‘We were poor’: Coach slams West Coast Eagles after thrashing

Without a win at Kardinia Park since 2006, Sydney made sure the Eagles’ dismal record at Geelong continued in the most humiliating way possible.

Mark Hayes

6 min read

July 5, 2021 - 6:47AM

NCA NewsWire

The Eagles have lost their last two games in Geelong by a combined total of 189 points. Picture: Getty Images

AFL

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West Coast coach Adam Simpson stopped short of a major overhaul for his insipid Eagles, but said their work rate was not up to scratch after a second brutal beating at GMHBA Stadium this year.

Simpson, who labelled his team “embarrassing” after a 97-point pasting by Geelong in Round 6, was less emotive but equally as bewildered after the Swans demolished them by 92 points today.

The 2018 premiership coach was at a loss to explain his side’s inability to halt opposition momentum, mauled for the second week in a row by a fellow finals aspirant.

“It’s really disappointing, we got outplayed for most of the day and defensively (around the ground) we were poor which made it hard to get any type of ball movement,” Simpson said.

“They (the Swans) were cleaner and transitioned the ball a lot better than we did — and before we knew it the game was out of our reach.

“(These losses) are now a pattern. Two weeks ago we were coming off a really good win against the Tigers and another good win against Carlton interstate (at the SCG), so we thought we were on the right track.

“Some of it is just work rate and being clean, so we’ll we’ll keep training that … so hopefully that comes to fruition sooner rather than later.

“But the inability to stop momentum is costing us dearly.”

The Eagles, who lost every key stat bar hitouts, didn’t score a goal for more than two quarters from the 11-minute mark of the first term while conceding 10 straight to the uber-impressive young Swans.

“It’s method — (Sydney was) cleaner and tougher at stoppages and contests,” he said.

“Maybe there are different issues, but at the moment we’re doing a lot of our attacking from D50 and we’re not getting supply, which is a concern.

“Then how we defend on our (F50) entries is (also an issue) — it’s got out too easily today and the Bulldogs (game) was the same last week.”

Simpson couldn’t explain his team’s horror record at GMHBA Stadium, at which it has now lost eight straight games by a whopping 548 points in total.

“I don’t know. I thought we had the right attitude on the travel. We trained well and Caulfield Grammar has really looked after us with their facilities and there’s been good spirit,” he said.

“But just poor execution, and they’re not just little losses, they’re big ones.

“I’d like to say it’s got nothing to do with the ground, that it’s got more about what we need to as individuals and a collective than worrying about getting on a bus for an hour.”

Simpson admitted confidence was low in the blue and gold camp.

“But two weeks ago we came off one of our best wins for a few years, so you can’t lose it that quickly — albeit when we’re 10 gaols down, the confidence to be brave and attack the game isn’t as strong as when the game is on the line or we’re winning.

“But we’ve got to make sure we own today, take responsibility for it and do everything we can to get better.”

West Coast has lost its last two games in Geelong by a combined today of 189 points. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Have the Sydney Swans found a southern fortress in which to ride out Covid lockdowns?

One thing’s for sure, the West Coast Eagles haven’t after their second massive blowout loss at GMHBA Stadium this season.

The Eagles, pummelled by the Cats by 97 points in Round 6, were made to look third rate by a club playing its first “home” game at the venerable Geelong venue, this time by 92 points.

Beating the Eagles is nothing new to Sydney – that’s now 13-3 since the start of the 2008 season – but doing it against a potential finals opponents is equal parts impressive for the pseudo-hosts as it is damning against the Eagles, who gave lacklustre a bad name.

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The Eagles have lost their last two games in Geelong by a combined total of 189 points. Picture: Getty Images

Remarkably on a ground at which Geelong has long dominated, Sydney has now a 4-1 record in its past five visits.

But the reading is not as pretty for the Eagles, who have won just once at Kardinia Park since 2000 and, since that victory in 2006, they’ve now lost eight straight by a combined total of a staggering 548 points.

The Swans were first to the ball, ran hard to create space on the odd occasion that the Eagles put one of their mates under pressure and effectively sealed the result by midway through a second term in which they had a stunning 21-3 inside-50s.

To sum up the Eagles’ ineptitude at GMHBA Stadium this year, they have scored one solitary point against the 16.3 (99) of their opponents in second quarters alone — and posted their lowest total since 1992 and third lowest ever.

Sydney was very even across the ground, but will take heart from the telling contributions of halfback Jordan Dawson – who notched his first and second goals of the season — the rapidly emerging Joel Amartey and homegrown product James Bell.

James Bell and Joel Amartey are part of the Swans’ impressive youth group. Picture: Getty Images

Amartey clunked a couple of marks as a forward, was more than serviceable as the second ruckman and added two goals in just his fifth game in red and white, while Bell showed flashes of brilliance in just his 17th game.

But for a dominant midfield, there were plenty of targets ahead as what was little more than a training drill evolved.

Remarkably, eight Swans had multiple goals, highlighted by the inimitable Lance Franklin, whose equal game-high three majors included a “Buddy special” snap from 45m across his body out while being crunched in the second term.

For the Eagles, it was probably not unexpected that Tom Barrass and Shannon Hurn would be among their best given the heat map of the contest was essentially in their back yard.

Dom Sheed tried hard in the midfield, but he was sadly one out against Mills, Hewett, Florent and company, who were relentless throughout.

Adam Simpson called the Eagles "weak" the last time they played at GMHBA. How does he describe this? #AFLSwansEagles
— Oliver Caffrey (@ollycaffrey) July 4, 2021

I am genuinely stunned by what the Eagles are dishing up right now. No fight. Defensively poor.
The Swans on the flip side look unstoppable. #AFLSwansEagles
— Nat Edwards (@Nat_Edwards) July 4, 2021

This has been deplorable. Just cannot handle when it when conditions go against them, West Coast.

So much talent, so little flexibility, so little resilience right now. #AFLSwansEagles
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) July 4, 2021

This is absolutely gutless from the Eagles. Got smashed around the ball by the Dogs. Tough conditions again, expect a response, nah, all too hard. #AfLSwansEagles
— Tim Barrow (@TheBarrow) July 4, 2021

The @WestCoastEagles playing absolutely pathetic this afternoon. No intent, no pressure, and @sydneyswans all over them.

Their worst performance sinceâ€¦ wellâ€¦ when they were last in Geelong.

Sheed and Hurn having to carry the load of their 20 other team mates.#AFLSwansEagles
— Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) July 4, 2021

You’ll be sorry

Luke Shuey immediately reached out his hand to apologise to Callum Mills after he connected with the young Swan’s head with a wild swinging arm midway through the second term after he’d been unable to break a tackle legally.

But whether his “sorry, mate” will carry any weight will only be determined by the MRO in review after the veteran Eagle was put in the umpire’s book.

Shuey had twice been frustrated earlier when his attempts to shrug up tackles and make them into high contact went unrewarded by the umpires.

Premature jubilation

Will Hayward, never averse to some post-goal camera time, was just warming into his work after a sensational snap not far from the famous Gary Ablett Jr major.

But just when celebrations were reaching fever pitch, the umpire brought them to a grinding halt when he paid holding on the goal line against Joel Amartey to West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern.

It probably didn’t help Hayward’s disposition that similar contact went unpenalised countless times around the league this weekend. But his angst became good news for a youngster walking near the Kardinia Park pool minutes later when the Swans forward drilled a goal from the square with a torpedo that sailed over the Players Stand.

The Swans have now won four of their last five in Geelong. Picture: Getty Images

Flying south

Hard to know if the fans were from the Western District or the old South Melbourne faithful, but Swans fans turned out in droves at GMHBA Stadium.

Singing the SCG favourite “Sweet Caroline” at quarter-time, the red-and-white faithful grew louder throughout and gave their heroes a rousing send-off after the game, showing their appreciation for a dominant effort.

The sea of red in the social club area usually owned by Cats fans was a marked difference to the normal blue and white, but equally as proud of their charges.