West Coast Eagles boot late winner to edge GWS Giants in one-point thriller

WEST COAST 1.4  5.8  8.11  14.13 (97)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 3.3  6.7  12.10  14.12 (96)
GOALS – West Coast: Kennedy 3, Shuey 2, LeCras 2, Priddis 2, Naitanui 2, Sheppard, Sheed, Hutchings. Greater Western Sydney: Lobb 4, Smith 2, Patton 2, Griffen 2, Cameron, Johnson, Greene, Scully.
BEST – West Coast: Shuey, Naitanui, Priddis, Gaff, Yeo, Kennedy. Greater Western Sydney: Lobb, Greene, Shiel, Coniglio, Ward, Williams.

Injuries - Sydney: Adam Kennedy (concussion)

UMPIRES Stevic, Rosebury, Harris.
CROWD 10,385 at Spotless Stadium.

It remains to be seen whether Nic Naitanui's last-second goal on Saturday night for West Coast is merely a speed bump to the Giants' premiership credentials, or something more terminal.

Naitanui's heroics handed the Eagles a one-point win in a see-sawing contest at Spotless Stadium, a game GWS looked to have wrapped up less than two minutes earlier when backup ruckman Rory Lobb kicked his fourth to put the home side in front.

But like they had done all afternoon, the Eagles kept coming and forced the sixth and final lead change just as the siren blared, sparking wild celebrations from West Coast coach Adam Simpson.

With eight seconds on the clock, Naitanui rucked and then roved a throw-in before slamming the Sherrin on his left boot to kick one of the most memorable goals of his career. Naitanui had been on the bench with just five minutes left in the game, but Simpson made sure to throw his star man on when it counted.

GWS coach Leon Cameron meanwhile could only look on forlornly having watched his young side suffer a heartbreak not overly familiar to this fledgling footy club.

"It's a bit surreal at times to lose a game when you're five points up with eight seconds to go," Cameron said.

"I said to our players afterwards, be disappointed but don't be disheartened. They're last year's grand finalists, they're full strength and they're starting to get motoring and we nearly got them.

"It was a typical A-grade game.

"We got away, they pegged us back, they pegged us back. They got in front, they looked like they were going, we pegged them back.

"We're going to learn a lot from it, we've come a long way to play in those sorts of games.

"I'd much prefer to be playing in those games than games that you win by 10 goals or games that you lose by 10 goals."

The Giants were at their best and worst throughout the contest, clearly the best game Spotless Stadium has hosted.

At times they tore West Coast to shreds through the corridor, particularly late in the third quarter where five unanswered goals looked to have given them a winning advantage.

But there were too many times where basic skill errors and poor discipline let them down, allowing West Coast a passage back into the game.

The Eagles managed six goals to two in the final quarter, although not without controversy.

Their second came through Matt Priddis moments after Giant Adam Kennedy was slung to the ground by Simon Tunbridge and forced to leave on a stretcher with concussion. Tunbridge wasn't reported.

"They brought in a rule to pay a free kick on that," Cameron said.

"I didn't look at it in fast motion, I only looked at it in slow motion.

"He was a bit stunned. He's a tough kid, he's a tough player, always puts his body on the line.

"He's walking around now."

Naitanui's heroics followed an absorbing ruck battle against Shane Mumford, the Eagle winning the hit-out count 45 to 37 in just his second game back from injury.

Yet it was Lobb who proved the best player on the ground, with four huge contested marks backing up his bag of goals.

Lobb was linked with a move west this week, with Fremantle and the Eagles reportedly interested in his services, but he once again showed how crucial he is to the Giants' future.

Cameron was confident Lobb, contracted until the end of next season, would be a long-term player for GWS.

"His price has just gone up hasn't it," Cameron said.

"There's always going to be that sort of stuff at times when a player starts making his mark on any competition. Rory's pretty casual about it, he was a bit shocked by it. He clearly loves the footy club, he's really popular, the boys love him.

"He was outstanding [against West Coast], to play in the ruck, play on the wing, play on ball, play forward and kick four goals.

"He had a little knee issue in the Canberra game against Richmond and he did really well to get up for the Gold Coast game.

"He's a tower of strength and he's getting better every week."

The result means West Coast is now level with GWS and the Western Bulldogs on 56 points.

Geelong will leapfrog the Giants into the top four with a win on Sunday against Richmond.