While it didn’t necessarily serve as an omen for this match, it wasn’t the sort of sign the Eagles were hoping for coming into a 2011 season where they are desperately hoping for a better run with injury as they attempt to get off the bottom of the ladder.
Key defender Eric Mackenzie will be crucial to West Coast's back-line this year, but he didn’t take his place in the side after injuring his hamstring in the warm-up (Brett Jones replaced him). Needless to say, with full-back Darren Glass already absent, it was not the start the Eagles were after.
MOMENT THAT HURT
The Matera name is among the most famous in the history of the West Coast Eagles with Peter, Phil and Wally all playing with the club, and Peter and Phil anointed as champions. Therefore, when Wally's son Brandon kicked his first goal midway through the second quarter to put Gold Coast in front for the first time in the game, it had a little extra sting in the tail for the Eagles' faithful.
HERO
A West Coast team with a fully fit Dean Cox carrying the ruck division is a completely different outfit and he now appears fully over his groin troubles. He had a huge game again with 16 possessions, seven marks, 23 hit-outs and two goals. Combined with Nic Naitanui, who can help out in the ruck, rest forward and even spend some time as a ruck rover, there's reason for Eagle excitement.
GOAT
Harley Bennell ended up playing well for Gold Coast, kicking two goals while impressing up forward, but he didn’t start in a blaze of glory when he pounced on a loose ball and tried to be too cute by attempting a sort of half scissor-kick in mid-air. His coach Guy McKenna gave him a serve as a result at quarter-time and he responded to play well from there.
BY NUMBERS
15 - the number of centimetres Gold Coast full-back Karmichael Hunt was conceding when he picked up the towering Nic Naitanui.
17 - the centimetres he was giving up on Dean Cox who was rotating with Naitanui between the ruck and full-forward.
THE DECISION
It is seemingly always the retaliator who gets caught in any confrontation in sport and it was again the case that led to Callum Wilson kicking a goal for West Coast to extend their lead back out to 15 points during the third quarter.
Wilson laid a big tackle on Nathan Krakouer and had him holding the ball, but gave him a little to go on with when the former Power player was on the deck. Krakouer was understandably unhappy and took on both Wilson and Matt Priddis, but that only saw him give away a 50-metre penalty and a goal.
LOST IN COMMENTARY
Fox Sports' Brian Taylor wanted more evidence when it was revealed that one of the network's cameramen had coached new West Coast draftee Jack Darling in his junior days in the West Perth zone. Taylor was quick to point out that the cameraman's word was not enough and he required hard evidence before he believed. Stay tuned to see if the cameraman fronts up with that evidence in the coming weeks.
THE MOMENT THEY SHOULD REPLAY
West Coast fans might have only seen Mark LeCras for about half of this NAB Cup series so far, but he showed a glimpse of why he's so crucial to their set up with a mercurial goal in the opening five minutes. He crumbed it in the forward pocket and dribbled it home in a fashion that only the best can do.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
