Eagles’ duo unfazed by memories of blunder

FATHERHOOD helped 2015 Grand Final flops Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy get over their poor performances with West Coast adamant this week’s shot at glory was not a redemption mission.

The twin towers kicked a combined 1.1 as Darling dropped a chest mark in a moment Hawthorn punished to seal its premiership three- peat.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Darling said. “We got overawed by the occasion and we were against a champion team. But we haven’t thought about it since the 2016 pre- season.

“Having a baby and, with another one on the way, means footy is not everything.”

Darling, 26, welcomed son Max into the world last year and is expecting a second child in January while Kennedy, 31, has two girls.

“We had an absolute shocker and Hawthorn smashed us,” Kennedy said. “But it’s been three years now and I’ve had two kids. Those two girls keep me pretty occupied.”

Kennedy was held scoreless in the 2015 Grand Final, one of just three scoreless games out of his 198 for the Eagles.

He has kicked a goal in all 55 games since. In 2018 the Eagles are 12- 0 when Kennedy and Darling play together but Kennedy dismissed that statistic yesterday.

“I think it’s fudged a fair bit,” he said. “You can probably say that when you have Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern, Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli we win as well.”

Kennedy conceded Collingwood stopper Tyson Goldsack “definitely beat me” in the qualifying final, despite the dual Coleman Medallist kicking 2.4 in the second half of West Coast’s win.

Coach Adam Simpson yesterday quashed any talk the Eagles had demons from the 2015 decider.

“We’re a different side and I know there’s some players that played in that game, but that should be a good experience to reflect on,” Simpson said.