AFL round 9: West Coast Eagles secure comeback victory over Geelong Cats

Having trailed for most of the match, West Coast Eagles slotted seven of the last nine goals to secure a narrow victory over the Geelong Cats.

Having trailed for most of the match, West Coast Eagles slotted seven of the last nine goals to secure a narrow victory over the Geelong Cats.

The West Coast Eagles have become just the second AFL side to win a match after trailing at three-quarter time this season.

With a jam-packed home crowd cheering them on at Perth Stadium, the Eagles secured a thrilling comeback victory over the Geelong Cats on Saturday, climbing into the top four on the AFL ladder.

Despite trailing for most of the match, West Coast found momentum in the final quarter, scoring seven of the last nine goals to muster an 11.7 (73) to 10.4 (64) win.

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But fans were in uproar after another holding the ball controversy left the players scratching their head.

Nic Naitanui proved a powerhouse in the ruck on Saturday.

Geelong young gun Gryan Miers was pinged for holding the ball during the third quarter, but replays showed the 21-year-old had handballed the Sherrin.

Miers pleaded with the umpire to no avail.

“Was he saying it took long? Did he have any prior opportunity at the start of that tackle?” Richmond great Matthew Richardson asked during Channel 7’s coverage.

“I don’t know. It’s anyone’s guess.”

Umpiring has become a highly-debated topic in the AFL over the past couple of weeks — although the increased prevalence of holding the ball decisions has eased congestion, some believe the overcorrection has created confusion.

Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall argued: “I hate Geelong as much as the next guy, but that’s not a free against Miers.”

Sydney Morning Herald chief sports columnist Greg Baum posted: “We’ve reached the point where the worst mistake a player can make is to take possession of the ball.”

Wide World of Sports producer Chris de Silva bluntly tweeted: “The holding the ball interpretation is an absolute s***show this season.”

Miers got pinged for holding when he handballed it 🤨#AFLEaglesCats pic.twitter.com/qTVkc7jsN8

— 7AFL (@7AFL) August 1, 2020

Holding the Ball is a genuine lottery. Christ almighty. #AFLEaglesCats

— Jack Hudson (@jhudson_10) August 1, 2020

Not sure there has been an @AFL season with worse officiating than this one. Yet again the umpires in this game are terrible... and both ways giving stinkers against @GeelongCats and @WestCoastEagles #AFLEaglesCats #umpires

— Paul Johnson (@pjohnson_sports) August 1, 2020

AFL players trying to figure out whether to jump on the pill, let their opponent jump on it, when to dispose of it, if they should dispose of it, did they drag it in, am I making enough effort to get rid of it????? #AFLEaglesCats #AFL pic.twitter.com/5p80qb2YtX

— PointsBet AU (@PointsBet_AU) August 1, 2020

Eagles tall forward Josh Kennedy scored a match-high four majors and midfielder Dom Sheed managed 24 disposals, but all the talk after the final siren was about superstar Nic Naitanui.

The versatile ruckman proved his worth in the second half, and former Hawthorn star Daniel Harford bold claimed, “Nic Naitanui’s performance was one of the performances of the year.”

Racing.com digital editor Ryan Reynolds tweeted, “Nic Nat has won the game for his team.”

ABC reporter Richard Willingham, claimed Naitanui was “the difference” during Saturday’s encounter.

For their next fixture, Geelong will take on North Melbourne at the Gabba on Wednesday, while the West Coast enjoy a bye in round 10.