EAGLES SWOOP TO SINK HAWKS

WEST Coast have eased the concerns around their interstate form this season by scoring an emphatic 38-point win against bottom-four Hawthorn at the MCG.

The Eagles headed into the contest having lost all three of their games on the road in 2021 by an average of 41 points, but if they wanted to be taken seriously as a top-eight threat, they had to take care of the Hawks, and that’s exactly what they did in front of just 15,277 fans on Mother’s Day.

Oscar Allen was forced to play in defence due to the absence of injured star trio Jeremy McGovern, Tom Barrass and Shannon Hurn, but it barely impacted the Eagles in attack as they finished with nine goalkickers, Brendon Ah Chee leading the way with a career-high four majors.

West Coast were also missing Liam Ryan, Luke Shuey

and Elliot Yeo, but the likes of Tim Kelly, Dom Sheed and Andrew Gaff picked up the slack to ensure their absence wasn’t too keenly felt.

But the result could have come at a cost for the Eagles, with Josh Kennedy finishing the game with a huge ice pack on his right calf.

The first quarter wasn’t one for the time capsule, though, with both sides committing countless turnovers and failing to kick a goal.

It was especially frustrating for West Coast, which doubled the hosts for inside 50s (16-8) in the opening term.

However, the gulf in class between these sides became painfully apparent in the second period as West Coast flexed their considerable muscle to blow the Hawks away.

Powered by the clearance work of Nic Naitanui and Kelly, the Eagles capitalised on their territory dominance take a 27-point lead at halftime.