Mid West's Liam Ryan, Tyler Brockman and Jamie Cripps help Eagles post first victory of 2025 season
After 281 days without a win and an 11-game losing streak, Waalitj Marawar's (West Coast) trio of Mid West stars helped the Eagles post their first victory of the season against Euro-Yroke (St Kilda) at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Amid emotional scenes as Waalitj Marawar and their fans paid tribute to premiership player Adam Selwood who died over the weekend, a collective team effort saw the Eagles record a gritty 28-point win over the Saints, 16.12 (108) to 12.8 (80).
Geraldton's Liam Ryan and Tyler Brockman were again used to great effect through the midfield in bursts, providing seven clearances between them.
Ryan was back to his electric best at times, kicking two goals and amassing 14 disposals, five tackles and 409m gained. Brockman had 16 disposals and six tackles.
Before the match, Brockman said he had relished the move into the midfield alongside Ryan in recent weeks.
'I enjoy it. Liam and I have been getting a bit more midfield time for the past two rounds,' he said.
'I think they're going to hopefully keep putting Liam and I in the midfield and let us do our work.'
Northampton's Jamie Cripps — who was the only Eagle on the field on Sunday to have played with Selwood — was visibly emotional during the pre-game tribute. He kicked the first goal of the match, after which he pointed to the sky and his black armband.
Although the Saints challenged them at times, the Eagles never relinquished the lead and found an extra gear when they needed to.
In the earlier Sunday game, Narrm (Melbourne) upset reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba by 11 points, 13.10 (88) to 14.15 (99).
Geraldton's Demons defender Judd McVee had another understated game, with 13 disposals and six marks.
On Friday night, Sydney proved too strong for Carlton at the SCG, prevailing by 16 points, 11.12 (78) to 9.8 (62).
Carlton skipper, Patrick Cripps, was again among the Blues' best, kicking two goals and collecting 26 disposals, seven tackles, seven clearances, five inside 50s and 311m gained.
Walyulup (Fremantle) had a much-needed win on the road, downing the Giants by 34 points. Dockers midfielder, Jaeger O'Meara from Dongara, is still four weeks away with hamstring and foot injuries.
West Coast, St Kilda, Melbourne and Fremantle are known as Waalitj Marawar, Euro-Yroke, Narrm and Walyalup during the Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
West Coast Eagles defender Tom Cole will to miss weeks with hamstring injury, Tom McCarthy debut unlikely
West Coast premiership defender Tom Cole 'will miss a bit of footy' as coach Andrew McQualter hinted mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy would have to wait for a debut. Cole will miss at least the upcoming clash with Carlton at Optus Stadium after picking up a hamstring injury in the disappointing loss to North Melbourne down in Bunbury on Sunday. The Eagles then have a bye. McQualter said the 28-year-old had sustained a significant injury, but they were yet to determine a timeframe for his return. 'Coley will miss a bit of footy. He's got an injury there so he's going to miss a little while, we're not quite sure how long yet which is unfortunate,' McQualter said. 'As it always does it will provide an opportunity for someone else. 'No surgery. It's a bit unknown how long he'll miss. It's not severe. We don't know the exact time frame yet so we'll work through that as he progresses through his rehab.' It opens up a spot in defence for the Eagles, but McQualter hinted he was unlikely to give McCarthy a highly-anticipated debut despite the 24-year-old averaging 23 disposals in his first two WAFL games. 'Tom's played two games with us but he hasn't main trained with our group yet,' he said. 'He was back in Melbourne for a personal commitment last week, today will be his first full training with our group. 'The challenge is we think he can play and he will be a long-term player for us but we also want to set him up to succeed and understand what we're trying to do out there.' The Eagles could also send Brady Hough back into defence after a successful move to the midfield since Gather Round. 'We've spoken about that a few times. I'd probably be reluctant to if I'm being honest,' McQualter said. 'This is the conversation we have in match committee every week, we've got to pick the best team available and try to maximise every line, have the right experience in every line and we don't want any of our lines to be too young.' Cole's injury does open the door for top draftee Bo Allan to play a full game for the first time since his debut against Melbourne in round eight. Allan has been the sub in his past two appearances and played only eight minutes against the Kangaroos. 'Potentially. I spoke earlier in the week that it's been challenging for Bo the last few weeks being sub and getting such small gametime,' he said. 'We're going to play him a full-game somewhere this week. He won't be sub. 'We'll work through that. There's potential that there is a spot there in the backline for him.'
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Eagles defender set for stint on sidelines, draftee unlikely
West Coast premiership defender Tom Cole 'will miss a bit of footy' as coach Andrew McQualter hinted mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy would have to wait for a debut. Cole will miss at least the upcoming clash with Carlton at Optus Stadium after picking up a hamstring injury in the disappointing loss to North Melbourne down in Bunbury on Sunday. The Eagles then have a bye. McQualter said the 28-year-old had sustained a significant injury, but they were yet to determine a timeframe for his return. 'Coley will miss a bit of footy. He's got an injury there so he's going to miss a little while, we're not quite sure how long yet which is unfortunate,' McQualter said. 'As it always does it will provide an opportunity for someone else. 'No surgery. It's a bit unknown how long he'll miss. It's not severe. We don't know the exact time frame yet so we'll work through that as he progresses through his rehab.' West Coast defender Tom Cole. Credit: Daniel Carson / AFL Photos It opens up a spot in defence for the Eagles, but McQualter hinted he was unlikely to give McCarthy a highly-anticipated debut despite the 24-year-old averaging 23 disposals in his first two WAFL games. 'Tom's played two games with us but he hasn't main trained with our group yet,' he said. 'He was back in Melbourne for a personal commitment last week, today will be his first full training with our group. 'The challenge is we think he can play and he will be a long-term player for us but we also want to set him up to succeed and understand what we're trying to do out there.' The Eagles could also send Brady Hough back into defence after a successful move to the midfield since Gather Round. 'We've spoken about that a few times. I'd probably be reluctant to if I'm being honest,' McQualter said. 'This is the conversation we have in match committee every week, we've got to pick the best team available and try to maximise every line, have the right experience in every line and we don't want any of our lines to be too young.' Bo Allan was the sub against North Melbourne. Credit: Janelle St Pierre / AFL Photos Cole's injury does open the door for top draftee Bo Allan to play a full game for the first time since his debut against Melbourne in round eight. Allan has been the sub in his past two appearances and played only eight minutes against the Kangaroos. 'Potentially. I spoke earlier in the week that it's been challenging for Bo the last few weeks being sub and getting such small gametime,' he said. 'We're going to play him a full-game somewhere this week. He won't be sub. 'We'll work through that. There's potential that there is a spot there in the backline for him.'
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Beveridge finds new tricks to preserve old Dog
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge hopes enacting his Plan C for Tom Liberatore will play a role in extending the club great's AFL career beyond this season. Liberatore, 33, made his name as a hard-as-nails midfielder and has spent stints across half-forward as the Bulldogs' engine room evolves. A third role is also in play for Liberatore - a 2016 premiership on-baller - who featured in defence during the Dogs' last-start defeat to Hawthorn. Ahead of a clash with St Kilda on Thursday night, Beveridge indicated he will consider deploying Liberatore in the back half more often in a bid to preserve the 246-game stalwart. "You've all collectively, like us, garnered a huge amount of respect for Tom with his tenacity and the way he plays the game," Beveridge said. "When you think of the coalface and how hard it is - sometimes I refer to it as 'the octagon' - you can't expect a player like Tom, who plays the way he does, to do it for as long as he does all the time. "So we're looking to lighten his load a little bit and looking for another layer for Tom. "We're hoping that his (playing) future goes beyond this year." Beveridge said Liberatore was receptive to the idea of playing in defence, and the coach felt it would add flexibility to the Bulldogs' line-up. It comes with former defender Ed Richards, recruit Matt Kennedy and emerging star Joel Freijah reshaping the midfield unit under the guidance of Liberatore and skipper Marcus Bontempelli. "You know there's going to be integrity in Tom's defensive game and it all sort of makes sense without diminishing his importance as an inside mid," Beveridge said. "His priority one is still as a contest and stoppage player, but we might explore that more here and there. "My reassurance to him was that it's just a layer and maybe a Plan C - because the Plan B' is really for him to play a little bit of forward time as well." The Bulldogs (6-6) will start warm favourites against St Kilda (5-7), despite Ross Lyon's side enjoying a surprise last-start victory over Melbourne before their mid-season bye. Key forward Sam Darcy has been cleared to return from a knee injury to add further firepower to the Dogs' attack. Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge hopes enacting his Plan C for Tom Liberatore will play a role in extending the club great's AFL career beyond this season. Liberatore, 33, made his name as a hard-as-nails midfielder and has spent stints across half-forward as the Bulldogs' engine room evolves. A third role is also in play for Liberatore - a 2016 premiership on-baller - who featured in defence during the Dogs' last-start defeat to Hawthorn. Ahead of a clash with St Kilda on Thursday night, Beveridge indicated he will consider deploying Liberatore in the back half more often in a bid to preserve the 246-game stalwart. "You've all collectively, like us, garnered a huge amount of respect for Tom with his tenacity and the way he plays the game," Beveridge said. "When you think of the coalface and how hard it is - sometimes I refer to it as 'the octagon' - you can't expect a player like Tom, who plays the way he does, to do it for as long as he does all the time. "So we're looking to lighten his load a little bit and looking for another layer for Tom. "We're hoping that his (playing) future goes beyond this year." Beveridge said Liberatore was receptive to the idea of playing in defence, and the coach felt it would add flexibility to the Bulldogs' line-up. It comes with former defender Ed Richards, recruit Matt Kennedy and emerging star Joel Freijah reshaping the midfield unit under the guidance of Liberatore and skipper Marcus Bontempelli. "You know there's going to be integrity in Tom's defensive game and it all sort of makes sense without diminishing his importance as an inside mid," Beveridge said. "His priority one is still as a contest and stoppage player, but we might explore that more here and there. "My reassurance to him was that it's just a layer and maybe a Plan C - because the Plan B' is really for him to play a little bit of forward time as well." The Bulldogs (6-6) will start warm favourites against St Kilda (5-7), despite Ross Lyon's side enjoying a surprise last-start victory over Melbourne before their mid-season bye. Key forward Sam Darcy has been cleared to return from a knee injury to add further firepower to the Dogs' attack. Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge hopes enacting his Plan C for Tom Liberatore will play a role in extending the club great's AFL career beyond this season. Liberatore, 33, made his name as a hard-as-nails midfielder and has spent stints across half-forward as the Bulldogs' engine room evolves. A third role is also in play for Liberatore - a 2016 premiership on-baller - who featured in defence during the Dogs' last-start defeat to Hawthorn. Ahead of a clash with St Kilda on Thursday night, Beveridge indicated he will consider deploying Liberatore in the back half more often in a bid to preserve the 246-game stalwart. "You've all collectively, like us, garnered a huge amount of respect for Tom with his tenacity and the way he plays the game," Beveridge said. "When you think of the coalface and how hard it is - sometimes I refer to it as 'the octagon' - you can't expect a player like Tom, who plays the way he does, to do it for as long as he does all the time. "So we're looking to lighten his load a little bit and looking for another layer for Tom. "We're hoping that his (playing) future goes beyond this year." Beveridge said Liberatore was receptive to the idea of playing in defence, and the coach felt it would add flexibility to the Bulldogs' line-up. It comes with former defender Ed Richards, recruit Matt Kennedy and emerging star Joel Freijah reshaping the midfield unit under the guidance of Liberatore and skipper Marcus Bontempelli. "You know there's going to be integrity in Tom's defensive game and it all sort of makes sense without diminishing his importance as an inside mid," Beveridge said. "His priority one is still as a contest and stoppage player, but we might explore that more here and there. "My reassurance to him was that it's just a layer and maybe a Plan C - because the Plan B' is really for him to play a little bit of forward time as well." The Bulldogs (6-6) will start warm favourites against St Kilda (5-7), despite Ross Lyon's side enjoying a surprise last-start victory over Melbourne before their mid-season bye. Key forward Sam Darcy has been cleared to return from a knee injury to add further firepower to the Dogs' attack.
