Round 20 Preview: Eagles vs Cats; 20th Anniversary Edition

20 years to the day (not literally) the Eagles became the first side from outside Victoria to claim the Premiership. We beat, nay, destroyed Geelong that day and although I was too 'pre-human' to appreciate the feat, it was a great achievement.

One of the key members of that inaugural premiership side (and probably my favourite Eagle of all time), Peter Matera, thinks the season is gone. I for one...pretty much agree. Injuries have played a big if not fully determinative role in what appears to be a disappointing season. I think they have not been fully determinative because a lacklustre and mediocre midfield as well as variable intensity have also contributed to our drop down the ladder. But I will try not to engage in post-mortems any more until our season has actually concluded.

I'm not sure I agree with Waltzing Matera on his statement that "Geelong and Hawthorn are clearly standouts". Hawthorn for sure. But in my mind Geelong aren't the same as last season. I know they've beaten some good teams of late (and last Friday night's game was an epic) but they're yet to prove they're a genuine premiership threat. Of course, based on our last month, I'm not exactly brimming with confidence over this one. You would expect a response from our team after being humiliated and by 'them' of all teams. But you would have expected us to play hard last week. That wasn't the case. We do get Glass and Embley back with Butler the notable exclusion. Geelong lose 3 important players in Chapman (despite what it says below...), Hunt and Kelly.

West Coast Eagles
B: Beau Waters, Darren Glass, Eric Mackenzie
HB: Shannon Hurn, Will Schofield, Adam Selwood
C: Chris Masten, Matthew Priddis, Andrew Gaff
HF: Josh Hill, Jack Darling, Ashton Hams
F: Luke Shuey, Quinten Lynch, Dean Cox
Foll: Nic Naitanui, Scott Selwood, Daniel Kerr
I/C: Andrew Embley, Thomas Swift, Patrick McGinnity, Jacob Brennan
Emg: Mitch Brown, Bradd Dalziell, Andrew Strijk
In: Andrew Embley, Darren Glass, Jacob Brennan
Out: Sam Butler (Calf), Mitch Brown, Brad Sheppard (Ankle)

Geelong Cats
B: Matthew Scarlett, Tom Lonergan, Cameron Guthrie
HB: Taylor Hunt, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright
C: Andrew Mackie, Steve Johnson, Steven Motlop
HF: Allen Christensen, James Podsiadly, Jimmy Bartel
F: Mathew Stokes, Tom Hawkins, Paul Chapman
Foll: Orren Stephenson, Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan
I/C: Jackson Sheringham, Jonathan Simpkin, Josh Walker, Jordan Murdoch
Emg: David Wojcinski, Mitch Brown, Jordan Schroder
In: Jonathan Simpkin, Cameron Guthrie, Jordan Murdoch
Out: Josh Hunt (Quad), James Kelly (Groin), Billie Smedts (Calf)

We need to win this game. If we don't we might only be in the 8 on percentage. I honestly think if we lose this one we could miss finals. That would be an appalling and unforgiveable slide from a dominant position earlier in the season. On the flipside, a win and a Sydney win (I hate those bastards) and there is a path (albeit dimly lit) to 4th spot. It's a long shot but I'm always positive (except for you know everything I said above...and last week etc.) But I want a better effort with actual intensity and pressure.

Let's do what we did 20 years ago and crush the cats.

Go EAGLES!!!!!