Eagles send title rivals a big message

NIC Naitanui lodged a mark of the year contender and West Coast said don’t forget us as a premiership contender as the Eagles outlasted Greater Western Sydney in an epic at Perth Stadium last night.

The Eagles snapped their three-game losing streak, setting up a top-four blockbuster with Collingwood at the MCG next weekend with a gutsy 11-point win over the Giants.

In a contest in which both teams had to make do without all their most dangerous forwards, West Coast conjured a winning score on the back of a superb midfield effort.

In-demand free agent Andrew Gaff kicked two goals, including a crucial last-quarter snap, to go with his 41 disposals. Naitanui returned to form with a pair of towering pack marks to be the dominant ruckman on the ground.

The Giants’ own fourmatch winning run is over and they tumbled from sixth to 10th ahead of a clash with Richmond at Spotless Stadium on Saturday night.

A thrilling last quarter came with controversy at both ends. Eagles defender Tom Cole was pinged in a tough holding the ball call that gifted a goal to Harry Himmelberg, while the Giants were left fuming after Jeremy McGovern was allowed to take the advantage and kick the final goal of the game despite appearing to have stopped.

The Eagles kicked five goals to one in the second term to break open an arm wrestle and take a 13-point lead to halftime.

But the scoreboard failed to paint an accurate picture of the state of the game, with the visitors left to rue their return of 1.6 for the quarter as the makeshift West Coast forward set-up made a better fist of things at the other end.

The Giants’ intimidating midfield looked capable of stretching the Eagles’ on-ball unit, but it was the West Coast engine room that held a narrow edge in the first half.

Gaff had 26 of his disposals and all six of his clearances in a huge first-half, while Jack Redden and Luke Shuey were also excellent throughout.

Naitanui’s screamer over the top of teammate Scott Lycett and Giant Aidan Corr was the highlight as the tempo lifted a notch in the third.

McGovern had just two first-half touches playing in an unfamiliar role as a forward, but he slotted a crucial major from the 50m arc 10 minutes into the third term to make his first imprint on the match.