I’VE been a West Coast Eagle supporter for all my life and could not be more surprised at just how well they have gone this season.
Hell; even the biggest optimist would be surprised.
With the Eagles losing key defender Eric McKenzie before the season had started and fellow backman Mitch Brown in round one I was predicting a long, painful season.
With Darren Glass retiring and the Eagles electing to delist Blayne Wilson at the end of 2014 I didn’t know who would fill the key back vacancies.
Throw in the retirement of Beau Waters due to a chronic elbow injury, and I thought the season was cooked.
Oh how I was wrong.
With the emergence of Mitch McGovern, a player who was banished from the club just the year before after coming to preseason in poor shape and the efforts of Will Schofield, the Eagles backline couldn’t look stronger.
This combined with second-year coach Adam Simpson’s team defence motto has seen the Eagles move to within just one game of the grand final; that game being against the Kangaroos on Saturday.
I’m well and truly on the Eagles bandwagon.
The Kangaroos are no match for the Eagles.
The last time the two sides met in a final at Domain Stadium the Eagles smashed the Roos by 96 points, something I’m predicting the Eagles will do again.
With the Eagles set to regain Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis and Chris Masten against the Roos after the pair missed the Eagles 32-point win against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, the side will be one of – if not – the strongest – teams they have put on the park this year.
While the Eagles’ have enjoyed the week off the Kangaroos have faced a tough game against Richmond followed by a trip to Sydney to face the Swans after finishing the regular season in eighth.
With injury concerns over Robbie Tarrant and Drew Petrie for North Melbourne it appears that all the pieces are falling in place for an Eagles win.
Now, rather than hope the Eagles remain competitive for the 2015 season, like I did after round one, I have been left searching for ways to make it to the grand final.
Flying is out of the question, it would be cheaper to pop over to Amsterdam and watch the game rather than fly to Melbourne next week.
After my attempt at winning an acrostic poem competition with the letters ‘MELBOURNE’ describing the city didn’t come off I’ve been left with few options.
Driving could be an option but it would require a Friday sickie (and potentially a Thursday sickie) to complete a non-stop 3483-kilometre journey to arrive before bounce down.
That would still leave me needing tickets and, without having unlimited funds, would seem unlikely.
In the ultimate Hail Mary attempt I even emailed AFL final’s sponsor Toyota appealing to their generous nature.
Only time will tell whether I’m at the ‘G’ cheering on the Eagles or on my couch cheering them on come grand final day.
That said I may be getting ahead of myself; there still is a game this weekend.
