Eagles upset the ladder leaders

The Collie Eagles breathed new life into the SWFL finals race following a gripping 7.10 (52) to 7.5 (47) win over previously undefeated Bunbury at the Collie Recreation Ground on Sunday. Arguably the game of the season to date, it was a contest fuelled on passion, heart and superb individual efforts. The Eagles, who always seem extra formidable at home, opened the game brightly on their terms by denying the explosive Bulldogs time and space. A massive win early for the home side was the performance of versatile big man Paul Rinder, who began to take control of his duel against Jacob Williams in stoppage situations. This dominance routinely gave the Eagles first use of the ball and despite not being able to always capitalise on the scoreboard, the home side was well and truly in the game. Proceedings tightened up significantly in the second term as both sides struggled to move the ball into attack. Somewhat against the flow, the Bulldogs managed to sink a critical goal through Cam Lamonaca and many may have felt this could spur the visitors on for the remainder of the afternoon. But the Eagles clearly had read a different script. The clock had barely ticked into time-on when a loud symphony of car horns exploded around the ground, celebrating a quick reply from Eagles youngster Jack Dye, which levelled the scores. With the game up for grabs, the Bulldogs tried persistently to get service from their forwards, however Mat Michael and Declan Jackson combined in defence for more than nine intercept marks. These acts of courage inspired the Eagles, who raced out to a 12-point lead at the 12-minute mark of the third term, following goals to Hayden Yarran and Rinder. Although the margin appeared to be a concern for the visitors, they continued to apply themselves and were rewarded with a breathtaking solo effort from Jett Rigby, who trimmed the margin to seven points in the shadows of time-on. Three goals were kicked in as many minutes to end the quarter, with Joe Scafidi’s major the last goal the Eagles would kick for the game. Both sides threw everything at each other in a quarter of Herculean proportions. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their disposal let them down late in the game. Eagles coach Seth White was keen to keep things in perspective moving forward. “I said to the players that I was proud of them,” he said. “I gave them a bit of a whack after the AMR game last week and through the week at training. “We wanted to start well and apply pressure. Because if our pressure is up and we are tackling hard, the result takes care of itself.” Bulldogs coach Jamie Nani was reflective post-game and praised the Eagles’ work ethic.