It took them more than a half to score a goal, but West Coast still managed to see off Hawthorn by five points thanks to Daniel Kerr’s brilliance in Saturday night’s AFL blockbuster at Patersons Stadium.
The Eagles were held to just 12 behinds in the opening half, but a brilliant night from Kerr (33 possessions) and two crucial goals to Jack Darling in the final quarter lifted West Coast to the 5.21 (51) to 5.16 (46) win.
Hawthorn forward Lance Franklin had another wasteful night, booting 1.6 to bring his season tally to 11.15.
The Eagles’ fourth win of the season ensured they retained top spot on the table.
But the triumph could come at a cost after star midfielder Luke Shuey injured his right shoulder in the third quarter.
Shuey was writhing in pain and collapsed to all fours after copping a heavy but fair bump from Clinton Young.
The 21-year-old Eagle bravely played out the quarter after receiving some treatment, but was clearly in pain whenever he received contact to the shoulder.
Darling’s two-goal burst in the final quarter and a dribbling goal to Kerr put the Eagles up by 18 points with less than 10 minutes remaining.
But Hawthorn forward Cyril Rioli, who had been held to just seven possessions in the opening three quarters, almost stole the win for the visitors.
A beautiful goal from the pocket was followed by another just minutes later, closing the gap to five points.
And when Rioli turned Eagles defender Adam Selwood inside-out on the boundary line near goal, the Hawthorn speedster seemed destined to give Hawthorn the lead.
But his shot from a tight angle just faded to the left, with West Coast holding on in a frenetic final few minutes.
The Eagles were held goalless in the opening half for the first time since their 2004 loss to Carlton.
Josh Hill finally got West Coast’s goal tally ticking over with a major just 36 seconds into the third quarter, and Josh Kennedy added another a minute later in a sudden rush of action for the home side.
Kerr, who had endured a slow start to the season, was spectacular throughout the night with his in-and-under work proving crucial in the win.
