West Coast Eagles defeated Hawthorn by 32 points at Domain Stadium to secure their spot in a home preliminary final.
With the shock withdrawal of Eagle Matt Priddis before the game, I’m sure I’m not the only one who had a touch of doubt cross their mind. As a howling wind whipped around Domain Stadium I couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous for the home side.
#WestCoastFansBeLike @WestCoastEagles #goeagles #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/fBj1jPQ2V7
— Tweet Perth (@tweetperth) September 11, 2015
The West Coast players on the other hand, were not fazed in the slightest. About 5 minutes after the first ball was bounced, any doubt I had quickly disappeared. Even without Priddis and Chris Masten, the Eagles played this game in premiership winning style. 
It’s hard to believe that this Hawthorn team was the same side that we have seen annihilate their opposition throughout the season. As soon as they were trailing on the scoreboard they dropped their heads. They made mistakes. They cracked under pressure and they lacked confidence. Hawthorn’s key players such as Luke Hodge and Jarryd Roughead were fairly quiet and couldn’t produce any major impact on the game. To the Hawks credit, they closed the margin slightly in the last quarter however it was too little too late.
We’re doing the eagle rock tonight!!!! Match report: http://t.co/h1FxTvCohb #TheWestIsFinals #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/jcqORTKJdl — West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) September 11, 2015
West Coast thrived on their home ground and made the most of every chance they were given. Powerhouse Josh Kennedy played a huge part in the forward line, brilliantly reading the play and booting 3 goals. The team was so sharp and so quick. The Eagles kept up their intense pressure for the entire game. Luke Shuey stepped up in Priddis’s absence and was outstanding, being named Man of the Match.
Jeremy McGovern’s shoulder injury was lingering throughout the game, however it didn’t prevent him from displaying his top defensive pressure, helping to keep the Hawks to their lowest ever halftime score in a final. West Coast showed elite, unbreakable tackling and clearly shut down the Hawks game plans.
Emotions ran high through Nic Naitanui after the final siren, playing for his mother who recently passed away, and he would have made her and the rest of his family very proud tonight. He soared for West Coast and dominated in the ruck.
The West Coast team we saw tonight are going to be very hard to beat for the remainder of the finals. There had been mention from AFL professionals and officials that “the winner of this game will win the premiership”… As a Dockers supporter, it annoyed me when I first heard it. After that performance they could very well be right on the money!
Let us know your thoughts on the game: @TweetPerth @Emmalianapayne
