West Coast defeat Essendon to snap losing streak and break 335-day drought
West Coast fans can rejoice after the Eagles finally broke their mega losing streak and snapped a 335-day drought.
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The streak is over.
The West Coast Eagles have defeated Essendon 107 (16.11) to 97 (14.13) on Friday night to claim their second win of the season and climb off the bottom of the ladder.
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The Bombers got off to a flyer and piled on five goals in the first quarter but the Eagles did what they haven’t been able to do all year and overcome an early deficit.
Peter Wright dominated the first half for Essendon and could have finished with far more than his final tally of four goals if it wasn’t for inaccurate kicking.
West Coast clawed their way back to take a five-point lead into halftime and from there it was a shootout.
Veteran forward Josh Kennedy kicked five goals in a vintage performance, while Jamie Cripps and Willie Rioli each finished with two majors.
The Eagles edged in front towards the end of the third quarter but their defence continued to leak points and Essendon wouldn’t go away.
It came down to a thrilling finish but West Coast did enough to hold on for a memorable 10-point win.
It was West Coast’s first win since its victory over Collingwood in round 4 and remarkably its first home win at Perth’s Optus Stadium in 335 days.
Elliot Yeo made a welcome return to form for the Eagles and showed great decision making coming out of defence.
After breaking its nine-game losing streak, West Coast moves up to 17th on the ladder with the struggling North Melbourne now occupying last place on the table.
It was a poor performance by Essendon, who allowed West Coast to kick their highest score of the season.
You can’t be conceding more than 100 points to West Coast and be taken seriously. #AFLEaglesDons
— Alex Fair (@AJFair85) June 24, 2022
Originally published as West Coast defeat Essendon to snap losing streak and break 335-day drought
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