TonyK
CibbuanoEagles upset Saints
July 26th 2008 09:28
WEST COAST has snapped a seven-game losing streak and in the process dealt a blow to St Kilda's top-four hopes with a 17-point win at Subiaco Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles worked their way back into the contest after a sluggish start before steamrolling the Saints in the final term to record an impressive 15.13 (103) to 12.14 (86) victory.
The Saints now find themselves six premiership points adrift of fourth-placed Sydney who play Adelaide at the SCG tonight. St Kilda is now in danger of dropping outside the top eight if the Crows and North Melbourne win later in the round.
The loss was made worse for St Kilda with key defender Max Hudghton suffering a thigh injury in the first term. He took no further part in the match.
Brent Staker was influential in the middle for West Coast with 22 disposals and three goals, including a team-lifting one from 50m after taking four bounces at the 19-minute mark of the second term.
Promising youngster Brad Ebert was also damaging with 25 possessions and three majors. Quinten Lynch (28 touches) and Michael Braun (27 possessions) were busy contributors while Mark LeCras chimed in with four majors.
For St Kilda, skipper Nick Riewoldt booted five goals in his 150th AFL game while Lenny Hayes (31 possessions) tried hard all day.
Riewoldt was proving to be too much to handle for youngster Matthew Spangher in the first term but he failed to make the most of his opportunities in front of goal, booting a wayward 1.3.
The Eagles made the Saints pay for their wastefulness in front of goal with majors from Staker and Ebert to reduce the deficit to just 14 points at quarter-time.
St Kilda pulled away again early in the second term with majors from Riewoldt and Stephen Milne extending the lead out to 26 points.
But the West Coast midfield lifted and started to win their fair share of the football at the stoppages as they slammed on the last four goals of the term to close to within one-point at the main break.
St Kilda started the third term brightly, booting goals through Luke Ball and David Armitage to skip out to a handy break.
But the Eagles hit back with three of the next four to take a two-point lead into the final change.
West Coast should have been further in front at three-quarter time but failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, booting a wasteful 3.6.
LeCras kicked the crucial first goal of the final term but the Saints hit back through Riewoldt to level the scores at the eight-minute mark.
It looked as if the contest would go down to the wire but a 65m bomb from Lynch sparked a run of goals that sealed West Coast's third win of the season.
WEST COAST: 2.3, 6.5, 9.11, 15.13 (103)
ST KILDA: 4.5, 6.6, 9.9, 12.14 (86)
GOALS: West Coast: LeCras 4, Ebert 3, Staker 3, McKinley, Seaby,Lynch, S. Selwood, Nicoski
St Kilda: Riewoldt 5, Milne 2, Montagna, Goddard, Ball, Armitage, Gram
BEST: West Coast: Staker, Ebert, Braun, Mackenzie, Lynch, Nicoski, Wilkes
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Hayes, Goddard, Eddy, Milne
INJURIES: West Coast:
St Kilda: Hudghton (thigh),
UMPIRES: Nicholls, Kamolins, Ellis
REPORTS: nil
CHANGES: nil
CROWD: 34,037 at Subiaco Oval
The Eagles worked their way back into the contest after a sluggish start before steamrolling the Saints in the final term to record an impressive 15.13 (103) to 12.14 (86) victory.
The Saints now find themselves six premiership points adrift of fourth-placed Sydney who play Adelaide at the SCG tonight. St Kilda is now in danger of dropping outside the top eight if the Crows and North Melbourne win later in the round.
The loss was made worse for St Kilda with key defender Max Hudghton suffering a thigh injury in the first term. He took no further part in the match.
Brent Staker was influential in the middle for West Coast with 22 disposals and three goals, including a team-lifting one from 50m after taking four bounces at the 19-minute mark of the second term.
Promising youngster Brad Ebert was also damaging with 25 possessions and three majors. Quinten Lynch (28 touches) and Michael Braun (27 possessions) were busy contributors while Mark LeCras chimed in with four majors.
For St Kilda, skipper Nick Riewoldt booted five goals in his 150th AFL game while Lenny Hayes (31 possessions) tried hard all day.
Riewoldt was proving to be too much to handle for youngster Matthew Spangher in the first term but he failed to make the most of his opportunities in front of goal, booting a wayward 1.3.
The Eagles made the Saints pay for their wastefulness in front of goal with majors from Staker and Ebert to reduce the deficit to just 14 points at quarter-time.
St Kilda pulled away again early in the second term with majors from Riewoldt and Stephen Milne extending the lead out to 26 points.
But the West Coast midfield lifted and started to win their fair share of the football at the stoppages as they slammed on the last four goals of the term to close to within one-point at the main break.
St Kilda started the third term brightly, booting goals through Luke Ball and David Armitage to skip out to a handy break.
But the Eagles hit back with three of the next four to take a two-point lead into the final change.
West Coast should have been further in front at three-quarter time but failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, booting a wasteful 3.6.
LeCras kicked the crucial first goal of the final term but the Saints hit back through Riewoldt to level the scores at the eight-minute mark.
It looked as if the contest would go down to the wire but a 65m bomb from Lynch sparked a run of goals that sealed West Coast's third win of the season.
WEST COAST: 2.3, 6.5, 9.11, 15.13 (103)
ST KILDA: 4.5, 6.6, 9.9, 12.14 (86)
GOALS: West Coast: LeCras 4, Ebert 3, Staker 3, McKinley, Seaby,Lynch, S. Selwood, Nicoski
St Kilda: Riewoldt 5, Milne 2, Montagna, Goddard, Ball, Armitage, Gram
BEST: West Coast: Staker, Ebert, Braun, Mackenzie, Lynch, Nicoski, Wilkes
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Hayes, Goddard, Eddy, Milne
INJURIES: West Coast:
St Kilda: Hudghton (thigh),
UMPIRES: Nicholls, Kamolins, Ellis
REPORTS: nil
CHANGES: nil
CROWD: 34,037 at Subiaco Oval
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