Eagles upset Bombers with 27-point win

Essendon's finals hopes are dangling by a thread after a handball-happy West Coast
outfit notched an upset 27-point AFL victory at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.
The Bombers looked flat in the opening half and were made to pay dearly for their
lacklustre start as the Eagles skipped out to a 29-point lead by the long break.
Essendon fought back in the second half and closed the gap to 13 points early in the
final quarter but the Eagles kicked two late goals to seal the 14.11 (95) to 10.8
(68) win, with recalled forward Ben McKinley kicking four crucial goals.
The Bombers' third loss on the trot leaves them one game adrift of eighth-placed
Port Adelaide with tough fixtures against Brisbane, St Kilda, Fremantle (away) and
Hawthorn to round out the home and away season.
West Coast's fifth win of the season makes the Eagles ineligible for a priority
draft selection, ending any tanking talk associated with John Worsfold's men.
Prized West Coast recruit Nic Naitanui played the best game of his fledgling career,
tallying 24 hit-outs in a dominant display against Paddy Ryder in the ruck.
But it was also Naitanui's two spoils in the final quarter, one of which led to a
goal to Mark LeCras, that proved critical in holding off Essendon's last-quarter
charge.
Young Eagles midfielder Tom Swift (23 possessions, two goals) also enjoyed a
breakout game despite the odd errant disposal, while LeCras (26 possessions, three
goals) and veteran Andrew Embley (31 touches) were crucial in the win.
The Eagles finished the game with a whopping 451 disposals, 250 of them handballs.
Jay Neagle booted three goals for the Bombers and Kyle Reimers chipped in with two
but the forward line looked stagnant in the absence of injured skipper Matthew
Lloyd.
Jobe Watson (29 possessions) battled hard in the midfield but received little
support, with Andrew Lovett restricted to just 12 touches after picking up a nasty
cork to his thigh early in the game.
Eagles rookie Callum Wilson made a dream start to his AFL career, booting two goals
with his first two kicks as West Coast raced out to a 20-0 lead.
Essendon were exposed through the centre corridor time and again in the opening
quarter and it was a similar case in the second as the Eagles kicked four goals to
two to take a handy 29-point advantage into the long break.
The Bombers dominated play during the third quarter but received little reward for
their efforts, with the Eagles scoring crucial goals against the run of play to turn
for home up by 25 points.
Goals to Reimers and Courtenay Dempsey early in the final quarter sparked Essendon
to life but a dominant final-quarter performance from Eagles veteran Andrew Embley
and some deft touches from Naitanui helped steady the Eagles.