Round 18 recap: Wellingham Shines; We lost.

A season of embarrassing performances and results, of unfortunate injuries and disappointments just got worse.

Yes, I know it's hard to play good football when you're missing 5-10 of your best. But the Dogs are a team that lost to Melbourne. That lost to the Gold Coast. That beat GWS by under a kick.

We had enough quality to win this game. Worryingly, the Dogs wanted it more. They played well under pressure. The Eagles for large parts of the game, namely in the 2nd and 3rd looked rudderless. There didn't appear to be much method to our madness. There wasn't much leadership or direction.

If the season wasn't already over, it now certainly is cooked. Right at this moment, admittedly engulfed in negativity, it's hard to see a win in the last 5 games. No chance against the Essendon 'we aren't drug cheats but we called in ASADA to investigate our use of drugs to improve performance' Bombers. No chance against the mediocre Pies. No chance against the smug Cats. Little chance against Adelaide.

Next week against the Suns may be our only chance for another 'W'. If it was on the Gold Coast we would be underdogs. In fact, given our home record, 2-7, I repeat 2-7, I suggest they still should be favourites. I'm now deeply regretting  purchasing tickets to that game. But on the other hand, I'd watch it on TV anyway, so I might as well see the potential disaster in person.

The loss was compounded by what appeared to be a serious ankle injury to Masten. Until today he was one of the only midfielders to avoid bodily harm this season. Be careful Priddis.

There were still some positives. Wellingham stepped up his play big time. He showed the class and flair that drove us to recruit him last spring. Those 2 goals in the second were sublime. He also took a great mark in the the last quarter. Hopefully he will give us something to look forward to the remainder of the season. Hill also had productive outing against his old team, including a superb goal in the first term. Then there's JJK. That tackle was a thing of beauty. That's the ferocity, the never say die attitude this team needs. It was an amazing effort against the greatest player ever, Luke Dalhaus.

Kudos to the commentators as well. A very neutral performance by the pros at 7. Led by the inimitable Leigh "I hope the Dogs win" Montagna. I'm glad he said that though. I would hate to have any one associated with the stinking carcass of a club which is Stkilda support the Eagles.

Does this result affect Worsfold's future? I Wouldn't think so. Rightly or wrongly (wrongly in my opinion) the board has already rubber stamped a new contract for John. Just because he's a club legend doesn't mean he is beyond reproach. Ultimately, he is the one responsible for this mess of a season. Yes, injuries have been devastating. Indeed, we have used 37 players in total this season and only four players - Andrew Gaff, Matt Priddis, Dean Cox and Jack Darling - have managed to play all 17 games. But the team has been asleep for most of the season. They failed in critical games. I'm not saying I want him to be fired. But his reappointment should not be a fait accompli.

Cometti wrote:

Injuries played a part, sure, but this Eagles model seemed lacklustre, regardless. Even the best loved Eagle of them all, John Worsfold, found himself too unstable to provide stability. The coach took us on a remarkable detour concerning his future when the present was slipping away. Yet, I'm sure most Eagles fans remain keen to see him continue into his 13th season in 2014.

I've wrote it before, but Worsfold has acted rather erratically this season. He conveyed poor body language to the team, he was out coached and even took a cheap shot at Kerr. As for Cometti's line about most fans would be keen to see him stay, I'm not sure about that. Obviously, I don't have any stats, but based on what I've seen on twitter, I'd suggest right now the reaction is 'lukewarm' to his inevitable reappointment. I've yet to see a fan vehemently in favour of his return.

I think I'll put up a poll to gauge opinion, hopefully it gets more than 10 votes...

Round 18 Preview: 'Cause We're Contractually Obligated to Play out the Season

If we weren't contractually obligated, you'd imagine we'd just pull up stumps and go home. Except for the fact that 'home' has been a place of misery, disappointment and ultimately losing this year.

But there are signs that we're beginning to 'give up' in a wink, wink, nudge, nudge say no more kind of way. Naitanui has been mothballed for at least the next couple of weeks and possibly the rest of the season. You'd imagine of we win the next 2, no means assured, then we'll try to get him right for a last desperate fight for the finals. But realistically are we any chance of winning against Essendon, Geelong or Collingwood?

Now Lecras (foot in mouth) and Glass (soreness) have been left out.  Erm, huh...if I was a betting man, I'd get on the Dogs right now. But I'm not.

We're not 'tanking' because that would be against the rules. What we are doing is not risking stars in what are probably meaningless games.

Anyway, as for this game, I'm reasonably confident that we will win. We've beaten all the cellar dwellers this season with varying degrees of comfort. We would want to as well. Because unless we win the next couple we could very well plummet even further down the ladder.

Forget who isn't there, we've still got a powerful forward line led by JJK and Darling, a solid if severely undermanned midfield with Selwood, Priddis, Masten and Gaff and a decent defence.

Western Bulldogs
B: L.Picken, J.Roughead, J.Tutt
HB: D.Morris, M.Talia, A.Cooney
C: M.Boyd, T.Liberatore, R.Murphy
HF: D.Giansiracusa, L.Jones, K.Stevens
F: L.Dahlhaus, J.Grant, T.Dickson
R: W.Minson, R.Griffen, M.Wallis
I/C: J.Macrae, D.Addison, L.Hunter, T.Young,
IN: Tom Young, Matthew Boyd
OUT: Brett Goodes (Arm) , Nathan Hrovat (Soreness)

West Coast Eagles
B: W.Schofield, M.Brown, S.Butler
HB: A.Carter, E.Mackenzie, As.Smith
C: A.Gaff, M.Priddis, B.Dalziell
HF: J.Cripps, JJ.Kennedy, J.Hill
F: A.Hams, S.Lycett, J.Darling
R: D.Cox, S.Selwood, C.Masten
I/C: M.Hutchings, C.Morton, S.Wellingham, B.Wilson
IN: Blayne Wilson, Ashton Hams, Sam Butler, Scott Lycett, Scott Selwood
OUT: Mark LeCras (Foot) , Nic Naitanui (Soreness) , Darren Glass (Soreness) , Luke Shuey (Hamstring), Adam Selwood (omitted)

But it's not the result of the game that interests me much (except if we lose then it becomes very interesting). It's about the performance of individuals.

Careers might be on the line for some. Hams has been frozen out this season after ably holding down the fort last season. Hill has struggled in recent times so both will need to impress for their future prospects. Wilson was impressive in his first couple of games and can push for a more permanent role. Wellingham, as I alluded to last week, must show something for the remainder of the season. He was meant to be the missing link. Injuries aside, he has had zero influence on this team. With a fully fit squad should he be in the starting 22? Not on recent form. He also has to placate us, the fans, that he's worthy of wearing that jumper. A few more anonymous performances and you can imagine a Masten/Ebert/Swift angst starting to rumble at Paterson's. Ask Masten how long it takes to get rid of that antagonism.

Then there's Morton. I think he showed something last week, albeit running as the free man, and his future is certainly at stake. I just hope he's not the sub so we can see him over a full game.

Finally, and most importantly, there's Scott Lycett. Huge game for the Big Lycee. He's had chances before only to come up noticeably short. After Callum Wilson's impressive displays earlier in the season, Lycett's time may very well be now or never.

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It's been a hectic week outside of preparation for this game. It started after the Swans loss when Worsfold was questioned over Kerr's absence. You'd expect something of a weak dismissal from John, not known for criticising players publicly, but instead he gave Kerr an almighty whack.

"While he does his good stoppage work, other players are having to pick up the slack around the ground...Daniel has to be up and be able to run and play offensive and defensive footy as well as being good at stoppages...That is what we have to measure going into next week's game...Is one hit-out enough to say that he can run at AFL level like he needs to be able to run?"

As an unabashed fan of Kerr, I have to say I find those comments, resisting the urge to swear, absolutely apocryphal. I don't accept those criticisms for one second. It just doesn't add up, when you consider that Adam Selwood, who really hasn't been able to run all season , played on Sunday. Making Kerr some kind of scape-goat for a team that has been a in a malaise for most the season is unfair, untrue and just plain bizarre. For even if you agree that Kerr has been struggling, why does Worsfold choose now to throw a player under the bus, least of all Kerr?

If he was a young star not lifting his weight then maybe it makes sense. But what possible benefit is there in publicly panning him at age 30?

Daniel Kerr is a 223 game legend. He could've/should've won a Brownlow in the middle of the last decade. He's indefatigable, strong, powerful and has shown reckless disregard for his body for the good of the team. Remember the Fab 3 of the glory days? 2 of those guys absolutely gutted the Eagles; Cousins through his off-field actions which immeasurably tarnished the reputation of this club, Judd through his decision to flee back to Melbourne which left us a shell of a team. Kerr stuck it out. I know he had his own off-field issues and I know he went through a period of perpetual report-suspensions, but he will be the one I remember most fondly and who has given the most to the club.

Perhaps Kerr's manager sums up the weirdness of the comments best: ""I am absolutely mystified by John's quotes."

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In other news, also bizarre, John Worsfold has indicated, in a very vague, general way that he plans on staying next year. I was genuinely surprised by this. I remember earlier in the season he refused to say whether he even had the desire to coach at the moment. His body language, his acidic performances at press conferences all indicated that he was a man who had had enough of the gig. The lethargic, non-committal performances of the team seemed to reflect this indifference. But now he wants to stay? What's changed? Maybe he doesn't want his time remembered by this season?

I can't say I'm happy or disappointed by this. I don't like the fact the club has already rubber stamped his reappointment, even though he said they hadn't.

He must want one final push for a premiership within the next 3 years. I hope he has some plan in place, besides a belief that a fit team is good enough. Good enough to make finals maybe. Good enough to challenge? Doubtful.

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Finally, Mitch Brown has re-signed with the club for 3 years. He's been a solid but overlooked player for a long time. He wanted to play for the Saints last season, even requesting a trade, but has decided to stay in the nest. A no-brainer in my mind, but a welcome decision none the less.

Round 17 Recap: Time to Call it Doc.

Finished. Kaput. Finito.

The season is dead. Our home ground advantage lay in ruins. This was a year that many predicted, quite reasonably, would end in at least a very deep finals run, perhaps a Grand Final appearance or maybe even a premiership triumph. I wasn't as optimistic, it's not in my nature unfortunately, but I still expected a team that would probably sneak into the top 4 and with some luck make it to the preliminary final.

There's no point keeping up the pretence of finals now. You have to win at home to make finals. You have to be able to beat a few decent teams to make finals. You have to be consistent in effort and application to make finals. There are only 2 things we've been consistent at this season.

1. Players are consistently dropping like flies.
2. We consistently turn the ball over.

It happened yet again today. Sydney humiliated us on our home ground. The 34 point margin is a little flattering as they dominated after midway through the first. Far too strong, too powerful, too good. We fought out the game in the last quarter, but we never had it in us to win this one.

I'm not sure why but Rosa and Brennan were late withdrawals as Adam Selwood and Cale Morton got a call-up. Morton was the sub. for the first half before Shuey did his hammy, I guess, again, and was subbed off.

I really don't know what to say. The Swans were harder, more efficient, more resilient. We had decent patches, but patches don't win games.

I actually thought Morton was OK and might as well be given the rest of the season to show what he's got. Play the 'kids' I say. Nic Nat needs to be rested as he can't offer anything near his best at the moment. Some senior Eagles also need to consider whether this should be their last season and that very much includes the coach, a great Eagle, but ultimately the man responsible for this train wreck.

Nothing much else to say about the game per se. Except, good god, that was grim.

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On a positive note, for me anyway, I actually won seats in a corporate suite for this game. Besides the atrocious and dismal game unfortunately occurring before my eyes it was a pretty great, if slightly surreal experience. It was in the SGIO suite, as part of that work crew promotion thing, hats off to the chef, steward and co. Gourmet food, unlimited drinks, great vantage point (saw every Eagles turnover perfectly). The steward literally kept coming back and forth asking if we wanted food/drink. So this is how the other half lives huh?

Good seats, atrocious game.

 The surreal part was at half time when Auzzie the Eagle and Brad Sheppard swung by. I was a little concerned that a meeting between Auzzie the Eagle and the Misanthropic Eagle would not go well, but he was impeccably behaved.

Both unimpressed with the performance.

 As for Brad Sheppard- very nice and affable fellow. My guest and I even had an opportunity for a little chat with the Good Sheppard (now forever known as the GOOD Sheppard) for a few minutes. Highlights;

- Explanation for what's gone on this season? Lack of consistency re injuries + mistakes, turnovers etc.
- All players want Worsfold to stay, but the Good Sheppard has no idea either way.
-Favourite moments from career thus far; Debut + win after the siren vs North Melbourne
- Steven Baker is the most annoying person the Good Sheppard has had the displeasure of manning up on. Apparently he was only on him for 5 minutes but that was enough as Baker pinched, poked and stamped down on his feet behind the ball. Geez, makes Crowley seem like a half-decent human being.
- His reaction to the meagre 2 weeks handed down to McKernan after the elbow to the head- "I was shocked". Apparently, he felt very dazed after that horrible 'effort' from McKernan. Fair to say we all felt the same.

Nickname confirmed: He is The Good Sheppard

In conclusion, really seems like a good guy. It's fair to say he hasn't reached the heights that his high draft pick might suggest he could/should, but he did have a decent 2012. Hopefully he can continue to improve and grow into the future.

So yeah, if you ever have the chance to get into a corporate suite grab it with both hands, or claws in my case.

Round 17 Preview: Our Swan Song?

If we're to win this game we're going to have to end three streaks, each with its own level of disappointment and humiliation:

1. We haven't beaten Sydney since 2007
2. We haven't beaten a Top 8 side all season
3. We haven't won at home since the North Melbourne miracle, one of only two home wins all season.

That 3rd streak is quite simply abysmal. Ever since I've been following the Eagles we've pretty much had the best home ground advantage in the league. But not this season. Losses to the Dockers (twice), Hawks, Blues, Tigers and Bombers have obliterated the 'House of Pain' moniker.

Worrying is the fact that in 2011 we lost 1 game at home. That game was against Sydney. In 2012, we lost 2 games at home, one an 'away' loss to the Dockers, the other was against, you guessed it, Sydney.

It's fair to say history is against us. As is form...and common-sense.

Over the past month, I seem to be repeating the mantra that just because of form, injuries etc. doesn't mean we can't win. 

We have definitely shown decent form over the past month. But if you can't win the game, the effort is fairly meaningless. In fact, the very idea of us 'celebrating effort' is an indictment of just how poor this season has been. The effort that we've displayed recently just wasn't there at the start of the season. The buck must ultimately stop with the coach for that.  It was a general malaise, rather than just a few individuals and it took half the season to reverse. The season was essentially lost before we even started showing any intensity.

Now, halfway through Round 17, we are 2 wins outside the 8. Do you remember when we were joint premiership favourites?..No, me either.

West Coast
B: Will Schofield, Darren Glass, Mitch Brown
HB: Jacob Brennan, Eric Mackenzie, Ash Smith
C: Andrew Gaff, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa
HF: Mark Hutchings, Josh Kennedy, Josh Hill
F: Mark LeCras, Dean Cox, Jack Darling
Foll: Nic Naitanui, Chris Masten, Luke Shuey
Int: Jamie Cripps, Adam Carter, Sharrod Wellingham, Bradd Dalziell
In: Shuey, Wellingham
Out: Embley (suspended), Morton (sent back to Melbourne)

Sydney
B: Dane Rampe, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith
HB: Nick Malceski, Ted Richards, Jarrad McVeigh
C: Brandon Jack, Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack
HF: Craig Bird, Jesse White, Luke Parker
F: Jude Bolton, Money Bags, Mike Pyke
Foll: Shane Mumford, Ryan O'Keefe, Dan Hannebery
Int: Harry Cunningham, Andrejs Everitt, Jed Lamb,Tom Mitchell
In: Cunningham
Out: McGlynn (suspended)

In good news, the Swans are missing a few players with Goodes, Jetta, McGlynn and Reid all out. The bad news is that they're the kind of team that doesn't rely on individuals, but rather on a very consistent and annoying team ethos.

We get Shuey (though there are murmurs regarding a possible late omission) and Wellingham back.  I think this is a huge game for Wellingham and his Eagles career. He was our marquee recruit (besides star Cale Morton) during the free agency period. We put our faith in him with a massive contract and then he decided to go bouncing on a trampoline. Although he subsequently suffered a 'legitimate injury' the fact remains that he's played 2.25 games this season. He really needs to show something before 2013 ends.

I was hoping that Kerr would return, but assumed that he was still recovering from injury when he wasn't named. Thus, you can forgive me for thinking I was imagining things when I saw this on twitter: "Kerr in the book as Sharks tame Lions". Erm, come again? Daniel Kerr, one of the best midfielders we've ever seen, one of the toughest, most talented players to ever wear the Eagles guernsey, played in the WAFL. Oh yeah AND he was reported. Have we put the cue in the rack? Surely, if Kerr can play WAFL he can play for us. Especially against an elite opponent, in a game we really have to win. Especially considering that he's only missed 2 games.

I don't get it. It really sums up this season. A bizarre, inexplicable lack of intensity at the start of the season. A seemingly disinterested, non-committal coach. Horrible goal-kicking. A never-ending injury toll. A man earning $400 000 plus to play football, bouncing on a trampoline. An inability to win at home. I don't get any of it.

Anyway, I'm sick of seeing Sydney celebrate on our turf. I'm sick of hearing the Sydney-philes in the media fawn over the Swans. Remember, this is the team who stole the 2005 premiership on the back of thug Barry Hall, a man who had no right to be playing in that game. He punched McGuire in the gut the previous week and yet was let off by the Tribunal on the basis that...oh yeah the AFL wants to see Sydney succeed. They're handed concessions, they're somehow given a 'cost of living' bonus for their salary cap (try living in Perth!) and as Premiers they are able to recruit (due to their concessions) salary cap cheat Tippett. I hate them.

That's reason enough to want to win today.

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- Hmmm, Daniel Wells on Before the Game said that he was 'very close' to joining the Eagles before Scott arrived as Roos coach. Well, that makes me sick. Another reason to hate Scott I suppose.

Round 16 Recap: BREAKING NEWS: Premiership tally remains Eagles 3 - Dockers 0.

I could go on and on about how it's yet ANOTHER home loss. That it's ANOTHER loss against a top 8 team.

I could...and I will. That's 6 losses at home. The house of pain has become the house of self-inflicted pain, with costly turnovers all too common, as undermanned Eagles teams continue to fall short.

Of course it's hard to win when 6 of your best are missing. But the fact is if we had have won earlier in the season, these losses wouldn't be so costly now. 

It was a rather frenzied, emotionally charged and even nasty affair. And that was just the crowd. Sitting amongst the nest, no hoarde of Dockers fans at the City End, it's surprising that I remain with all limbs intact. I wasn't even abused upon making a hasty exit following the final siren. But during the game, geez, it got rather edgy. I don't engage in any banter at all, but quite a bit flew around as the game went on. Most of it in good fun, but having a Dockers scarf waved near your face after every last quarter goal (8 by the way) isn't  exactly a great feeling (not that it was being waved at me, rather at the drunken lout a few seats up, who started cheering for the Dampier Sharks when Cox got the ball...hmmmm). I was actually sitting a few rows back from injured/useless Dockers like Suban and Crichton.

Back to the game. We need to address our starts. 4 weeks in a row...actually that's 5 weeks in a row; St Kilda, Hawthorn, Essendon, Adelaide and Freo we have gone down by around 3-4 goals. To our credit we have bounced back every time, but surely our chances would've been lifted in every one of those games had we not conceded the early edge.

Our intensity was superb for 3 quarters. It was impressive that guys like Dalziell, Hutchings and first gamer Carter really did hold their own against more established opponents. But we could never gain any advantage on the scoreboard. We were never more than a goal ahead. Personally, I felt the Dockers always held the game in their hands and they finally wore us down in the last. In the end it was 28 points for the 2nd time this year.

In terms of individuals, Jack Darling was the standout with 5 huge goals. He's been quiet in recent weeks but he really did have a big impact on this game. I thought Schofield was good too. He showed his versatility as he swung forward and kicked a couple. Glass and E-Mac were as solid as ever down back. I also thought Cripps had a decent outing with 2 goals. I must mention Hutchings who laid a staggering 16 tackles. I have to be honest. I don't think I've ever realised that he's on the field. It's probably that I'm focusing on other players, but he's clearly been giving everything out there.

I also have to say that the umpiring was fairly atrocious. We didn't lose the game because of it, but on several occasions the Dockers were handed frees for high tackles where there players ducked their head and ran into an Eagle. There was also the free kick for Walters in the goal square. Somehow he missed from 5 metres out, but there was NOT significant contact to deem a push in the back. Horrible. You weren't hear about the umpiring anywhere though. As long as it doesn't involve a Victorian team, the AFL media doesn't care.

In other news, Embley was reported and offered a 2 match ban for his bump on 'Clancee'. Hell, what's losing another mid to a team missing 4-5 already? Pavlich was also reported for his clumsy bump on Brown and was offered a 3 match ban. So...haha.

We're still 1 game outside the 8. Nothing's really changed in that regard. I'll update my finals post later.

We face the Swans next week, a team we haven't beaten since 2007. Unlike last week, I fully expect that absolutely no quality addtions will be made to this side. In fact I half expect that we'll lose another few players.

Finally, congrats to the Dockers. We might have 3 premierships, appeared in 5 grand finals, 2 Brownlow Medallists and 4 Norm Smith Medallists but you purple punks have heaps of those derby trophies. They've got to be worth at least $75 a pop at Cash Converters. #foreverinourshadow