West Coast Eagles have finally ticked the “beat a top 8 team” box!
Coming off an awesome win against the Kangaroos last week, West Coast Eagles take on Carlton at the MCG this Sunday in search of another 4 points. The 32 point win over the Roos will no doubt have given the Eagles a big boost of confidence, which will come in handy for them at the MCG, a ground that hasn’t faired particularly well for the Eagles in the past.
The Blues suffered an ugly 60 point loss to the Adelaide Crows last week at the MCG so they will be looking to make up for it. Carlton have improved defensively this season however they have struggled inside their forward 50. With Levi Casboult out due to suspension, the Blues will be even less equipped in front of goal. Carlton are ranked 7th in the comp for marks inside 50, while the Eagles are ranked 2nd.
West Coast Eagles are known for being high scorers, averaging 104.1 points a game, the third highest in the league. Of course, a big portion of that stat is thanks to the goal-kicking powerhouse Josh Kennedy. The last time Kennedy faced Carlton, his old team, he kicked a massive bag of 10 goals. I have been waiting for him to kick 10 all season so my fingers are crossed that this Sunday will be the day!
The Eagles defence has been on point, thanks to the likes of Jeremy McGovern and Brad Sheppard, who is playing his 100th game this weekend. Eric Mackenzie is back in the side and will help to solidify the back line even more, and dampen Carlton’s spirits.
Despite what some critics have been saying about West Coast this season, I think they have been playing good footy. They just needed a little bit of extra confidence when they play away from home, which I think they have now achieved after last weeks win. On paper, the Eagles are a force to be reckoned with, and I think we will see them really step their game up a notch for the remainder of the season.
I am tipping West Coast Eagles to beat Carlton by 30 points!
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