Game Chat – West Coast vs Melbourne

Written by The Salamander on March 22 2020

Where and when: Optus Stadium, Sunday March 22, 3.40pm AWST

Last time they met: Traeger Park, round 18, 2019: Melbourne 11.12 (78) lost to West Coast 14.7 (91)

What it means for West Coast: The Eagles haven’t had their best players available through the pre-season and they’ve looked rusty, to be kind. With Jack Darling (cheekbone), Jeremy McGovern (heel) and Josh Kennedy (elbow) overcoming hurdles, the Eagles will want to remind themselves how powerful this list is.

What it means for Melbourne: A gruelling summer under new performance manager Darren Burgess has sought to give the players confidence they can match it physically with anyone. They’ll find out if they can against a deep Eagles midfield that runs both ways.

The stat: West Coast rated 10th for centre bounce clearance differential in 2019 (-0.3). The Demons, meanwhile, ranked third (+1.4). It’ll be a crucial part of Sunday’s match-up, with ruckmen Nic Naitanui and Max Gawn vital to the chances of their respective teams.

The match-up: Elliot Yeo v Jack Viney

Both are contested bulls and both have a strong defensive side to their game. They will play similar roles on Sunday, winning the hard ball in the midfield and negating when they need to. Whoever does it better will go some way to determining the result.

In the spotlight: Tim Kelly and Max Gawn

Who else but the star recruit? Kelly showed glimpses through the Marsh Community Series, getting what he needed to out of the pre-season games. He’s worked hard on building chemistry with his new midfield teammates and now is the time to deliver.

Meanwhile, there have been injury concerns about the giant gnome during the pre-season, so SuperCoaches everywhere will be keen to see how he goes this afternoon.



The Salamander’s tip: West Coast by 15 points

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14 thoughts on “Game Chat – West Coast vs Melbourne”

  1. First time the wife hasn’t nagged me about footy. will sit down with some beer and soak this game in.
    Enjoy lads.

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  2. NO LATE CHANGES

    FINAL INTERCHANGES
    West Coast: Dom Sheed, Jarrod Brander, Tom Hickey, Jackson Nelson
    Essendon: Charlie Spargo, Angus Brayshaw, Toby Bedford, Jay Lockhart

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    1. Yes. Close to half time Nic Nat is on 66 and Gawn 42pts when Tog is 60% and 92% respectively. pple who started with NicNat , good move

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  3. HALF TIME
    Shannon Hurn 101
    Nic Naitanui 70
    Brad Sheppard 60
    Andrew Gaff 56
    Tim Kelly 42
    Elliot Yeo 30

    Jack Viney 110
    Christian Petracca 55
    Clayton Oliver 48
    Max Gawn 44
    Kysaiah Pickett 27
    Toby Bedford 26

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    1. Yeah. Don’t stress, MB.

      I was raging at myself all weekend about SC until today; season axed, doesn’t matter.

      I’m hoping they can just start fresh when it’s safe.

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      1. GD is the season just suspended or is it cancelled? Does that mean we will start with a new team next time?
        TU Suspended will resume after Covid
        TD Cancelled

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        1. It’s “postponed” until May 31st, they’re saying.

          Hard to see that happening though imo. Such an arbitrary date given the nature of the problem. When/if things do resume, is it really fair to just pick up from a R1 that was months ago? No continuity.

          We’ll see.

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          1. Hi GD, It seems like a hollow victory today for the Eagles,with the whole season being in a precarious position.

            With the AFL banning training sessions and out of state players allowed to go home, resumption of season looks forlorn. Who knows what is going to happen and how long for things to become “normal” if ever?

            The most important thing is players and staff’s health.
            And you.. look after yourselves and stay safe. Please don’t take any unnecessary risks.
            Take care.

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