Brave Geelong almost pulled off miracle win over West Coast before injuries kicked in
SOMEHOW, Geelong had willed itself back into the game and looked set for a heroic win. But eventually the heat and mounting injuries took their toll as West Coast went in for the kill.
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IT was cruel for a brave Geelong and it could get crueller still when a clearer picture emerges of their injury toll after the Cats fell to West Coast at Perth Stadium.
Gary Ablett (hamstring), Cam Guthrie (ankle) and Nakia Cockatoo (knee) all failed to finish the match, but the Cats looked capable of recording a landmark win after they reeled in a 32-point halftime deficit.
When Tim Kelly goaled at the 12-minute mark of the final term, an inspired Geelong had kicked eight of the nine goals in the second half to surge 14 points clear.
It seemed for a moment like 19 gutsy men had defied logic and pushed 22 Eagles to breaking point.
Instead — on a hot afternoon, coming off a six-day break and with just one man left on the bench — the Cats had stretched themselves to their own breaking point.
Backed by a frenzied record footy crowd at their new home, West Coast was good enough to sense blood and go in for the kill.
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Re-establishing the centre-square control they had in the opening half, the ruthless Eagles piled on six goals in the space of 10 minutes to shut the gate.
Jack Darling emerged in his side’s hour of need just as Tom Hawkins had done at the same end the previous quarter.
In one sense the result was just because West Coast could probably have put it beyond reach by halftime if it had taken more of their chances in front of goal.
They first half was all about West Coast’s dash and flair and they cut the Cats up in transition to kick seven goals to two.
The home side was quickly left to rue not having stretched that margin further after Geelong regathered at halftime and, led by Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield, emerged a significantly more purposeful outfit.
Chris Masten had an apparent goal from the goal square controversially ruled as touched off the boot by Tom Stewart and it proved a critical turning point amid the rush of Geelong goals.
The rejuvenated Cats piled on 6.3 to 0.2 for the third term, as Hawkins nailed two crucial set shot goals that had come after he missed one earlier in the quarter.
Hawkins thought he had landed his third in the space of five minutes but an increasingly engrossing match threw up another goal review twist, with Jeremy McGovern ruled to have touched the ball on the mark.
Given the complicating factors, the Cats still had the job in front of them in the final term despite having edged in front.
That job got harder just three minutes into the last quarter when Ablett pulled up short on the wing, grabbed at his right hamstring and trudged through the interchange gate.
It left the visitors with just 19 men to complete their spirited recovery mission and their cause wasn’t helped when Lachie Fogarty sprayed three consecutive behinds.
As it would turn out, he couldn’t afford to miss any of them.
WEST COAST 4.6 7.9 7.11 14.11 (95) def GEELONG 2.2 2.7 8.10 11.14 (80)
GOALS: West Coast: L Ryan 3 M LeCras 3 D Sheed 2 J Darling 2 A Gaff J Redden L Shuey N Naitanui. Geelong: T Hawkins 3 E Ratugolea 2 D Menzel J Bews L Fogarty S Menegola T Kelly Z Tuohy.
BEST: West Coast: Sheed, Shuey, Gaff, Naitanui, Sheppard, Ryan.
Geelong: Menegola, Dangerfield, Tuohy, Stewart, Ablett, Hawkins.
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Curtis Deboy, Hayden Gavine.
Official Crowd: 54,535 at Optus Stadium.
VOTES
3- Sheed
2- Shuey
1- Gaff
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