West Coast's rebuild is at a significant crossroads, and their coach Andrew McQualter is about to feel the pinch for the first time in his short reign. If their pair of triple-figure defeats in the preceding month were unacceptable, their 11-point defeat to the previously winless Richmond was disastrous.
A Day of Celebration Turns Sour
It was meant to be a day of celebration, with the heroes of the 2006 premiership side paraded around Optus Stadium at half-time on Saturday. Instead, the 15.9 (99) to 13.10 (88) loss to the Tigers was a stark reminder of just how far this once-great club has fallen in the past five years. The Tigers headed west with a raft of injuries as several senior stars and exciting youngsters were missing, yet they played with an aggression and fluency of a team with nothing to lose.
Richmond attacked with the same ferocity of the golden era from 2017 to 2020 and, while they didn't have the same star power, they showed the pride of the yellow and black. West Coast, on the other hand, looked like a team too scared to make a mistake or fearing losing a game in front of several club greats.
Key Errors Cost the Eagles
In the back half, their kill errors cost them on the scoreboard, and forward of centre they played without intent or pace, depriving their forwards of chances. The only time they looked like scoring with any proficiency was when they were able to get on top at the clearances. But without a second way of hurting the Tigers on the scoreboard, they were never going to win the game.
A lot of attention was on how the Eagles would respond from their 101-point thumping to St Kilda, and the signs were good early when Harley Reid (26 disposals, 10 clearances, and two goals) lifted the crowd with an early goal. The Eagles were on top around the ground, but their inability to hit targets inside 50 meant they wasted the majority of the 17 entries they had in the opening term. Meanwhile, the Tigers were belting the home side at the clearances, with stand-in skipper Jack Ross (29 disposals and 11 clearances) having four in the first term himself as the visitors led by seven points at the first break.
Eagles Fight Back but Richmond Holds Firm
The issue was clearly addressed by McQualter, and he got an instant response, with Reid taking only 16 seconds to kick his second as he stormed out of the first centre ball-up. West Coast kicked the first three goals of the term, and it finally looked as if the narrative everyone expected was going to play out. Reid produced one of the better quarters of his already impressive career, starting the term with a fantastic goal from the first ball-up and racking up 11 touches and four clearances to put the Eagles on his back.
But Richmond were prepared to weather the storm, and when they threw a counterpunch, they made sure it landed. Young forward Jonty Faull had plenty of questions around his form but showed his immense talent is transferable to the big stage of the AFL with three first-half goals. Defender-turned-ruckman Noah Balta was not only doing well in the hit-outs but was also dangerous up forward, and when he kicked consecutive goals before half-time, the Eagles' streak of losing quarters was extended to 19.
West Coast were desperate to break the spirit of the brave Tigers, but their stagnant ball movement was proving their biggest obstacle. Richmond were having no such troubles moving the footy, and when they kicked the first two goals of the second half, it looked as if an upset was firmly on the cards. Reid went from unstoppable to unsighted with only two touches in the third quarter, meaning the Eagles needed to find a new Superman to drag them back into the match. Veteran midfielder Tim Kelly (30 disposals and seven clearances) stood tall, kicking a vital goal and simply willing himself to contest after contest to keep the Eagles in the game.
Final Quarter Drama
The home side kicked the final three goals of the term to finally win a quarter for the first time since round three and give the home fans some hope they would leave with the taste of victory. Elliot Yeo made it a real reality when he kicked an incredible long-range goal on his left within the first 28 seconds of the final term. But these previously toothless Tigers were desperate for a win and weren't going to go away, with Balta kicking his third before Seth Campbell (three goals) again gave them some breathing space.
McQualter charged to the bench, but ultimately it was on his previously misfiring leaders who needed to stand up in the moment. Senior spearhead Jake Waterman put behind him his previous wayward ways to kick his third goal, before ruckman Bailey Williams converted from a 50-metre penalty to give them back the lead. It turned the final 10 minutes into a battle of composure for two young sides as desperate not to lose as they were to win.
Tom Lynch had a chance to nab the lead for Richmond but kicked his third behind, before South Fremantle product Steely Green (two goals) made no mistake when he was awarded a 50-metre penalty when an Eagle didn't stand the mark. Tyler Sonsie then put the result beyond doubt, snapping from the left forward pocket to leave the parochial home crowd stunned and the Eagles in a world of pain.
Scoreboard
RICHMOND: 3.3, 8.4, 10.7, 15.9 (99)
WEST COAST: 2.2, 6.6, 9.9, 13.10 (88)
Goals
RICHMOND: N Balta 3, S Campbell 3, J Faull 3, S Green 2, K McAuliffe, M Lefau, T Lynch, T Sonsie.
WEST COAST: J Waterman 3, H Reid 2, M Champion, W Duursma, T Kelly, R Maric, M Owies, J Shanahan, B Williams, E Yeo.
Best Players
WEST COAST: H Reid, T Kelly, T McCarthy, L Baker, J Waterman, R Ginbey.
RICHMOND: J Ross, N Balta, K McAuliffe, J Faull, S Cumming, N Broad.
Injuries
RICHMOND: D Prestia (calf).
Umpires: L Fisher, J Clamp, A Adair, N McGinness. Crowd: 46,350 at Optus Stadium.
