West Coast v Essendon: Eagles soar as Bombers crash-land

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WEST COAST 2.5 7.7 9.8 14.12 (96)
ESSENDON 2.0 3.2 5.7 6.10 (46)
GOALS West Coast: LeCras 4, Kennedy 3, Darling 2, Gaff, Sinclair, Hill, Naitanui, Selwood. Essendon: Edwards 2, Goddard, Heppell, Melksham, Chapman.
BEST West Coast: LeCras, Priddis, Gaff, Schofield, Naitanui, Cripps. Essendon: Stanton, Merrett, Heppell, Goddard, Watson, Hibberd.
UMPIRES Donlon, McInerney, Armstrong.
CROWD 37,306 at Domain Stadium.

West Coast's 50-point win over Essendon at Domain Stadium on Saturday has probably ended the Bombers' chances of playing finals this season. Five losses in six weeks send the Bombers into their bye with a 4-7 record and Hawthorn waiting for them at the MCG in round 13.

Runaway winners: Matt Priddis of the Eagles kicks clear. Photo: Getty Images

Only one side has made it into the final eight after a 4-7 start since the 2000 season – West Coast, in 2004, winning nine of their last 11games to finish seventh. The Bombers don't look capable of turning their current form around to repeat that effort.

West Coast move back into second spot, for a day anyway, on the back of seven wins in eight weeks. They have lost just one home game this season, to the Dockers in the Derby.

With several players limping over the line against the Bombers though, they will do well to get up in time to meet Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.

The biggest concern will be for Jeremy McGovern, who was subbed out of the game at three-quarter-time with what appeared a corked thigh.

If they can beat the Tigers though, and after successful returns of Jack Darling (two goals) and Xavier Ellis (17 touches), and with Matt Rosa playing WAFL on Sunday, they will need to be taken seriously as premiership contenders – top four finishes at least.

But to do that they will need to sort out their yips in front of goal, which cost them against North Melbourne last week.

Their 2.5 in the first term let the Bombers off the hook on Saturday. But they reversed that to kick 5.2 in the second quarter and take a 29-point lead at half-time.

Their three goals in five minutes to start the final term took a 25-point three-quarter-time margin to a 43-point lead.

Two of those majors came from Coleman Medal leader Josh Kennedy who finished with 3.2. When Mark LeCras kicked his second for the quarter (and fourth for the game) midway the term, the Bombers fight had finally gone.

Essendon had shown glimpses of their best, certainly of what they have shown in the past month or so anyway, in the third term when they had 26 more possessions than the Eagles, but they could only convert that to 2.4 on the scoreboard.

They got the margin back to 19points and appeared capable of running on, but late goals to birthday boy Darling and Nic Naitanui hurt.

Essendon's intensity was up early too. They led the tackle count and went with their opposition for contested possessions in the first half.

But turnovers cruelled all of their positive effort.

Three goals to West Coast in five minutes before half-time, taking the margin to 29 points at the break, didn't help either.

And unlike the Eagles, when they went forward, they couldn't score. Essendon had the first five entries into their attacking in the first term and returned just 1.0.

Their other two goals in the first half were opportunistic snaps from the boots of debutant Shaun Edwards (2.1 and 17 touches in a handy game) and Paul Chapman.

Chapman's effort was the only goal scored by Essendon in the second term when they had just five journeys into attack.

Joe Daniher was blanketed by Will Schofield, finishing with one behind. The Bombers next best goal scorer this season, Jake Carlisle, spent most of the game in the ruck.

Essendon took just six marks in attack over four quarters; the Eagles 12.