West Coast Eagles v Collingwood
Round 22, 2012
Saturday 25 August, Patersons Stadium
5.40pm (WST)
History
West Coast is one of only two teams in the competition that holds the superior record head-to-head against Collingwood. Since entering the VFL in 1987, the Eagles have beaten the Magpies in 20 of their 39 meetings, drawing once in the 1990 Qualifying Final.
It was a 10 game stretch between 1994 and 2000 that did the damage, with the Eagles, perennial finalists during the ‘90s, routinely holding sway against a flailing Collingwood.
But recent times have seen the Pies turn the tables. They have emerged victorious in their past seven meetings, dating back to the famous extra-time victory in the 2007 Semi Final. It means that a Collingwood win on Saturday night will square the ledger at 20 wins apiece and, as a result, leave Carlton as the only club in the league to hold a head-to-head advantage against the Magpies.
The form
After sitting atop the ladder following its 10 game winning streak, Collingwood has hit a few potholes in the past seven weeks. Four wins have been punctuated by three losses to Carlton, Hawthorn and North Melbourne, meaning that this week’s match is critical to the club’s top four aspirations.
West Coast has dealt with similar issues in recent times following its outstanding start to the season. Unbeaten in the first six weeks, the Eagles have since won eight of their next 14 as untimely injuries began to take their toll. But they have won three of their past four including a tense five-point win over Geelong on home soil.
The match takes on extra importance considering the state of the ladder. With two games remaining in the home and away season, Collingwood sits one game clear inside the top four on 15 wins. Breathing down its neck is West Coast on 14 wins and a percentage of 124.97 - superior to the Magpies’ 119.28. Should the Eagles win on the weekend, they will leapfrog Collingwood into the four for the time being. A Collingwood triumph will guarantee it a spot in the four and the vaunted double chance.
?The injuries
John Worsfold’s men will be without regular top-liners Mark LeCras (knee) and Mark Nicoski (hamstring) for the remainder of the season, while seasoned pair Adam Selwood (concussion) and Matt Rosa (jaw) will be tested.
At the Westpac Centre, Dane Swan will be available for selection after serving his two-match club suspension. Tyson Goldsack (ankle), Nick Maxwell (hip/groin) and Alan Toovey (corked thigh) will all be assessed by the club’s medical staff ahead of selection. Having injured his ankle against North Melbourne, Irishman Caolan Mooney is one man who won’t make the trip to Perth and will sit out the next fortnight. Luke Ball (knee) and Lachlan Keeffe (knee) are the other senior regulars who are out of the equation.
?Consider this
Collingwood’s highest score against West Coast has been registered twice in the past decade. In round 12, 2001, the Magpies kicked 26.17 (173) to thrash the Eagles by 81 points at Colonial Stadium in their first win over the Sandgropers since round 13, 1994. Seven years later they repeated the dose, posting 27.11 (173) in a 100-point win against a West Coast side that was at its lowest ebb in round 10, 2008.
The West Australian connection
On its list of 42, Collingwood boasts eight players from Western Australia. Harry O’Brien, Sharrod Wellingham, Alan Toovey, Alex Fasolo, Andrew Krakouer, Marley Williams, Kirk Ugle and Corey Gault all began their footballing journeys on the other side of the Nullarbor, and, as has been well-documented, Chris Tarrant spent four years at Subiaco Oval while playing for Fremantle.
The house of pain
?Patersons Stadium, commonly known as Subiaco Oval until recently, has carried the moniker of the ‘house of pain’ due to the difficulty experienced by visiting teams against the Eagles and Dockers on their home patch. But since 2007, Collingwood has established a solid record at the venue, winning four of its last five games by an average of 39 points. In the years prior it was a different story though, as the Magpies garnered only four wins from its first 15 visits between 1987 and 2007. What’s more, only two of those wins were recorded against West Coast with the last coming by a solitary point in round 13, 1992.
Silly stat
The retiring Chris Tarrant has played 18 games against the West Coast Eagles since 1998, winning 13 and kicking 21 goals. His first meeting with the Coasters was in round 11, 2000, at Colonial Stadium when he kicked two goals and had 20 disposals in the 36-point loss. Tarrant received a Brownlow vote for his four goals and 11 marks against the Eagles in round 16, 2006, at Telstra Dome as he saw the Pies to a 37-point win against the eventual premiers. He was one of Collingwood’s best in last year’s Qualifying Final win, taking three marks and winning 11 possessions against a range of key forwards.
