The LED screens around the ground at Optus Stadium have been fixed! And by ‘fixed’ I mean ‘no one should require stitches from coming into contact with them from now on…’ HOORAY!
The West Coast Eagles come into this game on the back of an EPIC 15-point win over Geelong last weekend. Nic Naitanui was excellent for the Eagles, as were Mark LeCras and Liam Ryan, who both finished the game with three goals each. Dom Sheed had a ripper of a game, he managed 30 disposals (team high) and two goals! Very good effort!
The Gold Coast Suns played at Optus Stadium last week against the Fremantle Dockers, and have stayed in Perth ever since! They were defeated by the Dockers by 28 points so they will be looking to try and redeem themselves this weekend. Just one change to the Suns’ line-up this week, with the inclusion of Jack Bowes, who comes in for an injured Pearce Hanley. Congrats to Aaron Hall, who reaches his 100-game milestone this weekend.
JK IS BACK! The West Coast Eagles welcome back sharp-shooter Josh Kennedy this weekend! He will play his first game for 2018 after having ankle surgery in the off-season. JK’s return has come at the perfect time, with the awful news that Liam Ryan will be sidelined for the next 3 months after suffering an ankle injury last weekend. Mark Hutchings (omitted) is also out of the line-up and has been replaced by Liam Duggan. Some HUGE milestones this weekend for the Eagles, with Nic Nat playing his 150th game and Mark LeCras reaching his 200th game. Congratulations lads!
I think the West Coast Eagles will still be buzzing from the win over Geelong last weekend. The Eagles have defied the odds in the absence of the Josh Kennedy, so I expect to see them rise even higher now that JK has returned. Both LeCras and Naitanui have had a great start to the season and I think their team mates will want to celebrate their milestone games in style with another big win at Optus Stadium.
I’m tipping the West Coast Eagles to beat the Suns by 30 points!
Let us know your #AFLEaglesSuns predictions at @TweetPerth and @EmmaPaynes
Photo cred: WestCoastEagles
