- Courier Mail - 3 August 2006
THANK goodness
for the West Coast Eagles. That may seem an odd statement
but if we are to take nothing else out of last weekend's
results we should at least be thankful the Eagles breathed
some new life into the competition with their demolition
of the seemingly invincible Adelaide Crows.
Just as all and sundry were openly declaring the Crows
as being across the line in the premiership race, the
Eagles reminded us that it is, in fact, far from a one-horse
affair.
This win was
so comprehensive it has left a few people scratching
their heads in disbelief, given how indestructible the
Crows had appeared.
The 82-point
margin was a genuine reflection of the total domination
displayed by last season's grand finalists, prompting
Crows coach Neil Craig to use a "rag doll" analogy when
referring to the treatment received by the visitors.
As superior
as the Crows may seem at times, they are human after
all, particularly when the opposition controls the midfield.
All of a sudden
the stingy defence looked under pressure with players
one-out, unable to rely on teammates for support when
needed.
The numbers
from Crows midfielders Simon Goodwin (28 possessions,
one goal), Scott Thompson (30, one goal) and Tyson Edwards
(23, one goal) look very respectable on paper, but of
course this game is never played on paper.
Michael Braun
(41, one goal), Ben Cousins (38, two goals), Daniel
Kerr (34, two goals), Sam Butler (29, one goal) and
Chris Judd (23, three goals) add up not just individually,
but also team-wise as the Eagles won the centre clearances
21-16 and the total stoppages 47-35.
They reinforced
their standing as the competition's No. 1 engine
room and showed they will be a threat again this season
provided they can transfer that form to the MCG come
September.
While the Eagles
were busy bringing the Crows back down to earth, a few
other likely candidates went about their business with
little fuss.
A Victorian
presence may yet be on the grand final agenda with Melbourne,
St Kilda and Collingwood continuing their push for a
top-four spot.
Similarly,
Sydney, despite some dreadful kicking for goal, did
what it needed to at AAMI Stadium to keep its premiership
defence on track.
Fremantle and
the Western Bulldogs both look comfortable now in terms
of playing finals football but the first fortnight in
September should see them out.
Melbourne is
an impressive unit and continues to press West Coast
for a top-two spot, but St Kilda was the one that may
have caused a few ripples with its performance last
week, albeit against middle-of-the-road opposition in
Richmond.
The Saints
recorded a 100-point smashing of the Tigers and may
finally be putting it all together at the right time,
much to the annoyance of many pundits who tipped them
pre-season, only to jump off mid-year.
So much talk
about the Saints has centred on the long-awaited returns
of Justin Koschitzke and Aaron Hamill, but they have
found season-best form without these two stars. If either
or both do make it back this season, it will be a bonus.
Fraser Gehrig
(10 goals) showed what he is capable of when fired up
and he, along with superstar Nick Riewoldt, will continue
to underpin the flag aspirations of all Saints fans
this campaign.
Collingwood
didn't beat much last Friday night (Hawthorn) but it
has a tremendous opportunity of securing an invaluable
top-four spot courtesy of a great run home.
A rather nondescript
midfield remains its weakness, as does the unpredictability
of key forwards Anthony Rocca and Chris Tarrant, but
the Pies do have the potential to rise to the occasion
on the big stage of finals football.
Mind you, Adelaide's
flogging may be just the slap in the face the Crows
needed to intensify their focus for the run home.
Yes, they may
be beatable but I see no reason to jump off the bandwagon.
|
Jason
Dunstall 