallist Matthew Priddis who has quietly emerged as a genuine contender to claim the game’s most coveted individual award for the second consecutive season. Andrew Gaff is on track for a maiden All Australian guernsey on a wing, whilst Chris Masten has developed into the player the Eagles would have hoped for when they selected him with pick No. 3. Luke Shuey and Matt Rosa have been as reliable as ever with the former’s speed providing West Coast with a great exit from stoppages and on transition. In just his second season, another top five draft pick, Dom Sheed, has been electric. And then there’s former Brisbane Lion Elliot Yeo who’s played all over the ground with great effect. Nic Naitanui and Callum Sinclair have combined in recent times to help provide the Eagles engine room with silver service. The pair dominated Sydney’s Mike Pyke and Toby Nankervis last weekend, gathering 71 hitouts to 26.

Key Players

Andrew Gaff has emerged as one of the premier wingmen in the game this season and if the All Australian selectors elect to pick a team based on position rather than pushing centremen out to the wings, then the Victorian should be close to a spot in the team of the year. He is ranked third in the entire competition for total possessions – just three behind teammate Priddis – as well as third for long kicks with his raking left foot a vital cog in the Eagles engine room. The running machine is also ranked fifth in game for metres gained, behind Stephen Hill, Dustin Martin, Jack Steven and Heath Shaw. Previously criticised for his imbalance of outside to inside game, Gaff has become clinical in his role at the Eagles, feeding off the ball winning ability of Priddis, Masten and co to put the ball inside 50 more than any other Eagle at an average of 4.6 per game.
 
Josh Kennedy’s dependability in front of the big sticks is a big reason why the Eagles sit where they currently do. He has 56.36 from the 16 games to sit out in front in the Coleman medal race, and now an elusive goal kicking award is within touching distance with six games to go. The last time the Eagles played the SUNS, Kennedy booted four goals in three quarters before being substituted out of the game just when a big bag was brewing. He hasn’t got hold of anyone for a while, having not kicked more than three goals since round nine against Geelong. But he hasn’t kicked lower than two during that period of time either. With Steven May not playing in the last meeting between the two sides, expect the pair to go head to head at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

Just like last year, Matthew Priddis has gone about his business with minimal fuss and little fanfare. Winning last year’s Brownlow medal has done little to boost the attention he receives in the southeast, but his ball winning ability and his work around the stoppages is first-class. Priddis is the leading possession winner in the game, averaging 30.2 touches per outing to go with whopping 7.4 clearances and 14.9 contested possessions. The ball magnet is also the leading tackler in the game with an average of 7.7 per week. For as long as he accumulates leather at will, he will be condemned for his shortcomings when kicking the ball – he is going at just 51.7 per cent by foot this season, below his career average of 55.8 per cent. But his hands are as clean and sharp as any in the game and that’s where he does his damage.

Recent Results

Rd. 17 West Coast 15.13 (103) def Sydney 7.9 (51) at Domain Stadium
Rd. 16 West Coast 11.21 (87) def Collingwood 7.14 (56) at Etihad Stadium
Rd. 15 West Coast 22.15 (147) def Adelaide 14.7 (91) at Domain Stadium
Rd. 14 West Coast 16.16 (114) def Melbourne 9.6 (60) at TIO