West Coast fans at home in Perth better find another way to kill time than watching the footy because it’s getting seriously ugly for the Eagles.
West Coast fans sitting idle in Perth thinking their weekend couldn’t get any worse after being sent into a snap three-day lockdown better think again.
Those stuck at home hoping the Eagles could lift their spirits with a strong showing against Geelong were left gutted as the Cats ran rampant in a wild first half that saw the home side take a staggering 12.4 (76) to 3.3 (21) lead into the main break.
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Heading into the game, West Coast was sixth, two spots above Geelong, but didn’t play anything like its position on the ladder.
Making matters worse for the Eagles, they had to deploy their injury substitute when key defender Jeremy McGovern was ruled out with a groin injury.
In his first game for Geelong since moving from GWS in the off-season, Jeremy Cameron bagged two goals in the first half while a monster Mitch Duncan barrel right on halftime extended the lead to 55 points at Kardinia Park.
The shell-shocked Eagles wilted as Geelong booted 11 unanswered goals before halftime, intent on continuing a trend that has seen the Eagles go winless in Geelong for 15 years.
‘P*** weak’: Anger and laughter as Eagles wilt
Some footy fans, like radio presenter Sam Wilkinson, could see the funny side of things, saying it was “thoughtful of the Eagles players to quarantine themselves from the Cats”.
Sam Tomlin wrote: “Credit to the Eagles midfield for taking social distancing so seriously.”
Sportsbet added: “Someone tell West Coast they’re allowed to do more than 1 hour of exercise.”
But for others the fury was real.
Garrett Mundy said it was “damning” the “Eagles didn’t even bother” as they conceded 10 goals in the second quarter.
“Mentally, collectively, p*** weak. You can’t really excuse it or describe it any other way,” he tweeted.
“I did not expect the Eagles to win this game. Only a fool would. But I wasn’t expecting to be disrespected like this either.”
Broadcaster Adam McGrath described the Eagles as “witches hats”, writing: “Can’t say I expected us to win with all our outs and being at the cattery, but I did expect to see some heart and effort! Surely that’s not too much to ask.”
Eagles fan and football expert Daniel Garb tweeted: “Gee we can go to water sometimes when we’re up against it.”
Seven’s Luke McGarry wrote: “Is there a bigger flat track bully than West Coast? I mean you’d back them any day against any opponent in Perth but away from home they’d struggle to beat the bottom sides.”
Journalist Tim Barrow wrote: “The ridiculous thing is @WestCoastEagles draw is relatively kind in the next two months and could easily be well in the top four heading to July/August. But when your worst is so far off your best, it’s a huge problem.”
Cats maintain the rage in second half
It was more of the same to start the second half, Cameron taking just seconds to nail his third major as Geelong cracked the century mark less than halfway into the third term.
The Eagles managed just one goal in the third quarter as the Cats extended their lead to 87 points.
Broadcaster Shane McInnes tweeted: “If you came from Perth to watch the @WestCoastEagles, the Covid test on arrival would’ve been more enjoyable than watching this. This is hideous from the Eagles.”
More to come …