Josh Kennedy holds key for West Coast in preliminary final against momentum-filled Melbourne

WEST Coast will enter its preliminary final against Melbourne favoured to win. But Mick Malthouse has some warnings for both sides as they try to book their place on footy’s biggest stage.

Josh Kennedy got better the longer the game went against Collingwood. Pic: Getty Images

WEST Coast’s come-from-behind qualifying final win over Collingwood was momentous.

Interestingly though, the Eagles’ last loss — to Melbourne in Round 22 — was a very similar game to their final against the Magpies, where their opponents moved the ball quickly through the corridor to an isolated key forward.

The pace of such ball movement denied Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass the opportunity to intercept.

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Plus Collingwood squeezed up on the Eagles’ defence and forced them into kicking errors which allowed the Pies’ medium forwards to get involved.

Another area of concern for West Coast is its lateral movement of the footy which was stifled by Collingwood, denying the home side the type of forward entries Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling desire.

But the Eagles have a fantastic recent history of overcoming adversity. They can match any team in contested football with a high-pressure game, and when they use quick and long ball movement, bypassing the front forward line to hit Kennedy and Darling directly without interference from an opposing tall dropping back, they are hard to stop.

Kennedy couldn’t be worse than he was in the first half of the qualifying final, but his resilience in the second half was the reason West Coast won. The Eagles need him and Darling to step up once again.

The Eagles need Josh Kennedy to fire against the Dees. Pic: Getty Images

Shannon Hurn is instrumental in setting up his teammates, directing them like a traffic policeman, and when their set up is right the ball rarely leaves the opposition backline the way it’s intended to.

The Eagles have won 10 of 13 games at their new home ground, Perth Stadium.

They are not unbeatable there, yet, but the more they play there, the more they are making it their own.

Richmond and West Coast will enter the preliminary finals as favourites — refreshed and rejuvenated. But there have been many upsets in finals history, and their opponents will carry in sizeable momentum and confidence.

A week off is welcomed in some ways, but in another way it feels like waiting for prey that is getting bigger by the day, until it’s finally on your doorstep.

The only certainty in a preliminary final is that it will be a fiercely contested match, because a Grand Final berth is never gained or given up easily.

Josh Kennedy v Collingwood

	1st half	2nd half
SuperCoach points	0	72
Disposals	2	10
Targeted inside 50	6	6
Shots at goal	1	6
Goals	0	2

Originally published as Josh Kennedy holds key for West Coast in preliminary final against momentum-filled Melbourne