West Coast’s flag defence – and quite possibly John Worsfold’s job – will be on the line when the Eagles face off against Essendon in Thursday night’s elimination final at Optus Stadium.
The defending premiers lost the safety net of a double finals chance after their 38-point loss to Hawthorn saw them slip to fifth spot on the AFL ladder.
West Coast were embarrassingly bundled out by the Bulldogs in a home elimination final in 2016, but they boast a more powerful and experienced side this time around.
The return of Nic Naitanui from an ankle injury will give West Coast’s midfield a far more potent edge, while the frenzied forward pressure applied by the likes of Willie Rioli and Liam Ryan is another strong weapon.
Essendon have endured a topsy-turvy season riddled by injuries, and the pressure is on coach Worsfold to produce a huge upset against the club he coached and captained to a premiership.
Worsfold is contracted for next year, but rumours are bubbling that he will get the chop if he can’t guide Essendon to their first finals win since 2004.
The veteran coach is confident he will remain in charge of the Bombers regardless of Thursday’s result, but time will tell if that’s the case.
The elimination final will pit two contrasting game styles against each other.
The Bombers rely heavily on a lethal slingshot style from defence, with rebounding defenders Adam Saad and Conor McKenna key to their chances of success.
West Coast’s precision kick-mark method has served them well over the past two years, with the intercept prowess of Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass in defence also a key part of their game plan.
One key stat Eagles coach Adam Simpson is looking to improve during the finals is hard ball gets.
West Coast rank last in the competition for contested possessions excluding free-kicks – an extraordinary stat given the team’s success.
The Eagles also ranked last for that stat during the 2018 home-and-away season, but it was a different story during the finals as they charged towards the flag.
West Coast were well beaten around the contest in the recent losses to Richmond and Hawthorn, and Simpson concedes his team can’t afford another lapse like that against the Bombers.
“When you look at the game and analyse the way we do, yeah we’ve been disappointing in the contest,” he said.
“(It’s down to) effort, (getting) beaten in the one on ones, not supporting our back half as well as we should have – just some of the basic things that normal footy coaches say.”
Essendon are expected to name star defender Michael Hurley despite his recent shoulder dislocation.
Skipper Dyson Heppell (foot), Cale Hooker (illness), Orazio Fantasia (hip) and Jake Stringer (hamstring) will all return, but defender Martin Gleeson will miss with a calf injury.
