With the return of the club champion and the rising star this was meant to be the best version of West Coast in 2024. What eventuated was so far from it.
Pearce is a major reason for the Dockers’ resurgence up the ladder and push for a finals return,playing all 14 games this year.
The Dockers’ performance on Sunday was a strong response to the previous round’s thrashing,but their midfield needs to lift in this one area if they want to compete against top-of-the-ladder Sydney this week.
He’s been deemed best on ground in four of the last six clashes with the Dockers,and carved up 30 disposals and three goals at the weekend. So why didn’t Fremantle tag Marcus Bontempelli?
Contest and conversion. Win both and you’re sitting pretty. Win the first,lose the second,and you may get by. Lose the first and the second becomes vitally important. Lose both and you’re damned.
The Dockers’ utter domination of Melbourne shapes as a sliding doors moment in both teams’ seasons.
The current version of the Eagles can more appropriately be referred to as FIFO footballers:one-week on,one-week off. Meanwhile,the Dockers are handballing more than any other club in the league.
A surprise victory against a top-eight team,and set shot jitters:How WA’s teams performed in the AFL this round.
Liam Ryan is no longer the Liam Ryan we’ve come to know and expect since bursting onto the scene in the Eagles’ 2018 premiership year.
Former teammates of Fremantle and GWS player Cam McCarthy will play with heavy hearts this weekend as they mourn the tragic death of the key forward at the age of 29.
There was plenty to like about the Eagles’ first win of the season on Sunday,but the performance from a 25-year-old in his eighth season on the list stood out most.