Garry Lyon has hailed the heroic performance of West Coast’s Jack Darling in Saturday’s Grand Final victory.
Darling had a horror first half, replicating his nightmare effort in the 2015 decider, but he turned it around at the main break, playing a pivotal role in the third quarter.
In the third term, Darling took six marks, four of which were contested, and kicked a goal, with Lyon explaining the lesson all footballers should take from the premiership forward’s game.
THE WRAP UP: WEST COAST WIN ALL-TIME THRILLER
“The lesson in this for everyone who plays sport…no matter how you’re travelling in a game, you can still have an impact,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“Jack Darling at half time, the eyes of the football were cast, were searing into his back when he walked off that ground at half time because he has failed so badly in the 2015 Grand Final and had maybe one or two touches when they needed him most.
“Everyone’s eyes would have been burning a hole in his back.
“He came out and played one of the great quarters in Grand Final history in that third quarter.
“He was the conduit between back and forward, he was everything he was earlier in the year.
“I was so happy for him.”
Darling dropped a mark on the goal line in the game’s dying stages, but it proved to be inconsequential, as the Eagles secured their fourth flag in club history.