Saturday’s election night game in Perth between the West Coast Eagles and Melbourne represents 18th vs 15th which makes it a tough decision as to which party to favour. The Eagles have yet to break the ice under their new coach in Andrew McQualter who is the second understudy in a row to confront Demon Coach Simon Goodwin who was also winless until a fortnight ago.

On that basis, many punters might be considering to go with the donkey vote but I’ve been assigned with the task of helping readers to come to a considered opinion on this matter of vital importance across the nation.

It was almost a year ago that I wrote a preview here of the Demons’ away game against the Eagles (under the name William from Waalitj because it was Indigenous Round). 

I issued a warning that it was a danger game, based on my local knowledge that the home team were no longer easybeats and that they possessed a wunderkind generational player in Harley Reid who was capable of producing stellar performances playing among men a decade and more older than he. 

At the time, the Eagles already had two wins off the back of a couple of the young man’s masterclasses and they had recently given the Bombers a scare straight after their Anzac Day blockbuster draw against the then reigning premiers.

I also questioned the Demons for their slow starts and inability to put together four quarters of winning football. I still tipped them to win narrowly but I was scoffed at for my warning that they had a tough battle ahead of them. 

The result of the game turned out to be not only an utter humiliation for a team that looked sluggish and beaten for pace to lose by 35 points but it was a portent of things to come for a Melbourne that became a haunted football club for much of the remainder of season 2024 … and beyond. 

It should be noted that when the team arrived in WA for the equivalent game last year it was sitting in the top eight, with every reason to be confident of achieving a fourth consecutive top four finish. But in the interim, it fell from grace, ended up in the bottom six and lost the first five games of 2025. 

Although the Demons are on a two game winning streak, this is not the time for complacency and my warning from last year bears repeating for this clash. Goody and the club’s brains trust have learned the lessons of their Round 10 visit from last year and their mission on Saturday night is to not only ensure that this match up doesn’t turn into a repeat performance, but also that his team can exorcise the demons of that experience.

They are playing with greater confidence and with more fluidity in their ball movement coming out of defence and becoming less predictable in their attacking moves. They are well led by example from skipper Max Gawn who in recent weeks has reclaimed his crown as the best ruckman in the game right through to the experienced midfielders, up and comers like Trent Rivers and Jake Bowey and young guns like Caleb Windsor and two AFL Rising Star nominees over the first six weeks of the season in Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay. The return from suspension of Kozzy Pickett has been icing on the cake.

Meanwhile, the West Coast Eagles remain something of an enigma as a side that lacks experienced heads and that its younger players, like Reid, have been inconsistent and unreliable and only occasionally provide them with a glimmer of hope. 

While the Eagles are an outfit that should not be taken lightly on their home turf, Melbourne has enough members remaining from the team that tasted it’s moment of crowning glory at Optus Stadium in 2021, to bring home the four points.

On Saturday night, I’m voting: “One - Melbourne by 15 points”.

THE GAME

West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne at Optus Stadium, Saturday 3 May 2025 at 7.35pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall West Coast Eagles 38 wins Melbourne 21 wins 
At Optus Stadium West Coast Eagles 4 wins Melbourne 4 wins
Past five meetings West Coast Eagles 1 win Melbourne 4 wins 
The Coaches McQualter 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins 

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 17.10.112 defeated West Coast Eagles 8.10.58 at The MCG in Round 17, 2024

Melbourne came to the MCG with the intent of obliterating the embarrassment of their earlier defeat at the hands of West Coast at Optus Stadium and accomplished its mission with a great start, kicking seven first goal quarters to one and scoring a big nine goal win. Jacob van Rooyen starred with four goals which could have been a lot more but for the extra ruck duties due to an injury to Max Gawn. Trent Rivers and Caleb Windsor were major contributors.

THE TEAMS 

WEST COAST EAGLES 

B R. Maric, J. McGovern, L. Baker

HB L. Duggan, O. Allen, J. Hunt

C B Hough, T. Kelly, B. Allen

HF M. Owies, J. Waterman, J. Graham

F J. Cripps, A. Reid, L. Ryan

FOLL M. Flynn, J. Hutchinson, H. Reid

I/C T. Brockman, R. Ginbey, E. Hewitt, J. Williams SUB T. Cole

EMG H. Davis, T. Gross, J. Williams

IN B.Allan, T.Brockman, T. Kelly

OUT H. Davis (omitted), T. Dewar (omitted), N. Long (omitted)

MELBOURNE

B J. Bowey, S. May, T. Rivers

HB J. McVee, T. McDonald, C. Windsor

C T. Sparrow, J. Viney, X. Lindsay

HF K. Tholstrup, J. Melksham, E. Langdon

F K. Chandler, B. Fritsch, K. Pickett

FOLL M. Gawn, C. Petracca, H. Langford

I/C H. Petty, C. Salem, C Spargo, D. Turner SUB H. Sharp

EMG B. Howes, B. Laurie, J. van Rooyen

IN: J. Melksham, D. Turner

OUT: T. Fullarton (omitted), C. Oliver (personal)

Injury List: Round 8

Jake Melksham — leg / available

Daniel Turner — concussion / test 

Marty Hore — calf / 3 weeks

Jake Lever — ankle / 4 - 5 weeks 

Shane McAdam — Achilles / next season

Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / next season 

At my stage of life there is no point in ratting now, so I vote 1 Demons too.