AFL Round 15 Sydney v West Coast: All the news, action and fallout from the SCG
The dominant Swans have embarrassed cellar-dwellers West Coast Eagles with one of the biggest wins in AFL history.
It’s been a season to forget for the West Coast Eagles but their fans would have been forgiven for turning the TV off during the second half.
The Swans went on a rampage in the second half against an already demoralised Eagles side, consigning them to the equal-fourth biggest defeat in VFL/AFL history and bringing up their fourth loss of 100 points or more in 2023.
Sydney piled on 18 consecutive goals from late in the second term as the Eagles defence resembled witches hats, with the Eagles finally breaking the drought halfway through the final quarter.
West Coast had welcomed back premiership defenders Tom Barrass and Liam Duggan for the clash but they had no impact as Sydney ran riot.
A nine-goal first quarter set the tone for a record-breaking victory for Sydney who made it clear they weren’t going into the clash against the bottom-placed Eagles with any complacency.
For West Coast, the flight back to Perth will be a solemn one as their season from hell hit a new low.
The Swans’ young midfielders ran the show, in particular Errol Gulden who produced the latest eye-catching display to add to his resume.
He had 10 touches and two goals in the first quarter alone as he set the SCG alight. Fellow youngster Braeden Campbell also had one of his best games in the red and white, setting up his teammates for goals regularly with his lethal left boot.
The Eagles attempted to steady the flow in the second quarter thanks to two quick goals to Jack Darling, but Sydney kicked the last four goals to go into the main break with a 68-point lead.
The onslaught continued in the second half as the Swans opened up the lead to over 100 points early in the third quarter.
Sydney moved the ball around with ease and the quartet of Gulden, James Rowbottom, Chad Warner and Angus Sheldrick – all aged 22 and under – each had 20+ disposals before the final term.
By three-quarter time the Swans had kicked 25.14, their highest tally at that point of a game in AFL/VFL history.
The Eagles offered nothing going forward with the likes of Nick Blakey and Jake Lloyd easily able to repel anything that came in their direction.
The procession continued in the final term as Hayden McLean got his second of the afternoon inside 30 seconds and the Eagles’ horror season hit rock bottom.
SIMPSON SAYS HE’S STILL THE RIGHT MAN TO COACH EAGLES
West Coast coach Adam Simpson maintains he’s still the right man for the job after the Eagles’ record defeat to the Swans on Saturday.
Sydney came out victors by 171 points, consigning West Coast to the club’s worst loss in its history.
The Swans also became the first team since 2011 to surpass 200 points in a game. Melbourne was the last team to concede 200 points and they sacked coach Dean Bailey just days after.
The club’s 2018 premiership feels like a distant memory with the Eagles firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.
It’s the fourth time West Coast have lost by more than 100 points this season and the pressure continues to mount on Simpson’s future.
“We’ve got to try and be more competitive because it was unacceptable and embarrassing tonight,” Simpson said.
“We tried lots of things and none of them worked, from start to finish we were on the back foot and we couldn’t gain any type of ascendancy at all.
“In the end, we got what we deserved.”
Simpson feels that despite the horrendous nature of their defeat at the SCG, they’re still on the right path going forward.
The club has a long injury list which hasn’t helped their cause, with the coach admitting that a number of players in Saturday’s side wouldn’t be playing if he had a full roster to select from.
“We can’t make too many changes at the moment, we’ve got two guys playing in the WAFL,” Simpson said.
“We have to keep giving these young players opportunities. They’re going to learn the hard way.
“A lot of those guys with a full list, senior and younger players, wouldn’t be playing. We haven’t got much of a choice.
“The exposure these kids are getting is going to pay us back, not tomorrow and probably not next week…[but] trying to build some resilience.
“This will pass. It just hurts a lot at the moment.”
When questioned further about his future, Simpson was abrupt in his responses. But the coach admitted that he’s not expecting to be under more scrutiny because the pressure he is feeling is already at a fever pitch.
“The criticism is there all the time, that’s not really part of good organisations.
“We need to try and keep things as direct as we can internally, stick to our path, try and get some more availability and go from there.”
NO BUDDY, NO PROBLEMS
Lance Franklin sat out his second-straight week for the Swans but their young talls took the chance to put their names up in lights against West Coast.
The returning Logan McDonald kicked a bag after almost two months on the sidelines, impressing with his marking ability.
While the Amartey Party was in session again at the SCG as Joel Amartey made his presence felt.
The 23-year-old took a number of strong grabs around the ground and had a couple of goals including a smart snap around the body in the second quarter.
It’s been a quiet year for Isaac Heeney but he bounced back to his best on Saturday night with his biggest bag of goals for the season.
MATCH DETAILS
SWANS 9.4, 14.9, 25.14, 31.19 (205)
EAGLES 1.0, 4.1, 4.3, 5.4 (34)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MCKIRDY’S VOTES:
3 - Errol Gulden (SYD)
2 - James Rowbottom (SYD)
1 - Angus Sheldrick (SYD)
MCKIRDY’S BEST
Swans: Gulden, Rowbottom, Sheldrick, Warner, Heeney, Parker
Eagles: Shuey, Kelly, Petruccelle, Sheed
GOALS:
Swans: Heeney (5), McDonald (4), Amartey (4), Gulden (3), McLean (3), McInerney (3), Warner (2), Parker (2), Clarke (2), Sheldrick (1), Papley (1), Fox (1)
Eagles: Darling (2), Allen (2), Kelly (1)
Umpires: CAMERON DORE, LEIGH HAUSSEN, ROBERT O’GORMAN, BRENT WALLACE
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground
Crowd: 31,367
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