Masten hurt as Eagles belt Saints
West Coast gets a big win over St Kilda but it comes at a cost with midfielder Chris Masten set to miss the start of the finals after injuring his right hamstring.
PT1M30S 620 349WEST COAST 4.4 7.7 13.14 18.17 (125) ST KILDA 2.1 3.5 4.5 4.6 (30)
Goals: West Coast: M LeCras 4, J Kennedy 3, N Naitanui 3, A Gaff 2, J Darling 2, C Sinclair, E Yeo, J Cripps, J Hill. St Kilda: J Bruce 2, B Murdoch, H Goddard.
BEST: West Coast: A Gaff, N Naitanui, M Priddis, M LeCras, J McGovern, M Hutchings. St Kilda: J Montagna, D Armitage, S Ross, J Steven, J Newnes, S Fisher.
Injuries: West Coast: C Masten (hamstring). St Kilda: D Minchington replaced in selected side by J Sinclair.
Umpires: Ben Ryan, Jeff Dalgleish, Chris Kamolins.
Official Crowd: 36,165 at Domain Stadium.
Perth West Coast confirmed a first West Australian quinella, , finally cementing second spot with a 95-point win over St Kilda at Domain Stadium on Saturday night.
West Coast's Shannon Hurn handballs as Sam Gilbert of the Saints flings out a hand to try and intercept the ball. Photo: Getty Images
The Eagles warmed up for the finals by kicking 11 of the 12 goals booted in the second half, claiming their biggest win over the Saints and restricting them to their lowest score of the season.
It was also West Coast's biggest win of the season and 12th by 50 points or more.
The victory ensures both qualifying finals will be played in Perth next weekend, with top side Fremantle hosting Sydney at Domain Stadium on Saturday.
Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui gets the ball away. Photo: Getty Images
But the Eagles look certain to have to prepare for their clash with Hawthorn on Friday night without midfielder Chris Masten after he was subbed out of the game against the Saints midway through the second term with what appeared to be a right hamstring injury.
Key defender Jeremy McGovern also continued his recent struggles with injury, leaving the game with five minutes remaining, favouring the same left shoulder he injured in the loss to Adelaide last week. The Eagles played the last two minutes with just 17 players on the ground.
Playing his first game back after a two week suspension for biting Fremantle's Nick Suban in round 20, Masten had 10 possessions and kicked two behinds before being subbed out.
His injury opens the door for Scott Selwood or Pat McGinnity to return and either or both could be pulled out of East Perth's first semi-final in the WAFL on Sunday.
West Coast go into the finals with 9.5 wins from their past 12 games; and 16.5 victories for the season, the most they have achieved since winning 17 home and away games in their premiership year of 2006.
And their key players are in pretty good form.
Reigning Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis must be a chance of claiming the award again after another outstanding season and he had another 35 possessions on Sunday, while Andrew Gaff was also good with 36.
Nic Naitanui was outstanding in the ruck, with 30 hit-outs, 16 possessions and three goals.
And forwards Mark LeCras, Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling booted nine goals among them.
West Coast did their best to douse any challenge the Saints were prepared to fire at them early.
Leigh Montagna, Jack Newnes and David Armitage did their best to stem the flow, but as the game went on the home side gained in confidence.
There were early signs that the margin could blow out.
At half-time West Coast had turned their 15-point quarter-time lead to 26 points, despite kicking seven points without a goal.
The problem for the Saints was that at the main break, they had managed only 3.5, one point less than what the Eagles had kicked in the first 11 minutes of the game.
The Eagles had managed 14 scoring shots from 21 inside 50 entries, but had an inaccurate 7.7 on the board.
And at half-time Coleman medallist Kennedy hadn't had a kick – he was kept quiet by Sam Fisher – and between him and Jack Darling hadn't taken a mark, or kicked a goal.
But within three minutes of the second half and with Saints defender Hugh Goddard also subbed off with a leg injury, both Eagles key forwards had taken marks and had shots on goal.
While both missed, Kennedy intercepted a Luke Dunstan lazy kick backwards to boot the first goal of the second half.
His second came just two minutes later and the margin blew out to 40 points.
Kennedy kicked three goals to finish the home and away season with 75 goals to claim the club's second Coleman Medal after Scott Cummings, who booted 88 goals in 1999.
The Saints Josh Bruce passed a goal kicking milestone of his own, the 23-year-old's second goal (his side's fourth) which came at the 13-minute mark of the third term, was his 50th for the season.
Unfortunately, his side didn't add another goal after that.
