Is there a better way to start off the 2017 season than with a huge win away from home? Nope, I don’t think so!
The West Coast Eagles flew to Etihad to take on the Kangaroos in their first round of the season and made the most of their trip, finishing with a 43 point victory over the home side. Drew Petrie faced his old club, who he played over 300 games with, and despite fracturing his hand just a few minutes in, continued to play for the entirety of the game, and managed to snag a goal.
Sam Mitchell also debuted for West Coast, and starred in his first game in the blue and yellow. He finished with a handy 38 disposals and showed on-field leadership, which the likes of Matt Priddis, Andrew Gaff and Luke Shuey responded well to.
As expected, Josh Kennedy showed the footy world that he is still one of the best forwards in the competition, kicking seven straight goals. That kind of accuracy is almost uncommon these days! Kennedy’s forward line dominance played a huge part in the big win over North Melbourne, and Mark LeCras iced the cake with four goals of his own.
North Melbourne was dominant in the ruck thanks to Todd Goldstein, yet they were unable to use their clearances effectively enough to challenge West Coast on the scoreboard. The Roos had a shocking day in front of goal, Jarrad Waite finished with 1.7, and seven of his teammates also registered behinds.
West Coast Eagles now return to Perth for Round 2, taking on the Saints at Domain Stadium on Saturday, bounce down at 4:40pm WST. I am tipping West Coast to have another big game and beat St Kilda by 40 points.
Show your support for the West Coast Eagles at @WestCoastEagles #TheWestIsUnited
