Game Day Round 4 - Kochie's Koch-heads vs. West Coast Fumblers - June 27, 11.45am @ Metricon Stadium

[TY24]

Well, shit.

That’s what most of us Eagles fans have been saying on loop since footy returned to burden grace our television sets once more.

Since taking a huge L for the rest of the competition and relocating to Queensland - probably the worst state for us to play 4 consecutive away fixtures in hindsight - we’ve played 2, and been handsomely embarrassed in 2.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. For this week, we encounter a team we’ve made a habit of taking the piss out of lately. Kochie’s Koch-heads. The Port Adelaide Power. That team that everyone says is going to surge into the top 4 every year but never seem to be able to string it together.

This is a fixture that, of late, has been dominated by the away team.

There’s a bit of history and tension here, we can probably trace it back to our Round 9 clash in 2016 when Tom Jonas gave Andrew Gaff the peoples elbow.



To give you an idea of the sort of club the Power are, Tom Jonas was rewarded for almost killing another player by being named captain of this once proud club. I guess that’s what you would expect from a club whose chairman finds it appropriate to make slavery jokes on live national breakfast television.




Things escalated between these clubs when the 2017 elimination final rolled around, when Luke “Clutch” Shuey punished Charlie Dixon’s butchering of the football with a goal after the siren in extra time to send the Eagles on to inevitable defeat at the hands of the GIANTS.



Dixon played what should’ve been the game of his career, with 23 disposals, 7 marks, 4 tackles and 3 goals from the big man. The only blemish? The 6 behinds he kicked, many of which were absolute sitters.


6 behinds in a game you lost after the siren. That must hurt.


Fast forward to 2018. Nic Naitanui gets suspended for not being able to do QUIKMAFS on the field when executing a bone crunching - yet perfectly legal - tackle on Port youngster Karl Amon.



But, this isn’t the 2018 fixture we remember. We remember the return fixture, at West Coast’s Port’s home ground, the Adelaide Oval. (I’m hearing reports that Kochie has requested all Port home fixtures against us be moved to CHYNA, they might win one there).

This is where West Coast quite possibly became the first team to win a game of football despite not leading the game at all from start to finish.



McGovern’s flourbag deadeye finish after the siren saw West Coast take home the choccies without leading at all during live play, and cemented Port Adelaide’s position as the AFL’s serial choke artists.



Onya, Jezza.



Oh, and we did play them again last year, but we don’t need to talk about that.

Also, obligatory mention of the tarps lol #nevertearupourtarps


This is a must win fixture for us (understatement of the season). If we lose this, 2020 is a write off (if it isn’t already). We saw some better signs against in the first half against Brisbane but we were still off the pace by the length of Kochie’s nose. In the first half we at least saw some intent and passion from the boys, albeit with the skill execution of a group of toddlers. Expecting the lads to come out firing and play some hard, slick footy (gulp).

The lads will be hurting after back to back pantsings and will be eager to make amends. (I hope). Jez McGovern will be back and I expect we may see a few changes up forward as well given the performances Petrolleumjelly has put in of late. Treacy to debut? Hurn to return to form? Club to fold? Kochie to say the N word?

Season on the line lads, time to fire up and play some Eagles FootyTM

Prediction: West Coast by 2 points (after the siren, preferably).

LAST 5 FIXTURES:
R5 2019: WCE 8.5.53 def. by PA 13.17.95
R21 2018: PA 9.4.58 def. by WCE 9.8.62
R7 2018: WCE 16.6.102 def. PA 9.6.60
EF 2017: PA 10.16.76 def by WCE 12.6.78
R16 2017: WCE 13.10.88 def by PA 18.12.120

TEAMS:

WEST COAST EAGLES
B: B. Sheppard T. Barrass S. Hurn
HB: L. Jetta J. McGovern L. Duggan
C: A. Gaff E. Yeo D. Sheed
HF: B. Ah Chee J. Darling J. Redden
F: L. Ryan J. Kennedy J. Cripps
FOL: N. Naitanui T. Kelly L. Shuey (C)
I/C: J. Brander T. Cole T. Hickey J. Jones (debut)
EMG: J. Petruccelle J. Rotham J. Waterman W. Schofield


PORT ADELAIDE
B: T. McKenzie T. Clurey R. Bonner
HB: H. Harlett T. Jonas (C) D. Byrne-Jones
C: J. Westhoff O. Wines K. Amon
HF: S. Powell-Pepper T. Marshall C. Rozee
F: Z. Butters C. Dixon R. Gray
FOL: S. Lycett D. Houston T. Boak
I/C: K. Farrell B. Ebert S. Motlop T. Rockliff
EMG: M. Bergman J. Lienert M. Georgiades P. Ladhams

KOCHIE:
Still a ********.

​

 

[RookiePick]

Great Preview likely to be buried and forgotten under the sour taste of another arse whipping.

Port by 40+.

 

[guero]

Nice job TY, way to lose your previewginity.

Sunny day game, we got this. Eags to win by a prime number, I’m just not sure which one.

 

[RookiePick]

Nice job TY, way to lose your previewginity.

Sunny day game, we got this. Eags to win by a prime number, I’m just not sure which one.

M50 it is then. Bad luck Port.

 

[Shazzman]

Wow can't believe kochies Kock up, kochie is so lucky he didn't finish that joke otherwise he would/should be fired

 

[ChampRevesby]

The capitulation this week is going to be another embarrassment. This season is an adhoc mess in which the eventual winner will have an asterisk against its flag.

 

[Eastcoasteagle]

Surely the good news of today, will add some light at the end of the tunnel and spark something in them.

The issue is that Port are playing with supreme confidence (after beating 3 of the worst teams), they also played Metricon well and we play really poorly there. Our mids were horrible last week, I think most of them very sore (especially Shuey). So we are up against it, but if we could manage a win here it could spark the rest of the year.
Got a day game, just need it to not rain.

 

[bUCKET__]

The best time to play Port is after they look like they have a head full of steam and are running into some good form.

It's how you know they're about to choke and disappoint their fans.

Still, we need an answer for this club legend, Oscar won't cut it

 

[woosha24]

What I want to know is: Why is the team so sore after only 2 games and playing bruise-free soft **** footy? Its not like we've been tackling or running our arses off.

The Suns and Brisbane seem fine, and they've played the same grounds we have in the same conditions we have in the same timeframe we have. The only difference is we're getting in a bit of golf between games.

 

[RookiePick]

The best time to play Port is after they look like they have a head full of steam and are running into some good form.

It's how you know they're about to choke and disappoint their fans.

Still, we need an answer for this club legend, Oscar won't cut it

Surely the plan here is to get a pallet of West End into his room the day before the game.

 

[bUCKET__]

Surely the plan here is to get a pallet of West End into his room the day before the game.

that wouldn't wor-

 

[javaguice]

What I want to know is: Why is the team so sore after only 2 games and playing bruise-free soft **** footy? Its not like we've been tackling or running our arses off.

The Suns and Brisbane seem fine, and they've played the same grounds we have in the same conditions we have in the same timeframe we have. The only difference is we're getting in a bit of golf between games.

We've had too few carrying too much.

Lots of passengers.

Drinking their own bath water etc etc

I legit feel bad for nicnat and Shep. Those boys deserve better from their teammates.

Simmo will back the boys in an have his sacrificial lambs without accepting a few home truthes.

We will get a run on in the back half of the season, scrape into the 8 and maybe win a final.

My beer is calling me

 

[Balls In]

We had a great preseason and then 10 weeks on the couch. Port v Bulldogs at Optus in the GF!

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

I'm feeling quietly confident about this game.
1. Neutral ground. GC and Brisbane were away games against a top 4 side & potentially the surprise packet of the year in GC.
2. Port might be sitting 3-0 but their wins were against potentially the bottom two sides of 2020 (Crows & Dockers) and a rd1 win against a GC that played like the GC of 2019 not 2020.
3. Day game. We'll be more comfortable in warm & dry conditions.
4. With two bad games in a row, any delusions of how great we are will have washed away. I don't expect any complacency.
5. Lycett to be towelled up by NN as he had been for years in training. I'm certain he harbours a fear of NN borne out of years of getting his arse handed to him.

Am concerned that Gov won't recover from his ankle, and the apparent soreness of Shuey and Yeo's shoulder.

 

[JohnW]

West Coast by 5 goals +

 

[Rowan18]

I'm feeling quietly confident about this game.
1. Neutral ground. GC and Brisbane were away games against a top 4 side & potentially the surprise packet of the year in GC.
2. Port might be sitting 3-0 but their wins were against potentially the bottom two sides of 2020 (Crows & Dockers) and a rd1 win against a GC that played like the GC of 2019 not 2020.
3. Day game. We'll be more comfortable in warm & dry conditions.
4. With two bad games in a row, any delusions of how great we are will have washed away. I don't expect any complacency.
5. Lycett to be towelled up by NN as he had been for years in training. I'm certain he harbours a fear of NN borne out of years of getting his arse handed to him.

Am concerned that Gov won't recover from his ankle, and the apparent soreness of Shuey and Yeo's shoulder.

Im feelin upbeat too. Both teams seem to match up well, so it should be a close one. I feel that the last two shit-shows will mean the coaching panel are willing to mix things up, especially as Port smashed us last year

 

[MrKK]

Nice job TY, way to lose your previewginity.

Sunny day game, we got this. Eags to win by a prime number, I’m just not sure which one.

119?*

*technically semiprime

 

[Chris_6678]

I think the dynamic of Ports midfield in a dry game might make them a slow prospect with X out with his hammy.

Wines, Rockliff, Boak, SPP & Ebert are all big mids who suit wet conditions to a tee so i do hope we are switched on and run them off their feet.

They are also a tall team with Dixon, Marshell, Westoff & Lycett all that 199cm + playing forward or ruck.

So in saying that i would a 100% be bringing in another ruckman to wear down Lycett + their pinch hitters in Dixon Marshell.

 

[ukurrie]

Hi everyone.

Here's something I wrote about our current situation. I enjoy writing as a side hobby, so if you like this, please follow me @ Ukurrie on twitter and/or check out my wordpress site: www.redballrhetoric.com

If you like this kind of stuff, I will keep posting it.

West Coast’s moment of reckoning approaches earlier than anticipated
Saturday’s meeting with Port Adelaide is not quite a ‘must win’ game but it should be categorised as a ‘highly recommended win’ game, should that vernacular exist. For it to come in Round 4 instead of deep into the season, perhaps even deep into the finals, is what has caught most Eagles’ fans offside.
It was clear from the outset that isolating in a Queensland hub was not the way any team, let alone one who faces geographical and fixturing handicaps as par for the course, would have wanted to re-start a season. Especially considering this season will be more like a 10,000 metre race than the usual marathon.

Having said that, though, great sporting teams have garnered considerable success from embracing adversity, perceived or real. Jose Mourinho, the polarising football manager, has cemented himself in the pantheon of elite managers through finding scenarios to remind his team how the world was conspiring against them and it was them, only them, in those four walls who could change the narrative.

Mourinho did this to great effect at a number of clubs before overstaying his welcome, exhausting his team mentally, as he thrashed about, attempting to find an enemy, anyone!, who he could use to focus the players’ mind against.

It is a tactic with a short shelf life, but powerful in the right environment.

With this in mind, I was hopeful that the West Coast coach, Adam Simpson, would use the Gold Coast hub to circle the wagons and stoke the fires of unfairness to get a result on the ground. Despite his clear strengths as a coach and creating a family within the group, perhaps stoking aggression and anger does not strike to his skillset.

Maybe Simpson did try that approach partially or fully, but it’s clear it is not working.

Compounding this, West Coast’s public statements that they need certainty on a return date to WA is providing the verbal evidence of how the team is feeling alongside what our eyes are telling us when we watch that midfield get bullied out of yet another clearance. They just don’t want to be there.

If the team was winning, or at least competing, a firm stance on clarity on the hub end date would be in line with this proud organisation which is respected and admired as being amongst the most professional, methodical and deliberate of all. Even in Victoria, the media often comment that, of all the clubs, it is West Coast who offer the fewest excuses for any drop in performance.

However, with on and off the record comments on the hub being punctuated by miserable performances on the field, the players would not be human for seeing everything about their time on the Gold Coast in an anything other than a poisonous way.

Pundits and supporters of other clubs are also picking up on the Eagles’ mood. Some Dockers’ fans are enjoying comparing their club’s acceptance of the hub to West Coast’s, although this comparison is a little complex.

The demographic of the two clubs are remarkably different – the Eagles have 14 fathers in their group and Freo 4. Additionally, Fremantle’s 2020 season will be deemed successful based on a different narrative than West Coast’s. The Dockers will be seeking in game performance improvement and wins would be a welcomed outcome.

Whereas West Coast are firmly in their premiership window and would judge anything less than a Grand Final appearance as a disappointment. Results are even more crucial because, as 2019 showed, falling a place or two below your potential on the ladder can alter outcomes.

Given that the next set of games is due to be released, it is worth reflecting on how much influence West Coast, and their hub partners, could have had, and could continue to have, on the fixturing given it was they whom sacrificed their plans to re-start the season.

In hindsight, could West Coast have lobbied for their games against Brisbane, Gold Coast and Richmond to be during the day, when dew would have been less prevalent?

Maybe they did. Maybe the AFL refused on the grounds of maximising TV exposure, which would be understandable, especially for the Brisbane and Richmond matches, in this particular season. Maybe they didn’t try.

Maybe that would be letting West Coast, a flag favourite, off lightly for poor performances.

The club would do well to privately, forcefully, make their case to the WA government and the AFL to bring them relief from the hub, as they are right to do. Publicly, and to the playing group, they should be tight lipped and firmer, focussing only on things they can control.

Covid-19 cases in Victoria are reappearing and, not through a coincidence of timing, announcements have been made from WA that Optus Stadium will be able to host fans to its full capacity soon. Extra motivation should not be required but, like Stephen Bradbury in the 2002 Winter Olympics 1,000 meter speed skating final, all of a sudden the path to glory comes into view.

On the field, all is not lost. Another team, far from home, await for an – at the time of writing – dry afternoon match up at Metricon Stadium.

Port Adelaide have impressed, although experts would like to see a larger sample size than a pre-shutdown win over Gold Coast, a smashing of their reeling rivals Adelaide, and a solid performance against a Fremantle team who are not expected to trouble serious contenders this season.

Collingwood aside, no other premiership favourite has started strongly, so there is time, especially given the likelihood of a solid run at Optus Stadium later in the season. Looking further ahead, with the finals to be played in October, this increases the chances of a drier finals series. (A dry October is Melbourne is relative of course, but small variables, added up, do influence outcomes).

Premiership windows wait for no club and care not for hubs, fixturing, or dew. As the Tim Kelly trade showed, with the plethora of high draft picks leaving West Coast for Geelong, the Eagles clearly know this.

Saturday provides one of the last opportunities to circle the wagons, lock themselves in a room, and for Simpson to do his best impression of Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday and ask his players what they are going to do to change the narrative.

 

[DanWCE]

Hi everyone.

Here's something I wrote about our current situation. I enjoy writing as a side hobby, so if you like this, please follow me @ Ukurrie on twitter and/or check out my wordpress site: www.redballrhetoric.com

If you like this kind of stuff, I will keep posting it.

I read it on TheRoar. Nice piece

 

[ukurrie]

I read it on TheRoar. Nice piece

Nice one, thank you mate.

 

[jmahon2018]

This was an awsome preview! Keep em coming


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Biggie]

Another frustrating game of catch the slippery soap inbound for our lads.

Can’t wait for the WA hub

 

[FKASC]

Another frustrating game of catch the slippery soap inbound for our lads.

Can’t wait for the WA hub

40% chance of 1 mm. Fingers cross it stays the **** away

 

[Monocle]

Not looking forward to this game based on the two teams form.

Just hope we go in lubed up.



Because if we don't this will be needed after the game.