Reality bites for Demons after thrashing from Eagles
Paul Roos suffers worst coaching loss as Eagles thrash sorry Dees
WEST Coast has laid bare the huge task facing Melbourne coach Paul Roos with a 93-point demolition at the MCG on Sunday.
A knee injury to star defender Shannon Hurn was the only lowlight for the Eagles in the 18.15 (123) to 4.6 (30) thrashing - their second straight win to start the year.
The Eagles took control from the start and kicked four goals in 13 minutes, putting the Demons out of the contest.
West Coast bullied Melbourne at the clearances, winning them 13-3 in the first quarter.
When the Eagles weren't surging forward, Melbourne was compounding its own misery by turning the ball over.
Five of the first eight West Coast goals were direct results of the Demons coughing up possession.
Melbourne kicked one behind in the first term as West Coast took a 40-point lead into the first break.
The Demons did not kick their first goal until seven minutes into the second term, through Shannon Byrnes.
He also kicked Melbourne's second goal at 23 minutes into the third.
While it was a poor day for most Melbourne players, co-captain Nathan Jones again stood out with a gutsy performance in the midfield.
Jones, who has won the last two club best-and-fairest awards, was relentless and finished with a game-high 34 possessions.
Eagles coach Adam Simpson wasn't getting too carried away with his side's unbeaten start to the season.
"We're happy. Don't get me wrong. We're pleased with the result and where we are. But it's a long year and we haven't really been thrown in the deep end and tested yet," he said.
"Some of the stuff today … guys missing chest marks. I haven't seen that before, so it's an eye-opener for me. Some of the errors were just incredible," he said.
"If you get hold of the ball and you fumble it all the time, if you can't make tackles, they're the most basic things in footy. Today we were just really poor at it."
Sharrod Wellingham tries to weave through some traffic against the Demons. Picture: AFL Media
Watch Nth Melbourne's press conference after their Preliminary Final match against Port Adelaide
04:54
AFLW full post-match, FWK3: Power
Watch Port Adelaide's press conference after their Preliminary Final match against Nth Melbourne
01:27
Wall stands tall as Roos book GF spot
Vikki Wall produces an eye-catching performance with three goals, including a monster from long range as North secures a second-straight Grand Final berth
05:11
AFLW Highlights: North Melbourne v Port Adelaide
The Kangaroos and Power clash in the first preliminary final of the 2024 NAB AFLW Season