PORT 2.3 7.3 12.4 15.8 98
WCE 3.7 9.10 12.16 16.20 116
This should be a celebratory post. The Eagles defeated the Power at AAMI for the first time since Round 11, 1998. On that Saturday night, which I remember vividly, Ben Cousins kicked two late last quarter goals to give the Eagles a tight victory. I remember being excited by that result. For you see, I hated Port then. I hate Port now too. But this win 13 years later doesn’t feel so exciting.
The main reason for that is the news that hard-nut defender Beau Waters will miss the next 3 months with tendon damage in his right elbow. He will require surgery and rehab will be long. The incident in which he injured his elbow seemed quite innocuous. Yet such is football. Bizarrely, it wasn’t the elbow he injured in 2008. It’s unbelievable.
Waters was an important addition to our side in 2010 and has shown consistent form across the opening 2 rounds of this season. His hardness at the ball, his tenacity and work effort are unparalleled across our backline. This was exemplified in Saturday’s game with his herculean consecutive efforts which resulted in a goal. It’s both a disappointment on a personal and team level.
Yet, we must move on. Though, I do wonder who will fill that void. Somewhere inferior, no doubt.
Looking at the game itself, Andrew Embley (32 possessions and four goals) and Luke Shuey (27 possessions and three goals) were dominant.
Daniel Kerr had 25 disposals (10 contested) and four clearances. To be honest, when I was watching the game I thought he ended with around 10-12 disposals. He seemed a step behind the rest of the players, but this was expected after such a long lay-off. Importantly, he escaped without injury. More importantly, he escaped without punching a Cornes in the face, something beyond the ability of most humans. It was quite an achievement for a man known to have temper issues on the field.
The return of Nic-Nait and our ruck duo proved too much for Bogan Brogan, as Cox and Nic amassed 53 hitouts to 17. Interestingly, Naitanui still looks as though he’s afraid of the ball in marking contests. That is, except in cases where he wants to take mark of the year. He took one chest mark which looked as though he was attempting to avoid the ball. He’s a decent player, but he could be great.
The most impressive aspect of the game for me was the nigh constant pressure we kept on Port. This was especially prevalent in the first half. Moreover, we showed fortitude in that we were never behind the entire match. Eagles’ teams in the past few years would have been overrun. That being said, we never were able to blow Port away. Our kicking efficiency in front of goals was fairly atrocious.
All in all though, it was a momentous win for the team and for the club. It puts us at 2-0 and ensconced in the top 8.
Can we stay there?
I’m not yet convinced this is a finals team. I had a quick look at the fixtures last night and I believe we can win 13 games. That’s can, as in it is possible. Next week’s game against the Swans is one of those we can win. The evil Roos has gone and the Horse that has replaced him is no Mr Ed. It will be tough, no Waters nor Lecras, but I believe we can win.
There will be more on that later in the week. Barring any apocalypses and such I will be back for the preview on Thursday or Friday.
Until then
The Misanthropic Eagle
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