WEST COAST: 6.8 10.13 13.16 18.17 (125)RICHMOND: 2.0 3.1 6.3 9.3 (57)
By MATTHEW BALMER
West Coast celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first VFL game in style, with a convincing 68-point win against Richmond.
West Coast were in control for almost entirely the first quarter with most of the game being played inside their forward half. The immense pressure was too much for the Tigers, who struggled to take the ball out of defence without turning the ball over. The Eagles had the early advantage going into quarter-time.
The Eagles continued to dominate and led at all main breaks, never giving the Tigers a sniff of a comeback.
Despite the withdrawal of captain Matt Priddis pre-match to a groin strain, Eagles midfielders Andrew Gaff (33 disposals), Elliott Yeo (25 disposals, 2 goals) and Luke Shuey (22 disposals, 2 goals) all stood up and filled the gap.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson was encouraged with his players stepping up in the absence of Priddis.
“We do rely on Pridda (Priddis), but it was about the collective,” Simpson said post match.
“We were pleased to get the win without one of our best players.”
The West Coast dominance begun from the middle of the ground with ruckman Nic Naitanui dominating in the ruck with 36 hitouts for the night. Richmond lost ruckman Shaun Hampson with a thigh injury in the 2nd quarter. He did not return to the ground after half-time, making it hard for Richmond to claim the ball out of the centre.
The Eagles dominated the inside 50 count for the night, claiming 60 inside-50s to the Tigers' 27. Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt was able to kick four goals, but it was a poor night for the Tigers who now find themselves sitting 13th on the ladder.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was frustrated post-match with his side's performance.
“I’m disappointed we’re losing; we are playing nowhere near as well as we could,” Hardwick said.
“We’ll take stock … look at some things we’re doing and try and get a better result.”
The poor performance saw the Tigers collect just eight inside-50s for the first half, their lowest inside-50 count ever and the second-lowest since Champion Data began to record the statistic in 2000.
Earlier, Richmond kicked the first goal through Kane Lambert but were unable to bring the ball inside 50 after that with West Coast collecting 16 more inside-50s in the first quarter. The overuse of the handball was also Richmond’s undoing thanks to the pressure from the Eagles who closed the space down ensuring the Tigers wouldn’t be able to find free targets.
To rub further salt in the wounds for the Tigers, defender David Astbury suffered an ankle injury in the final quarter. Astbury has had a horror run of injuries including needing surgery on his foot in 2015, after being stung by a stingray at recovery at Port Melbourne beach. With the Tigers already missing defender Dylan Grimes, who suffered a hamstring injury in Round 2, they will be hoping Astbury is able to make a recovery for the clash against Melbourne next Sunday at the MCG.
Alex Rance battled hard all night in defence against 2015 Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy, who was kept to two goals for the night. Rance collected 26 disposals and 11 marks and was one of the Tigers’ best but his efforts were in vain as the ball continued to enter the Eagles forward line at a fast pace.
The Eagles will be looking to continue their strong form into the clash against Sydney next Saturday at the SCG, while the Tigers will be seeking revenge at the MCG on Sunday night against Melbourne.
WRAP-UP
GOALS
West Coast: Darling 4; Hutchings 2; Kennedy 2; Shuey 2; LeCras 2; Yeo 2; Hill; Lycett; Jetta; Redden
Richmond: Riewoldt 4; Lloyd 2; Rioli 2; Lambert
BEST
West Coast: Gaff, Yeo, Shuey, Darling, McGovern, Naitanui
Richmond: Rance, Riewoldt, McIntosh, Cotchin, Martin, Lloyd
INJURIES
WEST COAST: Matt Priddis (groin) replaced in selected side by Mark Hutchings
Richmond: Shaun Hampson (thigh), David Astbury (ankle)
REPORTS
WEST COAST: Scott Lycett for striking Ty Vickery in the second quarter
Richmond: None
UMPIRES: Matt Stevic, Brendan Hosking, Craig Fleer
Official crowd: 38,860 at Domain Stadium