Not that the other Buddy is done with yet, but he has a rival over in the west in West Coast's Jack Darling who looks ready to take the AFL by storm. Still just 21, he was the most dangerous player on the ground in a match of high intensity between third and fourth at Patersons Stadium. He has real pace, height, strength and a booming right boot. The sky's the limit.

 

The clash had the hallmarks of a holiday looming for Eagles skipper Darren Glass when he left the ground and collected Chad Wingard forcefully front-on midway through the last term. Wingard got the free kick and booted the goal but the Match Review Panel will have the final say on Monday. Glass' best defence may be that it was a total accident, simply a mistimed jump at a marking contest.

 

You'd think the half-time break would give a player enough of a break to go again for a while at the start of the third term, but not Matt Priddis. After winning the initial centre clearance of the second half, the West Coast hardman ran straight to the bench, having lasted just 30 seconds before being 'rotated'. In his defence, the Eagles were a midfielder down after Xavier Ellis was subbed out in the first term with a calf injury.

 

His run-up is a minestrone but Josh Kennedy's kicking is anything but parmesan cheese, in fact he is generally a dead-eye dick. However, the big Eagle's radar was off on Saturday night. Two behinds from close range were followed by another in the second term before he finally hit the target. But he ended the night with 1.5. His season return before the game was 9.4 from four games.

 

We all make mistakes and umpire bashing is not cool but the decision that handed Hamish Hartlett the first goal of the final term was not the most memorable for umpire Nick Foot. Not only did Eric Mackenzie get the first two hands on it, he might have touched it again before Hartlett came down with it. Oops.