- Joined
- May 27, 2002
- Posts
- 11,531
- Reaction score
- 2,048
- Location
- Wombling Free
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Other Teams
- East Perth
http://eagles.newman-knights.com/index.php?newsid=27
Once again we come back to Subiaco with our tails between our legs after being dealt with on the road. Fremantle have had much the same season we have, the only difference between the teams being a big whopping amount of percentage that we have and they don't, mostly courtesy of a big thumping the Tigers inflicted on Freo.
Derbies traditionally bring out the best in both clubs, and even in years such as 2000 and 2001 where neither team had much to play for the Perth bragging rights are a big thing to play for. This year, with both lots of supporters wanting to see finals footy from their club there is more than normal.
Now please excuse me, I'm off to troll some Docker supporters.....
Changes
Phil Read has been added to the squad for what would be his first game since the Demolition Derby in 2000. Rookie Paul Johnson has also been named for what would be his debut match should he play. Jeremy Humm and Kasey Green have also been added to the squad, while Darren Glass has been ommitted from the team only a week after he regained his place against the Crows.
Michael Collica is again missing from the Eagles team.
[edit:]Some sites are saying Johnson some have said Troy Wilson is due for a recall - and some are saying both. I don't actually know...
Click here for the squad
Lead up
The lead up to this match for both clubs has some startling similarities - both 2-2 after two home wins and two away losses. Both teams have lost to the Crows in Crowland.
The Eagles Subiaco form has been outstanding, with big wins over a somewhat understrength Port and an unpredictable St Kilda. The away form has been indifferent against the Hawks and Crows, yet while this is an Eagles away game, it is at Subiaco. The Eagles notably had trouble finding a road to goal last week, only scoring 10.13, though that did follow a much better 21.18 against the Saints the previous week.
The Dockers likewise have had big wins at home over the unfancied Swans and (up to then) well performing Roos. However on the road the Dockers have looked nothing but atrocious, a first up loss to Adelaide and a huge loss in terrible conditions to the Tigers. The Dockers also kicked their highest ever score last week against the Roos, 25.17 (167), but they would have been somewhat disappointed with the leakiness of the defense, allowing the Roos to kick 19.8 including 7 goals in the last term.
There certainly isn't much of a line that can be drawn through the form of either club, and the added incentive of a Western Derby means the form book should be thrown out the window.
Injuries and Suspensions
The Eagles have two main injury concerns this week, with defender Michael Collica set for a test, while center half forward Travis Gaspar's hamstring will mean he is unavailable again this week. Other than that there is a pretty full squad to pick from, the only player otherwise unavailable being the out of favour David Sierakowski.
The Dockers are even better off with only Luke McPharlin even on the injury list, and he could well be available for the Derby.
Match Ups
Michael Gardiner v Troy Simmonds will be a critical match up, as the Eagles ruckman's performances this year have been outstanding, and shutting him down will be a priority for the Dockers.
The midfield battle as always is critical for the Eagles. The Dockers have a couple of more than handy midfielders in Paul Hasleby, Peter Bell and Des Headland. It remains to be seen as to whether they can nullify the Eagles outstanding midfield of Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr, Chris Judd, and Chad Fletcher. The Eagles Rowan Jones and Chad Morrison have also been providing a lot of run the last two weeks.
Matthew Pavlich is the Docker's most potent weapon in this game. He could play almost anywhere on the ground, and the Eagles will be hard pressed to find a matchup for him. If he isn't closed down he could be worth an extra man on the field (and this time we can't send Jako out as an extra!).
The other interesting position will be the small forwards for each team. Eagle Phil Matera has been on fire the last few weeks, and if he has another day out the Eagles will have a big start on the game. Countering Matera could be one of the main tasks the Dockers need to perform. However they will also need to look out for David Haynes and Daniel Chick who looked dangerous without much success last week
The Dockers have a quite impressive forward line with Paul Medhurst and Jeff Farmer the smalls, and with Justin Longmuir and the unreliable Trent Croad providing a tall target. Two quality small men could test the Eagles shaky defense, and the Eagles may be reliant on the midfield to stifle opportunities for the Docker forwards. Clive Waterhouse could be a bit of a dark horse for the Dockers in his second game back.
In a derby game every match up is important. This time round is no exception...
2002
One thing about the derbies is that they are hard fought games. Last year, the Eagles won in the opening round convincingly, while the Dockers creamed the Eagles in their home game in the return fixture
Round 1, Subiaco Oval
West Coast 6.1 9.5 16.6 21.11 (137)
Fremantle 4.4 8.7 11.9 18.10 (118)
Round 16, Subiaco Oval
Fremantle 3.1 5.5 10.7 15.10 (100)
West Coast 5.0 6.1 7.3 11.4 ( 70)
Head to Head
Played 16; Fremantle 3, West Coast 13, Draws 0.
Biggest margin - Fremantle : Fremantle 17.17 (119) d West Coast 11.6 (72) - 47 points, Subiaco, R16 1999
Biggest Margin - Eagles : West Coast 28.10 (178) d Fremantle 9.7 (61) - 114 points, Subiaco, R6 2000
Milestones
Eagles captain Ben Cousins will play his 150th game.
Summary
In the early days of the Derby it was easy. Tip the Eagles and you couldn't go wrong, until a dark day in 1999 when the Dockers finally got us.
Today there is nothing easy to predict in these games. So I'm going to base my tip on the fact the Eagles performances both home and away have been better than Fremantle's have, not that you'd want to infer too much from that...
My prediction: Eagles by 17 points
Once again we come back to Subiaco with our tails between our legs after being dealt with on the road. Fremantle have had much the same season we have, the only difference between the teams being a big whopping amount of percentage that we have and they don't, mostly courtesy of a big thumping the Tigers inflicted on Freo.
Derbies traditionally bring out the best in both clubs, and even in years such as 2000 and 2001 where neither team had much to play for the Perth bragging rights are a big thing to play for. This year, with both lots of supporters wanting to see finals footy from their club there is more than normal.
Now please excuse me, I'm off to troll some Docker supporters.....
Changes
Phil Read has been added to the squad for what would be his first game since the Demolition Derby in 2000. Rookie Paul Johnson has also been named for what would be his debut match should he play. Jeremy Humm and Kasey Green have also been added to the squad, while Darren Glass has been ommitted from the team only a week after he regained his place against the Crows.
Michael Collica is again missing from the Eagles team.
[edit:]Some sites are saying Johnson some have said Troy Wilson is due for a recall - and some are saying both. I don't actually know...
Click here for the squad
Lead up
The lead up to this match for both clubs has some startling similarities - both 2-2 after two home wins and two away losses. Both teams have lost to the Crows in Crowland.
The Eagles Subiaco form has been outstanding, with big wins over a somewhat understrength Port and an unpredictable St Kilda. The away form has been indifferent against the Hawks and Crows, yet while this is an Eagles away game, it is at Subiaco. The Eagles notably had trouble finding a road to goal last week, only scoring 10.13, though that did follow a much better 21.18 against the Saints the previous week.
The Dockers likewise have had big wins at home over the unfancied Swans and (up to then) well performing Roos. However on the road the Dockers have looked nothing but atrocious, a first up loss to Adelaide and a huge loss in terrible conditions to the Tigers. The Dockers also kicked their highest ever score last week against the Roos, 25.17 (167), but they would have been somewhat disappointed with the leakiness of the defense, allowing the Roos to kick 19.8 including 7 goals in the last term.
There certainly isn't much of a line that can be drawn through the form of either club, and the added incentive of a Western Derby means the form book should be thrown out the window.
Injuries and Suspensions
The Eagles have two main injury concerns this week, with defender Michael Collica set for a test, while center half forward Travis Gaspar's hamstring will mean he is unavailable again this week. Other than that there is a pretty full squad to pick from, the only player otherwise unavailable being the out of favour David Sierakowski.
The Dockers are even better off with only Luke McPharlin even on the injury list, and he could well be available for the Derby.
Match Ups
Michael Gardiner v Troy Simmonds will be a critical match up, as the Eagles ruckman's performances this year have been outstanding, and shutting him down will be a priority for the Dockers.
The midfield battle as always is critical for the Eagles. The Dockers have a couple of more than handy midfielders in Paul Hasleby, Peter Bell and Des Headland. It remains to be seen as to whether they can nullify the Eagles outstanding midfield of Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr, Chris Judd, and Chad Fletcher. The Eagles Rowan Jones and Chad Morrison have also been providing a lot of run the last two weeks.
Matthew Pavlich is the Docker's most potent weapon in this game. He could play almost anywhere on the ground, and the Eagles will be hard pressed to find a matchup for him. If he isn't closed down he could be worth an extra man on the field (and this time we can't send Jako out as an extra!).
The other interesting position will be the small forwards for each team. Eagle Phil Matera has been on fire the last few weeks, and if he has another day out the Eagles will have a big start on the game. Countering Matera could be one of the main tasks the Dockers need to perform. However they will also need to look out for David Haynes and Daniel Chick who looked dangerous without much success last week
The Dockers have a quite impressive forward line with Paul Medhurst and Jeff Farmer the smalls, and with Justin Longmuir and the unreliable Trent Croad providing a tall target. Two quality small men could test the Eagles shaky defense, and the Eagles may be reliant on the midfield to stifle opportunities for the Docker forwards. Clive Waterhouse could be a bit of a dark horse for the Dockers in his second game back.
In a derby game every match up is important. This time round is no exception...
2002
One thing about the derbies is that they are hard fought games. Last year, the Eagles won in the opening round convincingly, while the Dockers creamed the Eagles in their home game in the return fixture
Round 1, Subiaco Oval
West Coast 6.1 9.5 16.6 21.11 (137)
Fremantle 4.4 8.7 11.9 18.10 (118)
Round 16, Subiaco Oval
Fremantle 3.1 5.5 10.7 15.10 (100)
West Coast 5.0 6.1 7.3 11.4 ( 70)
Head to Head
Played 16; Fremantle 3, West Coast 13, Draws 0.
Biggest margin - Fremantle : Fremantle 17.17 (119) d West Coast 11.6 (72) - 47 points, Subiaco, R16 1999
Biggest Margin - Eagles : West Coast 28.10 (178) d Fremantle 9.7 (61) - 114 points, Subiaco, R6 2000
Milestones
Eagles captain Ben Cousins will play his 150th game.
Summary
In the early days of the Derby it was easy. Tip the Eagles and you couldn't go wrong, until a dark day in 1999 when the Dockers finally got us.
Today there is nothing easy to predict in these games. So I'm going to base my tip on the fact the Eagles performances both home and away have been better than Fremantle's have, not that you'd want to infer too much from that...
My prediction: Eagles by 17 points
