2018 West Coast Eagles season

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West Coast Eagles
2018 season
Australian rules footballers in a team huddle
Team huddle in round 5
CoachAdam Simpson
(5th season)
Captain(s)Shannon Hurn
(4th season)
Home groundOptus Stadium
AFL season2nd
Best and FairestElliot Yeo
Leading goalkickerJack Darling (48)
Highest home attendance100,022 vs. Collingwood (Grand Final)
Lowest home attendance46,854 vs Western Bulldogs (round 18)
Club membership80,290
← 2019 →

The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2018 season was their 32nd season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their fifth season under coach Adam Simpson, and their fourth season with Shannon Hurn as captain. The West Coast Eagles finished the season with 16 wins and 6 losses, placing them second on the ladder, qualifying for the 2018 AFL finals series. They would go on to win the Grand Final by 5 points against Collingwood.

Background[]

Male footballer about to kick a ball
Male football coach walking
Luke Shuey (captain) and Adam Simpson (coach)

The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). They finished the 2017 home-and-away season eighth on the ladder. The were eliminated in the semi finals.

Shannon Hurn was the team's captain in 2018 for a fourth consecutive year.[1] Adam Simpson was the team's senior coach.

West Coast had 80,290 members in 2018, a 23.40% increase on 2017 numbers.[2]

Playing list[]

2017 off-season changes[]

Statistics[]

Playing list and statistics[3]
Player No. Games Goals Behinds Kicks Handballs Disposals Marks Tackles Notes/Milestone(s)
Liam Ryan 1 13 20 15 113 37 150 37 25 AFL debut (round 1)
Mark LeCras 2 23 32 21 230 101 331 89 70
Andrew Gaff 3 19 12 4 339 244 583 100 56
Dom Sheed 4 18 8 7 231 182 413 72 33
Brad Sheppard 5 23 0 1 253 120 373 148 53
Elliot Yeo 6 25 14 15 390 225 615 129 167
Chris Masten 7 24 7 5 274 190 464 140 42
Jack Redden 8 25 10 4 351 277 628 140 118
Nic Naitanui 9 15 6 5 82 81 163 25 64
Jarrod Brander 10 1 0 1 5 0 5 3 1 AFL debut (round 13)
Oscar Allen 12 2 0 1 13 8 21 8 5 AFL debut (round 16)
Luke Shuey 13 20 6 7 257 219 476 63 97
Liam Duggan 14 24 2 2 291 116 407 115 49
Jamie Cripps 15 25 38 18 249 149 398 122 97
Eric Mackenzie 16 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Josh Kennedy 17 14 43 20 117 38 155 68 28
Daniel Venables 18 15 9 9 75 69 144 42 38
Nathan Vardy 19 10 7 4 37 44 81 26 29
Jeremy McGovern 20 24 6 2 259 97 356 169 31
Jack Petruccelle 21 3 2 0 7 9 16 3 3 AFL debut (round 6)
Hamish Brayshaw 22 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Lewis Jetta 23 20 1 1 227 101 328 91 32
Luke Partington 24 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Shannon Hurn 25 25 1 2 430 101 531 196 44
Francis Watson 26 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Rookie
Jack Darling 27 21 48 27 188 88 276 129 50
Tom Cole 28 21 0 1 151 124 275 73 51
Scott Lycett 29 25 10 10 167 145 312 69 83
Jackson Nelson 30 10 0 2 79 21 100 36 8
Will Schofield 31 12 0 0 64 28 92 40 16
Ryan Burrows 32 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Rookie
Brayden Ainsworth 33 3 1 0 27 14 41 10 13 AFL debut (round 8)
Mark Hutchings 34 20 9 5 212 130 342 69 87
Josh Rotham 35 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Fraser McInnes 36 3 1 3 15 10 25 9 8 Rookie
Tom Barrass 37 19 0 0 193 49 242 124 15
Kurt Mutimer 38 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Malcolm Karpany 39 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Tony Olango 40 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Rookie
Brendon Ah Chee 41 8 2 5 54 55 109 30 25 West Coast debut (round 8)
Tarir Bayok 42 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Rookie
Matthew Allen 43 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Willie Rioli 44 24 28 14 182 90 272 77 63 AFL debut (round 2)
Jake Waterman 45 16 13 12 118 60 178 75 23 AFL debut (round 1)
Callan England 46 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Rookie

Season summary[]

West Coast started the 2018 season by facing Sydney in the first AFL match at the newly opened Perth Stadium (known under sponsorship as Optus Stadium). The Eagles lost that match by 29 points.[4] West Coast would then go on to win their next 10 matches, the most notable of which was against Richmond at Optus Stadium in round 9. Richmond were the reigning premiers, and ladder leaders at the time, having lost just one game, and were ahead of West Coast on the ladder by percentage only. The Eagles managed to win that game by 47 points, putting West Coast first on the ladder and in serious contention for the premiership.[5]

After their round 12 bye, West Coast lost the next three matches against Sydney, Essendon and Adelaide.[6] West Coast broke their streak of bad games by beating Greater Western Sydney in round 16. This was followed by wins against Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, a loss against North Melbourne in Hobart, and a win against Fremantle in the season's second Western Derby. During the Derby, Eagles midfielder Andrew Gaff made an unprovoked and off-the-ball punch on Fremantle's Andrew Brayshaw, breaking his jaw. Gaff was criticised for this on social media and figures in the AFL world.[7] Gaff received an eight match suspension for this punch.[8]

The following week after the Western Derby, West Coast beat Port Adelaide after Jeremy McGovern kicked a goal after the siren. West Coast did not have the lead at any point during the match, and came from four goals down to win the game. This was the second time in a year within a year that West Coast beat Port Adelaide with a goal after the siren, the first being an elimination final in 2017.[9] West Coast would then lose the second last match of the season to Melbourne, and win the last match against Brisbane Lions. At the end of the season, West Coast were second on the ladder, only behind Richmond. This qualified West Coast to have two home finals.[10]

Their first final was a qualifying final against Collingwood. The Eagles came from 10 points down at three quarter time to win by 16 points.[11] This sent West Coast into a preliminary final two weeks later against Melbourne. In the match, West Coast thrashed Melbourne by 66 points. In the first half, Melbourne scored no goals, the first time this happened in a final since 1927.[12] This win sent West Coast into the 2018 AFL Grand Final against Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In the first quarter of the grand final, West Coast trailed by as much as 29 points, as Collingwood kicked the opening five goals. From there, the Eagles clawed back the margin back to zero by three quarter time. In the final quarter, the Magpies kicked two early goals, leaving much of the rest of the quarter for the Eagles to be trailing. With two minutes remaining, and West Coast four points down, Dom Sheed kicked the winning goal from the boundary. The Grand Final finished with West Coast winning their fourth AFL premiership.[13]

Results[]

Regular season results[10]
Round Day Date Result Score Opponent Score Ground Attendance Ladder
G B T G B T
1 Sunday 25 March Lost 13 8 86 Sydney 18 7 115 Optus Stadium H 53,553 14th
2 Sunday 1 April Won 18 13 121 Western Bulldogs 9 16 70 Etihad Stadium A 22,868 8th
3 Sunday 8 April Won 14 11 95 Geelong 11 14 80 Optus Stadium H 54,535 5th
4 Saturday 14 April Won 21 13 139 Gold Coast 9 5 59 Optus Stadium H 51,774 2nd
5 Saturday 21 April Won 10 19 79 Carlton 10 9 69 Melbourne Cricket Ground A 27,900 2nd
6 Sunday 29 April Won 13 11 89 Fremantle 12 9 81 Optus Stadium A 56,521 2nd
7 Saturday 5 May Won 16 6 102 Port Adelaide 9 6 60 Optus Stadium H 50,516 2nd
8 Saturday 12 May Won 12 14 86 Greater Western Sydney 8 13 61 Spotless Stadium A 9,253 2nd
9 Sunday 20 May Won 20 10 130 Richmond 12 11 83 Optus Stadium H 57,616 1st
10 Sunday 27 May Won 11 9 75 Hawthorn 9 6 60 Etihad Stadium A 28,077 1st
11 Saturday 2 June Won 16 5 101 St Kilda 14 4 88 Optus Stadium H 54,188 1st
12 Bye 1st
13 Friday 15 June Lost 7 15 57 Sydney 10 12 72 Sydney Cricket Ground A 36,402 2nd
14 Thursday 21 June Lost 6 16 52 Essendon 12 8 80 Optus Stadium H 51,409 3rd
15 Saturday 30 June Lost 12 6 78 Adelaide 12 16 88 Adelaide Oval A 44,771 3rd
16 Sunday 8 July Won 13 8 86 Greater Western Sydney 10 15 75 Optus Stadium H 52,105 3rd
17 Sunday 15 July Won 15 12 102 Collingwood 9 13 67 Melbourne Cricket Ground A 53,439 2nd
18 Sunday 22 July Won 14 16 100 Western Bulldogs 6 10 46 Optus Stadium H 46,854 2nd
19 Sunday 29 July Lost 6 5 41 North Melbourne 12 9 81 Blundstone Arena A 11,176 2nd
20 Sunday 5 August Won 21 16 142 Fremantle 13 6 84 Optus Stadium H 57,375 2nd
21 Saturday 11 August Won 9 8 62 Port Adelaide 9 4 58 Adelaide Oval A 32,534 2nd
22 Sunday 19 August Lost 14 7 91 Melbourne 16 12 108 Optus Stadium H 55,824 2nd
23 Sunday 26 August Won 14 14 98 Brisbane Lions 11 6 72 The Gabba A 16,367 2nd
QF Saturday 8 September Won 12 14 86 Collingwood 10 10 70 Optus Stadium H 59,585 N/A
PF Saturday 22 September Won 18 13 121 Melbourne 7 13 55 Optus Stadium H 59,608
GF Saturday 29 September Won 11 13 79 Collingwood 11 8 74 Melbourne Cricket Ground H 100,022

Ladder[]

Pos Team
 Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 Richmond 22 18 4 0 2143 1574 136.1 72 2018 finals
2 West Coast (P) 22 16 6 0 2012 1657 121.4 64
3 Collingwood 22 15 7 0 2046 1699 120.4 60
4 Hawthorn 22 15 7 0 1972 1642 120.1 60
5 Melbourne 22 14 8 0 2299 1749 131.4 56
6 Sydney 22 14 8 0 1822 1664 109.5 56
7 Greater Western Sydney 22 13 8 1 1898 1664 114.1 54
8 Geelong 22 13 9 0 2045 1554 131.6 52
9 North Melbourne 22 12 10 0 1950 1790 108.9 48
10 Port Adelaide 22 12 10 0 1780 1654 107.6 48
11 Essendon 22 12 10 0 1932 1838 105.1 48
12 Adelaide 22 12 10 0 1941 1865 104.1 48
13 Western Bulldogs 22 8 14 0 1575 2037 77.3 32
14 Fremantle 22 8 14 0 1556 2041 76.2 32
15 Brisbane Lions 22 5 17 0 1825 2049 89.1 20
16 St Kilda 22 4 17 1 1606 2182 73.6 18
17 Gold Coast 22 4 18 0 1308 2182 59.9 16
18 Carlton 22 2 20 0 1353 2282 59.3 8
Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Awards[]

West Coast had four players in the 2018 All-Australian team. They were Andrew Gaff, Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ "Shannon Hurn revealed as West Coast Eagles captain for 2018 season". The West Australian. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  2. ^ Waterworth, Ben. "AFL club membership numbers 2018: Over 1 million members, Richmond surpasses six figures". Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  3. ^ "2018 Player Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  4. ^ Johnston, Greig. "Sydney Swans beat West Coast Eagles in first AFL game at Optus Stadium". Perth Now. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  5. ^ McGarry, Andrew. "What did we learn from West Coast's win over Richmond?". ABC News. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  6. ^ Balmer, Matt. "Adelaide defeat West Coast: Tex's 'stunning' final quarter keeps the Crows' season alive". Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  7. ^ "AFL Match Review for Round 20: Andrew Gaff referred to tribunal, plenty of fines". Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  8. ^ Beveridge, Riley. "Season over: Gaff cops massive ban". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  9. ^ "AFL round 21: West Coast Eagles beat Port Adelaide Power at Adelaide Oval". The Australian. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "2018 Season Scores and Results". AFL Tables. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  11. ^ King, Travis. "Match report: Eagles into prelim after classic". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ^ King, Travis. "Match report: Eagles destroy Dees, reach GF". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  13. ^ McGarry, Andrew. "AFL grand final: West Coast beats Collingwood by five points at the MCG in classic decider". ABC News. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  14. ^ Laughton, Max. "AFL All-Australian team 2018: Lance Franklin joins all-time greats as captain in eighth appearance". Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 April 2021.

External links[]

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