For the first time in the season proper, I was able to watch the Dockers game. And for the first time, the Dockers lost. Coincidence? Maybe.
But prior to the game, there seemed plenty of reasons to be hopeful. This week had already seen Port Adelaide get up for their first ever win, and was seeing Carlton run out as the Baby Blues, so if ever a tradition was to be broken, this seemed to be the week for it. In the end, though, it was a week where Adelaide lost in Melbourne, Greg Williams got suspended, and the Eagles beat the Dockers. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The so-called Western Derby, as the matches between these two teams seem to be labelled was clearly a game that had been hyped up in Perth. It also saw the return of Woosha Worsfold, everybody's favourite pharmacist, for the Eagles. The opening few minutes of the game did suggest that, for whatever reasons, both teams believe that this was a vital game, and they were prepared to go in hard to prove the point. And for the first 15 minutes or so, it seemed that the umpires agreed. Players had to really earn their free-kicks - no blood, no foul style. But then one of the umpires got bored. Dale Kickett and Mitchell white had a bit of a wrestle during a mrking contest in the Eagles forward line. The umpire decided to pay the free kick to the Eagles player, and the resulting goal left them 12 points up. Pretty much from that point on, it was difficult to see how the Dockers could win this one.
I know that there's nothing worse than hearing a supporter of a losing side go on and on about poor umpiring, but the umpiring in this game was really quite appalling at times. And yes, Freo got the worst of it. And no, it didn't have make any difference to the final result. It is good to see Peter Matera taking up the slack that Greg Williams' suspension has left, though. The four umpire system that he instituted certainly looked to work a treat in this game. It'll be interesting to see how things go when Williams and Matera have the opportunity to umpire together, though there have to be some questions about Greg's ability to make the game, I suppose.
This was a game of two halves. For the first half of each quarter, Fremantle came out, and looked quite good. They maintained pressure on the Eagles' forwards, and moved the ball forward. They even kicked two goals. Not more. Not less. Then in each and every quarter, the Eagles woke up, and piled on a number of unanswered goals. The Eagles increased their lead at every change, but it wasn't until well into the final quarter that their lead could have been labelled as insurmountable.
Fremantle came out of this game much the worse for wear. McManus was stretchered off in the second quarter after he did a knee, and was replaced by BenAllan, who must surely have been expecting to suffer the same fate at any moment. Jones, Chisholm, and Wills were all also injured in the course of the game, though Chisholm and Wills were able to play on.
On the plus side for Fremantle, however, they appear to have finally found their 'Enforcer' figure in Craig Callaghan. Granted, he'd probably be somewhat more imposing were he not the shortest man on the Dockers team, but at least he tries. The first half was all his. Encountering John Worsfold coming in the opposite direction, he lowered his shoulder, lifted Worsfold into the air, and slammed him onto his back. Later, in the second quarter, a free kick was paid down the ground after he apparently dealt with Ilija Grgic after he'd disposed of the ball.
Final Score : West Coast Eagles 16.15-111 defeated Fremantle Dockers 9.17-71
timnfromoz
© 1997 timnfromoz@hotmail.com
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