West Coast isn’t flying high right now - but they’re getting the job done. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) They’re not quite back yet. But they’re getting there. West Coast has made it two wins on the trot after knocking off St Kilda on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium. It was their seventh straight win in Melbourne. And though Adam Simpson’s side wasn’t anywhere near its premiership best, the 18-point victory keeps them on the winning side of the ledger heading into a preliminary final rematch with Melbourne next Friday night. Live stream the 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on KAYO SPORTS. Every match of every round. Live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial > ‘THE GREATEST’: BEN COUSINS MEETS WITH RICHMOND OFFICIALS, YOUNG STAR It’s clear West Coast isn’t a true premiership threat right now; not to say that they can’t win it, but they’re just not in that form yet. After being thumped by Port Adelaide and Geelong, the Eagles have bounced back by beating Gold Coast and St Kilda; two sides with winning records at the time, but also two sides who surprisingly burst out of the blocks and seem to be falling back to earth. And much like the win over the Suns, this was closer than the at-arms-length margin suggested. The Saints weren’t out of it until Josh Kennedy awakened from his slumber, as the superstar forward had just two touches with no marks in the opening half, before booting two goals in a minute nearing the end of the third term. While St Kilda got within two kicks with 1:25 to play, they were unable to get any closer than that. Before then, this was the sort of scrappy, pressure-filled contest that we associate with St Kilda. Alan Richardson’s side, which begun the season 4-1, now sits at 4-4. They aren’t looking anywhere near as bad as they did in 2018, but they’re clearly missing that extra something that true finals sides have. The fact that the post-game interviews on the ground were mostly about some Eagles players getting stuck in a lift shows the win wasn’t too impressive. These Eagles just don’t feel dangerous. Right now, they’re only showing flashes of that extra something. The midfield, which stepped up so well in the 2018 finals series, isn’t anywhere near those heights right now. They’re just not doing the damage, and the team’s contested footy numbers are below par. Andrew Gaff, for example, was bizarrely proclaimed by one of the TV commentators as having made a return to footy where he “could not have played any better”. His disposal numbers are high, yes. But per the Official AFL Player Ratings, Gaff has had the second-biggest decline from 2018 to 2019 of any player in the competition, behind only Tom McDonald. Even if you’re not a fan of that ratings system, it would seem folly to argue Gaff is looking better than he did last year, when before his suspension he was judged by many as being in Brownlow-worthy form. Get the ultimate AFL experience on your phone with the new FOX FOOTY App. Download it NOW for FREE on iOS and Android! The Eagles led all game although they almost allowed St Kilda back into it in the final term thanks to some woeful inaccuracy, with eight straight behinds being tallied by the visitors. Gaff had another 30 disposals, but wasn’t overly damaging with them, while Dom Sheed was more impressive recording 28 touches, six clearances and a goal. In his 150th career game, former Saint and current Eagle Jamie Cripps kicked two goals and had 21 touches. A two-goal, one-minute burst by Josh Kennedy put the game out of reach of St Kilda. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images With Melbourne needing a miracle to get past Gold Coast earlier on Saturday, one would expect the Eagles to still be too good next Friday night. That would mean three wins in a row. After that though come two sides that are suddenly surging, the Adelaide Crows (on the road) and the Aaron Naughton-powered Western Bulldogs (in Perth), before a visit to the SCG to face a Swans side that won both meetings with West Coast in 2018. It’s not going to be a season-defining stretch of games - unless the Eagles lose all of them. But it might be the perfect time to start figuring out what’s going wrong; or, more accurately, what’s not quite right.<doc-sep>Midfielder Dom Sheed is confident West Coast can build on last week’s win over Gold Coast heading into tonight’s clash against another improving side, St Kilda, at Marvel Stadium. After a horror fortnight which saw hefty defeats to Port Adelaide (42 points) and Geelong (58 points) respectively, the Eagles topped all the key areas they had been lacking including possessions (383-354), contested ball (137-133), tackles (88-58), clearances (43-33) and inside-50s (50-44). Sheed said facing the Saints on their home turf would be no easy task, but was hopeful the reigning premiers could keep their momentum going. “We had a real focus to win the contest and we did that,” Sheed said. “I think we went up maybe 30 tackles and we focused a bit more on that at training so we’ll continue to do that and we’ll make sure that contested ball is at the forefront of our mind every game from here on in. “Gold Coast were fourth in the competition in contested ball coming into the match so we really wanted to beat them in the midfield and I think we did that, if not broke even at least. “I’m just happy to be in a winning side again. It’s been a tough couple of weeks but it’s all about building that momentum coming into the rest of the season. “It was a hard-fought win in the end and those last five minutes goes to show that if teams come at us, we’ve got the ability to steady the ship.” Camera Icon Dom Sheed and the Eagles face St Kilda tonight. Credit: AFL Photos St Kilda coach Alan Richardson hinted that returning defender Nathan Brown would get the job on dual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy. A pair of key forwards got the better of the Saints in the past fortnight to put the brakes on their stunning start to the season. Jeremy Cameron (six goals) led Greater Western Sydney to a 44-point win over St Kilda in Canberra last week. Adelaide captain Taylor Walker (four) was dominant the previous round as the Crows got up by 29 points. Both the Eagles and Saints are 4-3 heading into tonight’s match.<doc-sep>Who impressed... Dom Sheed The Eagles’ grand final hero has taken his game to a new level in 2019. Sheed has become one of his side’s most reliable midfielders after being in and out of the team last year. In the second quarter alone, Sheed had 14 disposals (six contested), three clearances and a goal. He finished with 28 possessions, six clearances, four inside-50s and two majors. It was his fourth game this season that the classy left-footer has amassed 25-plus disposals and he should be among the Brownlow Medal votes tonight. Jamie Cripps The milestone man was terrific in his 150th AFL match. Cripps played one of his better games of the season up forward, getting the better of his former club. He started slowly but got better as the game went on, booting two goals to go with 21 disposals and five tackles. Liam Ryan Ryan was terrific around the ground and added to his ever-growing highlight reel. The livewire forward works tirelessly hard off the ball, does some unbelievable things and has arguably the best vertical leap in the competition. He took two mark-of-the-week contenders and kicked a beauty from the boundary line, but did miss a few other opportunities in front of the sticks. Shane Savage What a performance from Savage down back for St Kilda. His 25 disposals were at 84 per cent efficiency, he took eight marks, drifted forward for a goal and was game-high in both metres gained (630) and rebound-50s (nine). Who didn’t... Jeremy McGovern It was a dirty night for the All-Australian defender. McGovern didn’t have his usual impact an as intercept-marking backman, with WA’s Blake Acres getting the better of him. He had just three intercept marks and could also come under the microscope for his bump behind the play on Acres. Jack Darling Darling struggled to back up his strong performance against the Suns last week. Forward-turned-defender Josh Battle was on Darling most of the night and had the better of him. Was held goalless until the final minute of the match, when he slotted through a set shot from close range.<doc-sep>
The Saints take on the Eagles in Round 8 this weekend. Where and when Marvel Stadium, Saturday May 11, 7.25pm AEST. Last time they met Optus Stadium, Round 11, 2018: West Coast 16.5 (101) beat St Kilda 14.4 (88). Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share West Coast led by 48 points at the last change but the Saints showed spirit and mounted a late comeback. Josh Kennedy and Tim Membrey each bagged six goals. It was an important outing for Membrey, who shook his yips and didn’t miss any of his chances. What it means for St Kilda The season is starting to look a tad shaky, with the Saints having dropped their past two games. They’re facing the grand finalists over the next fortnight and it comes at a bad time when key players keep being sidelined. Victory would be steadying. No late change yet which means the ins are Nathan Brown, Luke Dunstan and Ed Phillips who replace Darragh Joyce (omitted), Hunter Clark (omitted) and Jonathon Marsh (omitted). What it means for West Coast It’s hardly been a convincing recent run for the reigning premiers. Travelling to Melbourne and coming away with a thumping victory would help the Eagles reassert their authority on the competition. With no late change yet, the only in is Jake Waterman who replaces Chris Masten (omitted). This is a milestone game for Jamie Cripps, who’s playing his 150th game tonight. St Kilda’s Keys to the game The Eagles have shown they can be exploited in the clinches against Port Adelaide and nearly being run over by Gold Coast last week so Seb Ross, Jack Steele and Jade Gresham have to bring their physicality and win the footy. West Coast’s Keys to the game This Saints line-up is bereft of so many of their best players. If West Coast matches them for effort, its superior skill and tightly controlled backline should win out. Fun Fact St Kilda’s leader for clearances per game isn’t one of its hard-nosed midfielders, but rather emerging ruckman Rowan Marshall, who’s averaging 6.2 through his five games. The Clash-up Jack Darling v Josh Battle There was scrutiny over the Eagle’s form before he broke a goalless two-match patch with four in the win over Gold Coast, but Darling, ranked No.119 in the AFL Player Ratings, faces a tough test against the quickly improving Josh Battle, who’s at No.488. It’s crunch time for Josh Bruce The key forward was starring early in the season, but a recent leg injury seems to at least be part of the reason he hasn’t slotted a goal in the past two games. He needs to have more presence to add potency to the Saints’ attack. Big call A blistering performance from Gresham to win his side the game from halftime, finishing with 31 disposals and four goals. Prediction St.Kilda by 29 points.