SANFL 2018: Eagles v Central District, Round 2 match report

THE Eagles aren’t going anywhere. And they might have just unveiled a new game plan that can transform them from dominant minor-round team into premier.

Eagles Jake Johansen attempts to kick the ball over the goal line.

THE Eagles aren’t going anywhere.

And they might have just unveiled a new game plan that can transform them from dominant minor-round team into premier.

Minor premier for the past three years but without a flag to show for it, coach Michael Godden’s side in one quarter against Central District on Sunday produced what he claimed was some of the best football it had played in years.

“We’re trying to change some things, and that second quarter was a good example of how I’d like the team to play,’’ he said after the Eagles kicked six unanswered goals to race to a 47-point half-time lead at Woodville Oval before winning by 27 points.

“We’re trying to possess the ball less while moving the ball faster and scoring more, because we haven’t scored well in finals and that’s something we need to address.

“We want to be more aggressive and damaging and give our forwards more of a chance to kick goals.”

The Eagles turned what was expected to be a tight contest into one that was virtually over at half-time.

The Bulldogs showed some resilience to fight back in the third quarter and win the second half but the damage had been done.

The Eagles destroyed the Dogs — big round-one winners against North Adelaide — with a strong attack at the footy, slick ball movement and a forward line that created havoc. The Hayes brothers kicked five goals and took 13 marks between them — Jack booted four majors and Nick one — and small forward Jake Johansen fed off their aerial work to kick three goals.

Central coach Roy Laird was bitterly disappointed with his team’s performance, saying: “We were poor and I thought we were in better shape than maybe we are in terms of challenging these types of (strong) clubs’’.

Midfielder James Boyd (28 disposals), Louis Sharrad (26) and Matt Goldsworthy (21), were outstanding, while Luke Thompson kept Dogs forward John Butcher goalless.

EAGLES 4.2 10.5 12.8 13.12 (90)

CENTRAL 2.4 2.6 6.12 8.15 (63)

BEST — Eagles: Boyd, J. Hayes, Sharrad, Goldsworthy, Thompson, Johansen, Westbrook. Central: Presbury, T. Schiller, Hanna, Milne, McLean..

GOALS — Eagles: J. Hayes 4, Johansen 3, Haylock 2, N. Hayes, Borholm, Gaffney, Sharrad. Central: McLean 2, McKenzie, F. Fort, Goodrem, Hanna, Jenner, Hannath.

UMPIRES — M. Schramm, T. Medlin, J. Broadbent.