Hundreds of moments make up the proud football club we all know and love today.
From a match-winning goal, to a gravity-defying mark, to a solid team-oriented effort, our past on-field achievements have brought joy to supporters across the country and have helped to shape and define the direction our future will take.
Season 2011 marks our 25th year, and to help us celebrate, you were invited to have your say on the historic moments you believe have been the most significant to the West Coast Eagles.
All your votes have been tallied up and we are ready to countdown from moment #25. Stay tuned to westcoasteagles.com.au as we’ll be revealing one moment each week until we unveil the single most defining moment in our history at the end of the home and away campaign.
Coming in at #16 is West Coast’s efforts against the Bulldogs in 1998.
Although the Eagles spotted their opponents an eight-goal start, and the home side was goalless heading into the quarter-time break.
Guy McKenna says the Bulldogs’ performance was simply unbelievable.
“They couldn’t do a thing wrong, the Western Bulldogs,” McKenna recalls. “I reckon as the group came in at quarter-time we thought Mick [Malthouse] is going to start peeling skin and hair off us here, he is just going to give it to us.
“But he came out very calmly and spoke about our structure, how we had to restructure that, we had to get our hands on the footy. He showed us stats, I think they’d almost doubled us in stats and spoke very calmly and basically said if they can do that boys, we can hold a pill and do this, this and this and do the same to them.”
Inspired by then senior coach Mick Malthouse’s words, West Coast answered by kicking the next eight goals, leading the Bulldogs by a single point at half-time with Fraser Gehrig and Chad Morrison kicking five goals between them in the second term.
The Eagles went on to win by 13 points and the come-from-behind victory still stands as the fourth largest comeback in VFL/AFL history.
Norm Smith medallist Peter Matera credits Gehrig and Morrison for giving the side the boost they needed to eventually win the game.
“Our tails were up, our confidence was up,” Matera says. “After the game, the siren went, and even the crowd couldn’t believe it, that we’d come back from eight goals down.
“For us it was just one of those great moments.”
Click here to watch West Coast legends analyse this historical victory.