The Soaring

Recap
In the long running rivalry between the Swans and the Eagles, this one ended in a relative blow-out with the Eagles winning by 12 points, after a late Swans surge reduced the earlier margin of seven goals.

West Coast Eagles 2.6 6.9 13.14 16.16 112
Sydney Swans 2.3 6.9 9.9 15.10 100

Top Five

1. A story of “ins”
This game was a story of ins. Much has been made of Ben Cousins return, and rightly so, he was inspired. But the bigger picture was Cousins was one of five significant ins from the week befores pummeling at the hands of Port. Along with Cousins, Stenglein, Hansen, Staker and Kerr each made an important impact on the game and in the process transformed the team from a tired, disorganised and overmatched side to a Class-A performer that we’ve come to expect.

The other side of the “ins” coin was that Sydney’s ins of Reg Grundy and Luke Vogels very much weakened their side in place of Barry Hall and Tadgh Kennelly. It put us at 17 players returning from the 2006 Grand Final side each.

You play the opponents that are out there though and I, like every Eagles supporter, is stoked to have “their team” back and firing on more cylinders than we’ve seen lately.

2. Ben Cousins
Ok, if you had any doubts - he’s erased them: he’s ready to play. I think 38 disposals is pretty much above anyone’s expectations of Cousins play upon his return, in fact, it’s an exceptional game no matter who the player and no matter what the circumstances. It’s an incredible effort.

The fact is, Cousins relentless run, his fight and his disposal have been sorely missed in recent weeks. Earlier in the season when our other midfielders were in good nick we managed without incident, but in recent weeks with Kerr in and out, Judd in and out, Stenglein and Fletcher in and out, the class of Cousins has been missed sorely.

To see his energy back on the oval for the Eagles is a great thing for anyone with an interest in the blue and gold. It’s just the start and I wish Ben well with the rest of the year and beyond.

3. The new forward line
The re-introduction of Hansen and Staker into the forward line did wonders for the Eagles. Between them they kicked 7 goals and presented options up forward all night. Along with Quinten Lynch (who took 10 marks and kick 1 goals 2) and Mark LeCras (who created a few chances but unfortunately didn’t take them) we suddenly look to have winners in the forward 50 again.

It is amazing the impact Ashley Hansen has on our side. He never does the spectacular, but provides a target, works his opponents butt off and is getting increasingly dangerous as a goal kicker. Brent Staker is a more maligned player (along not in the RoJo or Fletcher class) and could be due to his enigmatic style of play. He was definitely “on” on Saturday night and as he develops more this consistency he could very well develop into a key player for us.

I certainly see Staker as a forward more so than a defender. He came to the Eagles primarly as a centre half back but has the attributes to be a very good forward - pace, skill, agility, height, match-up nightmare - if he puts it together consistently. In fact, he reminds me of a former Eagle who wore both #25 and #7 - Fraser Gehrig. As a forward there is no doubt Fraser peaked after leaving the Eagles after 6 seasons (and a 100 + games) as a 24 year old.

Staker is now in his fifth season, has played 82 games and has just turned 23. I see this as a very strong indicator the best is very much yet to come.

4. The team playing as a team
Again I know I am repeating the same tune, but after recent games it was great to see the team playing as a team. The 1%ers, the players sticking fearlessly to the task, the sacrifice of self for the good of the team. It’s a beautiful thing.

Dean Cox didn’t get as much of the ball as in recent games, but he dominated Spida Everitt and Darren Jolly. Everitt was one of a few star Swans who were soundly beaten. Cox capped his great game with three goals as he did a job in the forward line with Seaby taking the ruck.

Adam Selwood continued his excellent negating form with a shut down of Adam Goodes. In contrast to the Grand Final when Goodes was opposed to free wheel against Judd, Selwood stuck to Goodes like glue and got the big man riled on a number of occasions as his frustrations boiled over.

Matt Priddis played half the game on the pine but still managed to lay some big tackles and block space for teammates. Daniel Chick was back to him old self playing like a possessed under 12, charging down the ball and opponents with reckless abandon.

All great signs for the Eagles.

5. The run home
This week we take on the Bulldogs Friday night at the Telstra Dome. It’s a venue and opponent to make an Eagles supporter jittery. But you might remember the same feeling in round 18 last season when we took on the Saints and won. I’m hoping for the same result this week.

Beyond that we have Fremantle at home, Kangaroos away (Telstra), Richmond at home, Saint Kilda away (Telstra) and Essendon and home. Some interesting games in that lot and some great tests of our team’s ability.