AFL 2020: Thrashing Collingwood and great fixture have Eagles flying
Back at home, winning again and with the best draw in the compressed fixture, it’s no wonder West Coast are flag favourites.
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West Coast have rocketed in to AFL premiership favouritism on the back of a 66-point thrashing of Collingwood on Sunday and with clearly the best run in the compressed fixture for the next four rounds.
Having struggled in hub life on the Gold Coast after being sent away from home when the AFL season resumed, the Eagles have sprung back to life after landing in the west with three straight wins.
The AFL has looked after the 2018 premiers for their early season sacrifice, and while their premiership rivals start hatching plans to get through as many as five games in just 19 days, the battle Geelong is facing, the Eagles have no such issues.
West Coast enjoy a six-day break in to their next clash with Geelong on Saturday, with the Cats backing up from a Monday night game. The Eagles then have a bye, before their next two games across the following two Sundays.
That equals three games in 16 days, the same time period in which eight other clubs are having to cram in a fourth match.
Another big tick for West Coast is that all of their games are at home in Perth, with the COVID-free city allowing them the luxury of five games in a row at Optus Stadium, with fans.
The TAB rolled the Eagles in from $7 before the win over the Magpies to clear $5 flag favourites ahead of Brisbane ($6) with Collingwood being eased to $8 with injuries starting to mount.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson said he felt like his team had “caught up” to the rest of the competition after the slow start.
“We were really concerned after the three losses we had, not really with personnel but our system wasn’t (working) and the identity of our side was a little bit off,” Simpson said post-match.
“I don’t know where we’re at in terms of the competition but I feel like we’ve caught up a little bit, if anything, and now we’re ready to compete with anyone.”
Dubbed the “festival of football” by some, the next three weeks is more of a war of attrition for some clubs.
Injury-hit North Melbourne has to play four games in 15 days.
Under fire Hawthorn should have time to regroup as well, with just three games across the next 17 days starting with Friday’s clash against Carlton in Perth.
Geelong, who did enjoy an 11-day break before Monday’s game with Fremantle, face hectic next months with five games in 19 days, a period which will include relocating their hub to Queensland.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Adelaide - 4 games in 16 days
Brisbane - 4 games in 16 days
Carlton - 3 games in 16 days
Collingwood - 4 games in 14 days
Essendon - 4 games in 16 days
Fremantle - 4 games in 20 days (including Monday night)
Geelong - 5 games in 19 days (including Monday night)
Gold Coast - 4 games in 16 days
GWS - 3 game sin 12 days
Hawthorn - 3 games in 17 days
Melbourne - 4 games in 17 days
North Melbourne - 4 games in 15 days
Port Adelaide - 4 games in 16 days
Richmond - 4 games in 20 days
St Kilda - 4 games in 16 days
Sydney - 3 games in 13 days
West Coast - 3 games in 16 days
Western Bulldogs - 4 games in 19 days
Originally published as AFL 2020: Thrashing Collingwood and great fixture have Eagles flying
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