OUTSMARTED by William from West Perth

You could have been forgiven if you thought that the Melbourne bus had arrived at Patersons Stadium well into the time on period of the first quarter because, by the time the Dees started playing, the Eagles already had a score of 4.1.25.

When Melbourne did arrive the team was downright embarrassing. On the long Subiaco ground, they picked their tallest side for the year but they never really gave the big blokes a chance. You would have thought that they might have put in an effort to move the ball quickly in their direction to take full advantage of their height but instead they stumbled and fumbled and persisted in moving the ball sideways until they turned it over or gave away a stupid free kick.

With the West Coast Eagles still in the hunt for a finals place and percentage always likely to play a part in deciding their participation, it was unlikely that they were going to take this game easily. They outsmarted the visitors at every turn and were doing so even before the game started. As already mentioned, Melbourne had selected a top heavy side for this ground and that played into West Coast's hands. The decision to omit giant Nick Naitanui with 179cm running defender Adam Carter left another mismatch in favour of the home side that had its run and spread down pat on the night. As a result, they had no trouble dealing with their tired, slow, disjointed and out-of- form opponents. They pulled up in the end content with a 66 point win and a perfect lead up to the final round.

What can I say about Melbourne? Well, one thing it did well was that it furthered its case for a priority pick. On that performance, the odds on a favourable decision would have improved.

Playing his 150th game, Bernie Vince stood out like a beacon. He kicked the team's first goal late in the opening quarter with a great snap and never stopped working on his way to picking up 34 possessions. Daniel Cross did the job on Matt Priddis and the club's two most reliable players for the season, skipper Nathan Jones and another 2014 newcomer in Dom Tyson worked their butts off as did Rohan Bail. There were unfortunately however, too many who weren't up to it on the night.

They played without skill, thought or heart and once again, the match statistics said it all. They had more disposals, won the contested possessions, hit outs, stoppages and were close in the clearances but once again lost by more than 10 goals. What they lacked was the ingredient that makes the game exciting and is the icing on the cake that generates scores these days - plenty of running and spreading and smart play. These things add excitement to a game and enthusiasm to a team which is something the Eagles had plenty of and the Demons had none on the night.

Melbourne1.1.7 3.3.21 5.4.34 8.5.53

West Coast 6.1.37 9.5.59 16.9.105 18.11.119

Goals

Melbourne Fitzpatrick 2 Bail Dawes Howe Pedersen Tyson Vince

West Coast Kennedy LeCras 4 Darling 3 Hill 2 Cripps Gaff Lycett McGinnity Shuey

Best

Melbourne Vince N Jones Cross Tyson Howe Bail

West Coast LeCras Masten Gaff Shuey Hurn Mackenzie

Injuries

Melbourne Garland (knee)

West Coast Hutchings (thigh)

Changes

Melbourne Nil

West Coast Nick Naitanui replaced by Adam Carter in the selected side.

Reports

Melbourne Nil

West Coast Nil

Umpires Craig Fleer, Luke Farmer, Matthew Leppard

Official Attendance 35,083 at Patersons Stadium

Will anyone actually bother going to Etihad next week?

Well I just don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I'm back in the position I was in at the beginning of the year where I'm surviving on the last of my reserves and watching purely because I feel I should.

Last week I was totally and utterly shattered, to the point where I couldn't even bring myself to log on to Demonland for four days, read any footy news, watch any other footy or talk footy with other people. This week, I braced myself for a royal slaughtering, which has made it more bearable, but it's just batshit boring. I despise that feeling of knowing that even when we have the ball, you just know they're going to stuff it up somehow, and that when the opposition have it, you just know they're going to score.

I'm not angry, or hurt or anything like that this week (I was last week, make no mistake). Just bored and wondering why I waste three hours of my time every weekend with entertainment that offers at best nothing, and at worst anger and frustration.

It's not the first time I've asked the question of why I should bother watching next week, but I'm back there again. Only got to survive through one more, thank heavens.

James Frawley be a man for once and hand in your paypacket from this entire season

[censored] thief

Fark dis shite.

We were never going to win so dissecting the changes makes little difference, but, we clearly went into the game too tall and Bail's game is proof of that. Take out clangers etc. for the moment and the bloke had the ball 24 times and ran hard all night, something you need in Perth. We were short a few and it hurt us overall as our talls really couldn't get into the game.

Everything else went as usual though, but one positive is that we kicked more than Carlton... so it's something.

Bring on the pre-season.

What can we take from this loss other than a festering rage?

Viv Michie had a decent game, probably as good a gme as we've seen from him.

Viney and Fitz showed a couple of glimpses.

It may have helped clarify the thoughts of the FD on who they should be trading out later this year.

That's about all really. Shocking game from most of them. The same crap passing, The same inability to take the ball cleanly. The same long bombs into the forward line. Slow ball movement which gives the opposition time to get numbers behind the ball forcing our forwards to take pack marks rather than 1-1 or leading. Not that leading does any good when the pass is put straight past you to your opponent.

Hard to watch folks.

from gameday thread

We're winning total possessions.

We're winning contested possessions.

We're breaking even on clearances.

We have seven players with more than 20 disposals, all going at >75% efficiency.

We're losing a bunch of other general stats, but not by a margin that would suggest a ten-goal drubbing by an opponent that has clearly starting hitting the snooze button.

What the hell is going on? Are we just going sideways until we cough it up? Are we all in a little circle at about CHB, handball it around until a West Coast player in the middle gets it, then it's his turn?

where not getting the ball where it hurts, & we're not moving the ball with any potency. They are far more purposeful in the way the set up their forward moves.

Watts give up Aussie rules & go back to basketball while your still young enough to get into the state side. Your just not an AFL player mate; go now & we may be able to get a PP before the draft for our losses.

Bring on the delistings

Cross was good but that's it.

positives and I have not seen any of the game

We lost to them by a lower amount than r2

Cross did a great job on Priddis

We kicked 8 goals

Did Frawley play on Kennedy who kicked 4? He is lowering his value each week now. He and his manager are in a bubble if they think he deserves 700,000 a year.

Only 1 game to go then its onto a new pre season where Rossy wont cop the poor me attitude.

He has worked on our defence now he just needs to work on kicking more goals and combine the two. Then hey we may be more competitive.

66 points isnt to bad in the scheme of things. I was expecting worse.

I watched the hawthorn geelong game and it was nice to see a game where handballs reached there targets, players manned up, chased and tackled hard and kicked lots of goals.

I hope someone hangs around to catch Roosy's presser because I really would like to know why he selected the side they way he did with all those talls in the forward line.

Bring on the delistings

There should be a shitload of them.

I hope someone hangs around to catch Roosy's presser because I really would like to know why he selected the side they way he did with all those talls in the forward line.

He'll say they're not focusing on tactics. The same as he has said all year.

I hope someone hangs around to catch Roosy's presser because I really would like to know why he selected the side they way he did with all those talls in the forward line.

The changes made little sense really. If he wanted to play Fitzy and Pedersen then at least one of Gawn or Jamar needed to miss as well. Riley would have been handy tonight as he can at least provide a bit of run around the ground.

Makes little difference though.

Cross playing the way he did on Priddis was a massive positive, I rate Priddis as a genuine chance to win the Brownlow and All Australian this year, well done old fella

I hope someone hangs around to catch Roosy's presser because I really would like to know why he selected the side they way he did with all those talls in the forward line.

Wouldn't have made one bit of difference who he choose tbh.

I hope someone hangs around to catch Roosy's presser because I really would like to know why he selected the side they way he did with all those talls in the forward line.

...not sure anyone else was putting their hand up for selection 'Jack'.

if he did not go with fitzy we would have been a few goals down. The problem was not going tall it was lack of skill in using that height to advantage, plus the fact that we were outplayed in every area that counts.

66 points isnt to bad in the scheme of things. I was expecting worse.

It is when you consider that WC stopped playing halfway through the third when they looked like doing us by 120 or so.

Will anyone actually bother going to Etihad next week?

Lucky to be working next week.

The only positive is that our best were new players ( apart from Jones ). Tyson, Vince and Michie were good. If we do as well out of next years draft and cut a heap of dead wood some improvement good come - or may be I'm delusional.

I really have no feeling about the loss.

I'm not angry, annoyed or frustrated.

I think the dees have finally helped me become unemotional about footy.

It's a sad day.

I am not even sad anymore. Week in week out we are deplorable. Can't kick, can't mark, can't tackle and no passion. That is what we get from professional footballer we support.

Just saw Viney limping in the change rooms with ice strapped to his right (I think) calf.

Sorry get confused with my left and right!