Eagles tear Demons apart, claw at top-eight finish
Big win over Melbourne puts West Coast in strong position for finals tilt
WEST Coast could be left to rue a late fadeout after failing to finish the job in its 66-point win over Melbourne on Saturday night at Patersons Stadium.
The Eagles looked on track for a much-needed triple-figure win after piling on nine of the first 10 goals of the match.
But the Demons fought back in the final term, booting three goals to two to limit the carnage and put a minor dent in the Eagles' top-eight hopes.
Although the Eagles ran out 18.11 (119) to 8.5 (53) winners, the percentage boost they received might not be enough to land them a dream finals berth.
Should West Coast beat Gold Coast on the road next week, and Richmond and Collingwood lose as expected, then the Eagles will finish eighth - but only if they can better Adelaide's percentage.
The Crows' percentage is 110.2, but they have the chance to boost that significantly when they take on struggling St Kilda next week at Adelaide Oval.
West Coast's percentage increases from 111.1 to 114.7 after beating Melbourne, but it might need to beat Gold Coast by a comfortable margin to finish above Adelaide.
Eagles forwards Josh Kennedy and Mark LeCras feasted on Melbourne's struggling defence with four goals apiece, while Jack Darling booted three in the opening quarter to kick-start the rout.
Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones and Daniel Cross battled their hearts out for the Demons, but they lacked support.
Melbourne have lost nine straight games, and if the AFL needed any extra proof that it needed a priority draft pick, they just had to witness the Demons' first three quarters on Saturday.
It took until three minutes into the final quarter for Melbourne to take its first mark inside the forward 50m arc.
By then, the contest was over. The Demons have lost their past 15 matches in Perth by an average of 48 points, with their last win at Patersons Stadium in 2004.
Even the pre-match withdrawal of star ruckman Nic Naitanui didn't faze the Eagles, who piled on the goals with ease to celebrate the final home appearance of retiring veteran Dean Cox.
"I thought there was an opportunity to maybe extend things in the last quarter, but Melbourne didn't go away. They kept hanging in there," Simpson said.
"But we're excited that we get to go to the last game of the season and we're still a chance to make the eight."
Scott Lycett enjoys an early goal against Melbourne on Saturday night. Picture: AFL Media
WEST COAST 6.1 9.5 16.9 18.11 (119)
MELBOURNE 1.1 3.3 5.4 8.5 (53)
GOALS
West Coast: LeCras 4, Darling 4, Kennedy 3, Hill 2, Cripps, Lycett, Shuey, McGinnity, Gaff