Sydney has strolled to a dominant 63-point win off the back of West Coast taking 47 minutes to record their first score of the clash at Optus Stadium.
The Swans were lacklustre last week as the Eagles recorded their first win of the year over Collingwood, however the roles were reversed on Friday night as John Longmire’s men fired the early shots.
West Coast was tipped by many to cause an upset despite missing Nic Naitanui and Jeremy McGovern, however those hopes were all but over inside the first quarter.
A scoreless term wasn’t what Eagles fans would have hoped for at their home ground, and it wasn’t going to get any better as the halfway point of the second quarter came and went without a score.
Liam Ryan kicked the Eagles’ first goal and score when converting a set shot at the 17-minute mark of the second term, sealing an unwanted record for Adam Simpson’s men.
The 47 minutes and one second it took them to register a score is the latest in any game of AFL football this century, another blow for the Eagles who will wish the 2022 season could be redone.
Latest first team score in an #AFL match (1999 onwards)…
— Oliver Gigacz (@OliverGigacz) April 15, 2022
47m 01s - WEST COAST (R5 2022)
45m 20s - Adelaide (R13 2021)
42m 43s - North Melbourne (R2 2010)
42m 12s - Brisbane (R8 2016)
40m 41s - Fremantle (R23 2013)#AFLEaglesSwans
Simpson got some sort of response out of his players after half time, who came out with an increased level of energy and actually won the half before a late flurry of six goals to Sydney after the 13-minute mark of the last term.
However, the premiership coach will no doubt be concerned by his team’s contested possession count. West Coast finished with just 111, some 29 short of Sydney’s 148 and well short of their 136 contested possessions last week against Collingwood.
The inside 50 count of 29-65 to Sydney will also embarrass the home side.
What caused the Eagles' drop off in a game where plenty shaped up in their favour is a big unknown, but a determined second half performance didn’t do enough to paper over a poor effort.
Alen Witherden played one of his best games for the Eagles to finish with 23 disposals and nine marks, while former Tiger Patrick Naish continued to prove himself as one of the bargain recruits of the year through his 26 possessions and 481 metres gained.
Josh Kennedy and Liam Ryan battled hard, especially in the second half, but it was the waves of young Swans that outran the Eagles early who were behind the win.
Callum Mills, Luke Parker and Isaac Heeney continued their rise as one of the most dynamic on-ball units of 2022, while Peter Ladhams also kicked his first goal as a Swan.
Jamie Cripps in his 200th game kicked a late major, a small solace to heartbroken Eagles fans.
The victory hands Sydney a significant percentage boost and will see them move into third on the AFL ladder, with the Eagles condemned to the bottom four for another week.
FULL SCORE
West Coast: 0.0, 2.0, 4.3, 9.4. (58)
Sydney: 5.4, 10.10, 11.12, 18.13 (121)
GOALS
West Coast: Ryan 3, Kennedy 2, Darling, Redden, Williams, Cripps,
Sydney: Heeney 3, Hayward 2, Warner 2, McLean 2, McDonald 2, Parker 2, Bell, Ladhams, Blakey, McInerney, Ronke
BEST
West Coast: Witherden, Duggan, Naish, Redden, Foley
Sydney: Mills, Parker, Ladhams, Heeney, Lloyd
INJURIES
West Coast: Yeo (Head)
Sydney: N/A