Head to head: West Coast 22 wins, Hawthorn 14 wins
Last time: West Coast 16.11 (107) d Hawthorn 13.9 (87), round 13, 2009 at Subiaco
MISSING IN ACTION
West Coast
Tim Houlihan (foot) - 5 weeks
Brett Jones (arm) - 2-3 weeks
Daniel Kerr (hamstring) - 10 weeks
Chris Masten (knee) - 5-6 weeks
Ryan Neates (finger) - 5 weeks
Luke Shuey (knee) - 1-2 weeks
Ashley Smith (quad) - test
Hawthorn
Max Bailey (knee) - TBC
Shaun Burgoyne (jaw) - 1-2 weeks
Lance Franklin (ankle) - test
Josh Gibson (hamstring) - 8-9 weeks
Rhan Hooper (hamstring) - test
Luke Lowden (groin) - 3-4 weeks
Sam Mitchell (hamstring) - test
Wayde Skipper (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks
Simon Taylor (fractured leg) - TBC
Travis Tuck (foot) - test
FORM
West Coast: LLWLL
Hawthorn: LLLLL
SUMMARY
Considering this is a match between two of the last three premiership winners (remembering Geelong won twice), it has all the makings of a fizzer. Both the Eagles and the Hawks have been ordinary this year and look to be on the way to another year without making the finals.
Granted there have been injuries for both clubs and young inexperienced players have been fast tracked but both Alastair Clarkson and John Worsfold would have thought they had teams capable of making the finals.
Granted there have been injuries for both clubs and young inexperienced players have been fast tracked but both Alastair Clarkson and John Worsfold would have thought they had teams capable of making the finals.
Luke Hodge has been flying the flag for the underperforming Hawks while young guns Nic Naitanui and Brad Ebert have been the shining lights for the Eagles. Hawthorn has come under the media blowtorch after last week’s loss to Essendon but the Eagles haven’t exactly gone under the radar either after losing to cross-town rivals Fremantle.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jarryd Roughead has probably copped more scorn than just about any other Hawk after last week’s loss. With Lance Franklin under an injury cloud and the Hawks’ well-documented lack of big men, a return to form for Roughead is crucial for his team.
Nic Naitanui is coming up against a makeshift ruck setup and could completely dictate play with his huge leap and athleticism. This could be a game where he really cuts loose.
QUESTION MARKS
Are the Hawks just ravaged by injury or is this the best they can do? The 2008 flag has given Hawthorn plenty of credit but questions must be asked about their ferocity and endeavour.
How can the Eagles best take advantage of using Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui against Hawthorn's undermanned ruck department?
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
It’s hard to pick either team to win this one but you’d have to think that if the Hawks couldn’t fire a shot against their fierce rivals Essendon last week then they won’t be able to bring much to the table when they have to fly over to the other side of the country. For this reason alone it’s the Eagles.
PREDICTION
West Coast by 22 points
Follow Matt Brown's inside view of West Coast v Hawthorn at #afleagleshawks on Twitter.com from 1.10pm Saturday or @AFL_MattBrown#afleagleshawks
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
