Richmond exposed as Naitanui leads West Coast to easy win Braden Quartermaine
From: Herald Sun
August 07, 2011 9:54PMWEST Coast was too quick, too big, too good. And very, very exciting. The Eagles showed it all off in one passage of play in the second quarter.
With midfielder Luke Shuey seemingly cornered by Tiger Mitch Morton in the middle of the ground, he burned him off with pure speed.
As Shuey charged to the 50m arc, his eyes lit up at the target on offer - Nic Naitanui, who was enjoying one of the best quarters of his short career.
Naitanui outmarked helpless Richmond defender Alex Rance, played on and kicked the goal.
The devastating play by the two 21-year-olds broke the Tigers' spirit and won't have gone unnoticed by a few other clubs either as West Coast continues to loom as the September X-factor.
They may also note that this was an Eagles side that kicked 22 goals without spearhead Josh Kennedy and with limited input from their second-highest goalkicker, Mark LeCras.
West Coast had Richmond at arm's length all day in the 57-point victory, and the Tigers have now tumbled to 14th after their sixth consecutive loss.
A season that held so much promise two months ago has quickly gone sour, with usual suspects Dustin Martin (23 touches and nine clearances) and Brett Deledio (31 possessions and one goal) the best of too few good performers.
Remodelled forwards Mark Nicoski and Brad Ebert were two of the Eagles' most-maligned players coming into the season.
They kicked 10 goals between them last night, with Nicoski finishing with a career-best bag of six.
Daniel Kerr was also outstanding in his return from injury, gathering 34 touches and eight clearances as he dominated at the stoppages.
But there was only one player people were talking about as they left the stadium.
There was little Naitanui did not do in a breathtaking second quarter as the dreadlocked youngster teamed with Kerr, who had 13 touches for the term, to blow the match apart.
Naitanui set up an 8-1 centre clearance advantage for the quarter with masterful tap work, took towering one-handed marks around the ground and went forward and kicked two goals.
The Eagles' ruck brigade has such an embarrassment of riches that Dean Cox, favourite for the All-Australian ruck spot, started in the forward line each quarter.
West Coast also had too much to play for, with an on-ground celebration already planned after the game to mark the club's 25th anniversary, and a top-four spot on offer.
The Tigers briefly led midway through the opening quarter after two early goals from Brad Miller, but the scoreboard contradicted a strong feeling the Coasters were a class above.
The Eagles powered to a 34-point lead at halftime and held a 45-point advantage at the 30-minute mark of the third quarter before the Tigers kicked three late goals to close the margin to 27 points at the final change.
Jack Riewoldt kicked three goals for the quarter, after being blanketed by Darren Glass in the first half, but any hope of a Richmond comeback was extinguished early in the final term.
Four Talking Points1.) 100-gamer Daniel Jackson was left sore and sorry last night after having his milestone game curtailed by a hip injury.
Jackson battled on after being hurt in an awkward first-quarter collision with Shannon Hurn, but limped off again in the third term and was substituted out of the game.
2.) Yesterday's match celebrated West Coast's 25th anniversary, with the WA club's first home and away match being against Richmond at Subiaco in 1987.
The Eagles trailed by 33 points at three-quarter time on that day before winning by 14 points.
The margin was again 33 points on the three-quarter-time siren yesterday, before Jack Riewoldt closed the gap to 27 with a goal after the siren.
3.) Riewoldt booted ten goals the last time the teams met in Round 12 last season as he monstered young pair Eric Mackenzie and Will Schofield.
He found the going tougher yesterday against All-Australian contender Darren Glass, being thrashed by Glass in the first half before sparking the Tigers with three goals in the third quarter.
4.) The Eagles have had some fair players in their 25 years, as evidenced by the club's inaugural Hall of Fame inductions on Friday night.
But none have created more excitement than Nic Naitanui, whose aura now equals that surrounding a young Chris Judd.
The third-year ruckman again left an adoring crowd spellbound with some magic moments yesterday.
Full-time scores:
WEST COAST 5.2 11.6 17.8 22.15 (147)
RICHMOND 4.1 6.2 13.5 14.6 (90)
Goals:
West Coast: M Nicoski 6, B Ebert 4, J Darling 4, N Naitanui 2, D Cox, D Kerr, L Shuey, M LeCras, Q Lynch, S Hurn.
Richmond: J Riewoldt 4, B Miller 2, T Vickery 2, B Deledio, B Houli, J King, M Morton, R Nahas, S Tuck.
Best:
West Coast: D Kerr, Naitanui, M Nicoski, L Shuey, A Gaff, B Ebert.
Richmond: D Martin, B Deledio, S Tuck, A Rance, J Riewoldt.
Injuries:
West Coast: D Cox (hip), M Rosa (knee), N Naitanui (knee).
Richmond: D Jackson (leg).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Jeff Dalgleish, Shane Stewart, Luke Farmer.
Official Crowd: 38,106 at Subiaco.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/west-coast-in-control-at-half-time-against-richmond/story-e6frf9mx-1226110363207
