West Coast had the home ground advantage against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday. And although they won by 54 points, they failed to make the most of their experience at Optus Stadium.
The Eagles kicked 14.16 to the Dogs 6.10 in windy conditions. But in a period of about 40 minutes when they dominated play, from the middle of the second quarter, they failed to take advantage, booting 1.9.
Kicking on: The Eagles celebrate claiming their 13th win of the season, after victory over the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in Perth.
Photo: AAP
Jack Darling was the biggest culprit with 0.3 to three-quarter-time, before he straightened up and kicked three goals in the last quarter.
Coach Adam Simpson said his side will need to handle the tricky conditions they will inevitably face in Hobart next Sunday if they want to beat North Melbourne.
“It looked tough, sitting behind the glass. But when our straight kickers are missing, I suppose you can put it down to conditions,” Simpson said.
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“It's important they adjust – we'll possibly face similar condition in the Tassie game this week.
“It doesn't happen often at AFL level, with the stadiums you play in. Adjusting to that is important.
“It didn't hurt us this week, but next week it might, so we have to get that right.”
Where Eagles dare: Coach Adam Simpson (centre) is eyeing off top spot on the premiership ladder.
Photo: AAP
As the Eagles look to cement second spot on the ladder and even have a crack at finishing top, they will be focussed on not allowing inaccuracies to cost them again. They have lost twice this season due to wayward kicking in front of goal.
In round 13, they posted 7.15 to lose to Sydney by 15 points, and followed that with a return of 6.16 in a 28-point loss to Essendon in round 14.
Despite those losses, the win over the Bulldogs sees the Eagles reach 13 wins and almost cement a spot in this seasons finals. Ladder leader Richmond is also on 13 wins.
The Eagles know that finishing as high as they can and earning home finals at Optus Stadium is crucial to their premiership chances.
“I think we have probably qualified for finals, which was our initial goal,” Simpson said.
“But we want to have a crack at top four, which is our next phase. We have five weeks to go as high as we can.
“Flip over to Hobart, a bit windy there, so we got a taste of that today, and that's our next challenge.
“There is going to be so much chop and change with the ladder positions; we'll just try hard not to look at it, or barrack for other teams.
“If we keep winning, we'll be ok.”
The Eagles run home is the Kangaroos (Hobart), Fremantle (home), Port Adelaide (Adelaide), Melbourne (home) and Brisbane (Gabba).
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