Eagles add to Blues' misery

Updated June 14, 2012 23:04:26

West Coast moved to the top of the ladder with a gritty 10-point win over Carlton at Subiaco Oval on Thursday evening.

The Eagles claimed a 9-2 return from their 11 matches with the 10.19 (79) to 10.9 (69) triumph over the Blues, having trailed by three points at the final change.

The hosts were wayward on goal, with 19 behinds from their scoring shots, but Jack Darling proved a valuable contributor with three majors, two of which came in the fourth quarter.

Lachie Henderson and Matthew Kreuzer managed doubles for the Blues, who now hold a 6-6 record from their 12 appearances.

The Eagles' Eric Mackenzie says the home side refused to panic when the Blues entered the final quarter in front.

"[We were] a little bit worried in the third quarter, but we knew they were going to have to run out that last quarter and that is one of our strengths," he told Grandstand.

The Eagles shot out to a 26-point lead late in the second quarter, but their inaccurate kicking for goal came back to haunt them as the Blues slammed through the next five goals to take the lead.

The visitors held their narrow advantage at three-quarter time, but two quick goals to Eagles forward Darling in the last term turned the match on its head.

Blues captain Judd endured a frustrating night on his former stomping ground opposed to Scott Selwood, and the former Eagles skipper lost his cool late in the match after giving away a free kick to Dean Cox in a marking contest.

The two-time Brownlow medallist and Eagles premiership captain exchanged harsh words with Matt Priddis amidst some push-and-shove.

And Judd was left stunned seconds later when he gave away a 50-metre penalty for a soft elbow nudge on Priddis.

The Blues' fifth loss from their past six matches leaves them outside the top eight with a worrying 6-6 record ahead of their bye week.

And it does not get any easier for Brett Ratten's charges, with tough matches against Hawthorn and Collingwood to come after the weekend off.

The Eagles' ninth win of the year was enough to lift them back to the top of the ladder in what was a perfect way to celebrate their 600th match in the competition.

Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui was best afield with 25 possessions, seven tackles and 31 hit-outs, and the high-leaping Fijian almost kicked a contender for goal of the year after embarking on a dazzling run from the middle.

Priddis, Selwood and Darling were also crucial in the Eagles' 17th straight win at Subiaco Oval.

Blues tagger Andrew Carrazzo, playing his first match since injuring his shoulder in round four, was brilliant in restricting Daniel Kerr after quarter-time, while Heath Scotland was also impressive in his return from a calf injury.

The Eagles were dealt a blow late in the match when in-form defender Will Schofield appeared to injure his hamstring.

Darling is likely to be given a reprimand for staging after throwing his head back theatrically following a hard but fair tackle from Scotland around the chest.

Eagles: 10.19 (79) - Darling 3, Cox 2, Lynch, Kerr, Schofield, Hams

Blues: 10.9 (69) - Kreuzer 2, Henderson 2, Walker, Garlett, Armfield, Tuohy, Simpson, Collins

AAP/ABC

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, perth-6000, carlton-3053

First posted June 14, 2012 22:24:57

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Hawks add to Demons' misery

Updated May 11, 2012 23:30:10

Hawthorn's wastefulness saved winless Melbourne from an absolute belting, as the Hawks cruised to a 15.25 (115) to 6.13 (49) victory at the MCG.

The win gave the Hawks consecutive victories for the first time this season and lifted them into the top eight, at least temporarily, but the 66-point margin did not fully reflect their general dominance.

The Hawks had 165 more disposals than the Demons and entered their attack an extra 28 times, as the competitiveness that the Demons had shown in recent weeks disappeared.

But some wayward shooting - including 3.7 and another shot out on the full from Lance Franklin - as well as some other botched attacking moves that had seemed set to result in goals, stopped the winners capitalising fully.

Demons key forward Mitch Clark kicked his side's only three goals of the first half, all from marks in the first quarter, as the Hawks defence appeared to miss the injured Josh Gibson early.

Some early Hawks errors at close range at the other end, including Cyril Rioli fumbling a handball in space, Jordan Lewis dropping an uncontested mark and Luke Breust missing a 20-metre shot, meant the Demons led by three points at the first change.

But with the Hawks dominating the midfield through Brad Sewell, Jordan Lewis and Liam Shiels and the likes of Grant Birchall, Matt Suckling and Shaun Burgoyne providing great run, it was only a matter of time before they took control.

They surged clear with a 6.6 to 0.2 second term, Franklin kicking two goals for the quarter including a brilliant 45-metre snap under pressure, while Isaac Smith and Rioli both won free kicks with good tackles to set up majors.

The Hawks led by 37 points at the main break and could have buried the Demons early in the second half, kicking 2.5 in the first few minutes of the third term.

But the Demons kept the margin respectable heading into the last quarter before the Hawks swept away with five final-term goals to one.

It was the Hawks' ninth straight win over the Demons.

Tagger Jordie McKenzie was a solid contributor for the Demons, restricting Sam Mitchell, but could find himself under match review scrutiny for sliding into the Hawks premierships skipper in a contest in the first term.

The Hawks small forward Michael Osborne was injured late in the match and had to be helped from the ground.

Hawthorn: 15.25 (115) - L Franklin 3, P Puopolo 2, C Young 2, L Breust, D Hale, J Lewis, C Rioli, J Roughead, S Savage, I Smith, M Suckling

Melbourne: 6.13 (49) - M Clark 3, J Howe, J Magner, J McKenzie

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, hawthorn-3122, melbourne-3000

First posted May 11, 2012 22:24:34

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