Can the West Coast Eagles win the ‘battle of the birds’ this week when they take on the Crows?
The West Coast Eagles come into round 23 off a 21-point loss to GWS last week at Spotless Stadium. Both teams held the lead throughout the game at one point or another however, a fourth-quarter fade-out by the Eagles saw GWS kick four goals to one in the final quarter to finalise the win. Matt Priddis had a great game, finishing with 31 disposals and two goals, Elliot Yeo managed 30 disposals and Josh Kennedy finished with four goals.
It’s a MUST WIN game for the Eagles this week when they take on Adelaide in their final game at Domain Stadium. Funnily enough, for WCE to make the finals, they will also be relying on their cross-town rivals Fremantle Dockers to beat Essendon in their game, and Collingwood to beat Melbourne, which will help to bump the Eagles back up inside the top eight. Mark LeCras has been included into West Coast’s 22 this week, while Josh Hill has been omitted.
Despite their three-point loss to the Swans last week, the Adelaide Crows have been a powerhouse this season and will finish 2017 in the top two on the ladder, no matter the result of this game. They have made three changes to their line-up to head west, with the inclusion of Paul Seedsman, Kyle Hartigan and Wayne Milera. They come in for skipper Tex Walker (toe), Daniel Tahlia (ankle) and Hugh Greenwood (omitted).
This game may not only be the Eagles final game of the season, it may also be the final game EVER for Brownlow Medallists Sam Mitchell and Matt Priddis, who have both announced that they will be hanging up the boots at the end of the 2017 season.  This was Mitchell’s only season at WCE however, Priddis has been brilliant for the club throughout his 237 games and I’m happy that he is able to farewell his career in front of a home crowd. It will also be the game that will decide the Coleman Medal winner for the 2017 season, with Josh Kennedy expected to win it for the third year in a row!
Unfortunately for the home side, I think the Adelaide Crows will be too strong and will beat the West Coast Eagles by 19 points.
Let us know your #AFLEaglesCrows predictions at @TweetPerth @EmmaPaynes
