FOURTH spot on the AFL ladder is now West Coast's to lose after the resurgent team stormed home to notch a 57-point win over Essendon at Patersons Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles all but sealed their first finals double chance since 2007 with a 20.14 (134) to 11.11 (77) win, continuing what is a remarkable turnaround for the 2010 wooden spooners.

It wasn't their most complete performance of the season, taking more than three quarters to shake the Bombers, who took a one-point lead into half-time and were still in the game early in the final term.  

But, led by superb young midfielder Luke Shuey, the Eagles kicked the last seven goals of the game to notch their fifth straight win and their 10th in 11 matches.

Shuey won 12 of his 23 possessions in a brilliant second half and he finished with a game-high 11 clearances to overshadow NAB AFL Rising Star rival Dyson Heppell, who was also very impressive for Essendon.  

West Coast midfielders Daniel Kerr (25 possessions and two goals), Matt Priddis (27 and 10 clearances) and Scott Selwood (23 and eight tackles) were also important, while key forward Josh Kennedy got better each quarter, kicking 4.3.  

The win could come at a cost, however, with vice-captain Beau Waters reported for rough conduct after collecting Essendon midfielder Jobe Watson high with a shoulder late in the third term.

Without their captain and leading stoppage player, the Bombers struggled to win effective clearances in the centre, with West Coast winning the hit-outs 55-37.

They were also left stretched at both ends of the ground, with key position players Michael Hurley and Tayte Pears both left out of the travelling party with general soreness.

Patrick Ryder became the visitors' focal point in attack, kicking three goals, and Jake Carlisle was given the task of containing Kennedy, performing well in the first half.

But the 19-year-old, like his injury-hit team, fell away late in the game as the Eagles notched their eighth consecutive win over the Bombers in Perth.     

Influential players
Shuey's third quarter was highly influential as West Coast turned a one-point deficit into a 25-point lead. The 21-year-old had four clearances, five inside 50s and kicked a goal in a brilliant burst. Alongside him in the centre, Daniel Kerr was solid all day, winning 14 of his 25 possessions in contests. Shuey stood up in a tackle to set his senior teammate up for a brilliant snap goal halfway through the third term.         

With a lot of focus on Shuey and Heppell leading into this match, neither disappointed, with Heppell winning 26 disposals and using the ball intelligently all day. He sidestepped Kerr and then Mark LeCras brilliantly on a wing in the first quarter. Watson won 22 disposals (12 contested) and was his side's best player before his day was ended by injury in the third term.  

Stats that mattered
After a tight, grinding first half, little separated the sides in clearances (26-25) and the Eagles only extended that advantage by two in the second half. However, the decisiveness of their stoppage work in the third quarter changed the course of the game. They turned an 11-7 advantage in hit-outs into a 12-7 edge in clearances, with Shuey exceptional.

Key match-up
Essendon key defender Jake Carlisle was impressive early in his duel with Josh Kennedy, holding the star Eagle to one goal and two marks in the first half. However, Kennedy took off in the third term, running his young opponent off his feet to tally six possessions, four marks and two goals for the term. After consecutive Essendon goals in the fourth quarter, Kennedy took a strong mark on the goal-line to spark the Eagles' seven-goal run.
 
What it means
It would take a catastrophic breakdown for West Coast to miss out on fourth spot now, with games against bottom-four sides Brisbane Lions and Adelaide to come. That guarantees a home final, and the Eagles' 10-1 record at Patersons Stadium this season speaks for itself. An 11th home win, against the Crows in round 24, would equal the club's best return in a season (1991 and 2005).        

The Bombers need to beat Port Adelaide next week to guarantee their finals spot before a round 24 bye, but they will be boosted by the return of Hurley and Pears. Coach James Hird was also confident post-match that Watson (concussion) and Stewart Crameri (shoulder) would be available.    

QUARTER BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
Patrick Ryder started up forward for Essendon and booted two quick goals. But West Coast matched that with an early Andrew Embley goal and a long-range bomb from Quinten Lynch. The Eagles appeared to take control with late majors to Mark LeCras and Josh Kennedy, but David Zaharakis’ impressive snap in the dying seconds stopped West Coast’s run. A head injury to Andrew Welsh, which saw him substituted off, soured the quarter for Essendon.
West Coast by 9

SECOND QUARTER
Both teams were scrappy and unconvincing to start the quarter. The first goal didn’t come until the 17-minute mark, when Eagles ruckman Dean Cox earned a free-kick and booted an easy goal. But the Bombers provided yet another instant response through a Stewart Crameri crumbing goal. That seemed to provide a spark for the Bombers and they took the lead with goals to Ryder and Mark McVeigh. Mark Nicoski’s major briefly stopped Essendon’s momentum, but Crameri kicked a stunning goal to put the Bombers in front on the siren.
Essendon by 1

THIRD QUARTER
The Eagles wasted several chances in the initial stages but finally were rewarded when Kennedy kicked his second. Scott Selwood then kicked his first less than a minute later. But the Bombers answered the challenge again with consecutive goals to Jobe Watson and Leroy Jetta. The Eagles then produced a run of goals to Daniel Kerr, LeCras, Luke Shuey and Kennedy to take control before three-quarter-time. Star midfielder Watson was forced off after a hard hit midway through the quarter and the Bombers struggled without him.
West Coast by 25

FOURTH QUARTER
LeCras kicked his third early in the quarter and that gave the Eagles five consecutive goals. The Bombers finally ended that run with a Heath Hocking major and they were back in the game after Nathan Lovett-Murray’s goal made the deficit just 19. But Kennedy, Kerr and Nic Naitanui kicked goals in quick succession to end any hope of an Essendon comeback. The visitors couldn’t stop West Coast’s momentum and goals to Cox, Embley, LeCras and Lynch took the margin above 50.
West Coast by 57

THE FIXTURE AHEAD
West Coast: The Eagles will guarantee their place in the top four if they beat the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba next week and Adelaide at home in round 24.

Essendon: The Bombers host struggling Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium next Sunday before their round 24 bye.

DREAM TEAM HIGHLIGHT
West Coast: Forward Josh Kennedy ($280,700) top-scored for the Eagles with 117 points. Matt Priddis (99 points) also performed well.

Essendon: Brent Stanton ($450,400) was the best for the Bombers with 109 points, while Heath Hocking also impressed with 108.

West Coast       4.3   6.6   12.12     20.14 (134)
Essendon          3.0   7.1  9.5   11.11  (77)

GOALS
West Coast:  Kennedy 4, LeCras 4, Kerr 2, Cox 2, Embley 2, Lynch 2, S. Selwood, Shuey, Nicoski, Naitanui
Essendon:  Ryder 3, Crameri 2, Watson, Zaharakis, McVeigh, Jetta, Hocking, Lovett-Murray

BEST
West Coast: Shuey, Kerr, S. Selwood, Kennedy, Priddis, Embley, Cox 
Essendon:  Stanton, Heppell, Watson, Hocking, Ryder, Crameri

INJURIES
West Coast: Jack Darling (hip) replaced in selected side by Chris Masten
Essendon: Andrew Welsh (head), Stewart Crameri (shoulder), Jobe Watson (concussion)

SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Ashton Hams replaced by Chris Masten in the third quarter
Essendon: Andrew Welsh replaced by Nathan Lovett-Murray in the first quarter

Reports: Beau Waters (West Coast) reported for rough conduct on Jobe Watson (Essendon) in the third quarter.

Umpires:  Margetts, McInerney, Mollison

Official crowd: 38,253 at Patersons Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs