Lots of Bomber mids get early touches after an Eagle centre clearance, Perkins marks a Parish pass 50m out on a slight angle and misses.
Langford roves 40m out on a slight angle and shoots, it rolls through but the ump called it touched off the boot for a point. (Q1 5:57)
Repeat inside 50s piling up for Essendon early but no space inside 50 for a mark yet. (Q1 7:03)
Duggan burns two chances inside 50, one too short from 30m and spoiled, the other hooked OOTF from 45m on the flank. (Q1 9:31)
Heppell starts a rebound around outer wing, Caldwell gets involved in the build up then runs forward to mark 35m out on the flank… but he also misses. (Q1 13:53)
Essendon struggling to hit a target going fast, Eagles struggling to get out of first gear when they attack. One side playing rugby, the other basketball. (Q1 15:37)
Allen’s first target inside 50 leads to a blocking free against Laverde 30m out on a slight angle. Oz belatedly kicks the first goal of the afternoon. (Q1 16:13)
Hewett roves a long Parish speculator to the square but gets stripped in a tackle by Bryan, he gives outside to Durham who wobbles through the first goal for the Dons. (Q1 18:48)
Wright draws a contact free on Rotham 15m out in front but shanks it to the left of the left goalpost by two metres. (Q1 22:22)
Guelfi can’t hold onto a Tsatas pass inside 50 that he really should have gobbled up, Eagles rebound up the guts through Allen, Hewett contests then volleys home from 20m! (Q1 24:54)
Wright misses to the left with a mark and play on from 55m on a slight angle. (Q1 25:31)
First goal of Q2 goes to Perkins, followed very quickly by one to Maric to restore West Coast’s slender lead. (Q2 7:32)
Perkins marks in front of two Eagles at half forward then passes to Langford 40m out on a slight angle for another lead-changing goal. (Q2 7:56)
Langford gets a set shot from the hotspot for a fairly soft bump after disposal by Cripps on McGrath, he kicks his second goal from the downfield free. (Q2 11:10)
Hunt receives from Allen and passes inboard from the HFF to Jack Williams 30m out on a slight angle, Bryan gobbing off at his defenders for poor marking. Williams converts. (Q2 13:28)
After Bailey Williams is caught HTB on members wing, Martin passes to Langford leading down the outer side flank ahead of Yeo to 30m, he boots goal number three for Q2. (Q2 17:56)
Hind flashes through the next bounce to receive and pass up the spine, again Langford beats Yeo to juggle the mark near the hotspot. This for four for the quarter… punches it! (Q2 19:46)
Hobbs falls on a crumb on the HBF and gets claimed HTB by Cripps, crowd boos, the kick from 45m is hooked short and rushed. (Q2 23:11)
Wright mops up a McGrath chaos ball to the pocket and gives inside to Parish who snaps across the body off the right from near the hotspot for a goal. (Q2 26:31)
Martin sprints up members wing and kicks to the pocket 30m out, Langford leaps over Yeo in a four-man pack to juggle the mark but just misses. (Q2 29:12)
Merrett to Parish to Perkins from the first bounce of Q3, Wright marks over McGovern at the hotspot for his first goal. (Q3 1:21)
Langford marks just inside 50m on the flank and hangs his set shot right. (Q3 2:42)
Cripps threads a free kick from hard in the pocket 30m out to a chorus of boos from Bomber fans who thought he staged for a high contact free on Heppell. (Q3 12:56)
Petruccelle runs from the next bounce and slots another one for West Coast from 45m. (Q3 14:01)
Allen leaps over Laverde to mark in a pack 25m out on the flank. Don fans chunter, Oz punches low and ugly into the post. (Q3 16:27)
Gaff passes short to Cripps 45m out on a slight angle. his set shot drifts across the face to the right. (Q3 24:32)
Cox misses a flying snap from half forward right on the 3QT siren. (Q3 28:18)
Kelly marks behind Hobbs 45m out on the flank but hooks the set shot OOTF. (Q4 2:31)
Cripps feeds Darling who just barely curls in a pressured snap from 35m on a slight angle on the end of a rebound around members wing. (Q4 4:36)
Bailey Williams roves a long speculator by Parish to the top of the square but gets caught HTB by Guelfi, albeit only by an out-of-zone ump… but Guelfi misses a soda from 15m! (Q4 8:36)
Redman gives it the horns after a trademark running goal from long range in his 100th game, burning off Cole on the mark with a sprint from the centre. (Q4 10:52)
McGovern takes a relieving mark on the goal line from a Merrett snap. (Q4 12:07)
Petrucelle flashes through a stoppage on the HFF to rove and feeds Cripps for the goal from 25m! (Q4 13:13)
West Coast get some unlucky calls by the umps, should have been a free to Long up forward, then Yeo unlucky on the wing, then Hough monstered by Hobbs… Phillips misses from 20m. (Q4 19:28)
Footy gods highly interested in this game, evidently. (Q4 20:00)
Maric pokes a kick inside 50 for Cripps on the HFF, he centres to a conga line of Eagles, Darling wins the raffle to mark at the hotspot and goal. (Q4 20:29)
West Coast back within a kick with 6:24 to play, the Dons are in real trouble here! (Q4 21:07)
Merrett sets up Tsatas to run across the paint of 50m with Kelly chasing, he lets fly from 40m on a slight angle… wide right. Aww. (Q4 22:48)
Tsatas could have kicked the winning point, now seven points in it with clock nearing 5:00. (Q4 23:33)
Allen marks just inside 50m out in the corridor and uses every bit of his long right leg to lever through a huge goal to make it a point the difference! 3:56 to go. (Q4 25:06)
Duggan clears from the bounce, Darling contests, throw in on the HFF, 3:37 to go. (Q4 25:17)
Duggan again with the clearance but it’s OOTF in the pocket, 3:25. (Q4 26:52)
Heppell rebounds to half back, handball chain, Merrett goes long over two Eagles towards Langford but Yeo breaks it up and then intercepts, 2:50 to go! (Q4 27:21)
Witherden hits the centre from the HBF and it works, Hunt to Kelly on outer wing, inside 50 pass is a sizzler for Maric near the hotspot! (Q4 27:46)
Clock ticks under 2:00 as Maric settles himself for the set shot… he kicks straight! West Coast in front! (Q4 28:23)
Adam Simpson gestures for calm on the bench, 1:40 to go. Who can be calm with a game like this? (Q4 28:47)
Kelly and then Petrucelle try and fail to clear after the bounce, another stoppage, 1:25. (Q4 29:23)
Laverde bombs to CHF, crumb flips over the back for Menzie who gives Langford a Joe the Goose special, Bombers regain the lead! (Q4 30:02)
Parish it was with that crucial clearance at half back to start the scoring chain. (Q4 30:48)
Hewett’s handball is sharked by Hind after the next bounce, ball up, a minute to go. (Q4 31:22)
Hobbs clears to no one, Yeo mops up and starts the attack around members wing, long ball to no one except Zerk-Thatcher who marks in relief. (Q4 31:22)
Parish roves on the wing and kicks to grass, that will be enough, siren with ball in the centre, Bombers hold on! (Q4 32:15)
