West Coast have suffered an embarrassing Friday night flop after conceding the opening eight goals in a 63-point AFL loss to Sydney at Optus Stadium.
The Swans opened up a 56-0 lead midway through the second quarter before cruising to a 18.13 (121) to 9.4 (58) victory.
Sydney midfielder Callum Mills was adjudged best afield for his 28-disposal, six-clearance effort, while Luke Parker starred with 26 disposals, five clearances and two goals.
Ruckman Peter Ladhams made the most of Nic Naitanui’s absence to rack up 24 disposals, 24 hitouts, five clearances and a goal in a dominant display.
Sydney had 11 goalkickers in an even spread, with Isaac Heeney booting three.
West Coast forward Liam Ryan booted three goals from limited supply, while defender Tom Barrass battled manfully without Jeremy McGovern (COVID-19 protocols).
There was hope West Coast’s upset win over Collingwood last week — combined with the return of star quartet Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo, Tim Kelly, and Jamie Cripps — would ensure they could match it with the high-flying Swans (4-1).
But any prospect of a match resembling a contest was quickly extinguished, with the first-quarter stats telling the story of the night.
Sydney won the inside 50m count 21-4, clearances 12-6, hitouts 13-5, contested possessions 41-26 and the scoreboard 5.4 (34) to 0.0 (0) during an opening-quarter whitewash.
Emerging Sydney spearhead Logan McDonald showcased his talents with a 50m goal on the run and a clever snap, while Hayden McLean overcame an embarrassing dropped mark near the goal square to boot two majors.
The Swans continued to pile on the pain in the second term, with their ability to use the corridor at speed allowing them to go over the top of West Coast’s defensive set-up.
Chad Warner’s goal midway through the term saw the margin expand to 56 points.
At that point, the stage was set for a repeat of Sydney’s 92-point thumping of West Coast at GMHBA Stadium last year.
The Eagles were so woeful early in Friday’s match that they needed a slice of luck to finally get on the board, with Ryan converting a dubious free kick with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
A clever Josh Kennedy snap shortly after gave West Coast further life, and the Eagles did manage to outscore Sydney two goals to one in the third quarter.
But the rout in the first 45 minutes of the match meant the game was already well and truly over.
The final 50m count read 65-29 in Sydney’s favour in a stat that showcased the Swans’ utter dominance of the match.
Sydney also won the contested possession count by 37.
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