Alarm bells are ringing at West Coast after the reigning premiers were found wanting again in the AFL.
Geelong’s 58-point mauling on Sunday at GMHBA Stadium comes a week after Port Adelaide upset the Eagles in Perth by 42 points.
While the 15.14 (104) to 7.4 (46) win put the Cats a game clear at the top of the ladder with a 5-1 record, West Coast are outside the top eight on 3-3.
“It’s very hard to identify what style we’re playing at the moment if we can’t win the footy,” lamented West Coast coach Adam Simpson.
Also on Sunday, Carlton suffered their second nailbiting loss in three weeks, falling to Hawthorn by five points in Launceston.
A fortnight after the Blues were panned for their two-point loss to Gold Coast, they led by 36 points in the second term.
But Hawthorn rallied and hit the front in the last quarter.
Carlton’s Zac Fisher could have levelled the scores inside the final minute, but he hit the post.
The Blues appeared to have one last shot at victory when Harry McKay marked just inside 50.
He was beaten by the final siren and Hawthorn held on to win 13.15 (93) to 13.10 (88).
Carlton lost veteran Kade Simpson and Nic Newman to injury during the match, but coach Brendon Bolton said there were no excuses.
“Our guys left nothing in the tank, but I don’t want the conversation … (to be) it was an honourable loss,” he said
It leaves the Blues among four teams at the foot of the ladder with only one win from six games.
But Carlton’s biggest losing margin has been 33 points and in between the Gold Coast and Hawthorn games they easily beat the Western Bulldogs.
Fremantle honoured David Mundy’s 300th game with a 19-point home win over the Bulldogs on Saturday night, taking the Dockers to second.
GWS belted Sydney by 41 points and it is the first time in 25 years that the slumping Swans have lost five straight at the SCG.
Adelaide improved to 3-3 and ninth with Saturday’s 29-point win over St Kilda, with all sides from second to eighth on 4-2.
Brisbane smacked Gold Coast by 49 points for a badly-needed win.
Port Adelaide’s 16-point win over North Melbourne and Richmond’s 43-point Anzac Eve win over Melbourne left the Kangaroos and Demons joining Sydney and Carlton at the bottom of the ladder.
Essendon fans were furious about controversial umpiring calls in the last few frenetic minutes of their four-point Anzac Day loss to Collingwood.
Apart from controversy around Bombers boos drowning out Magpies captain Scott Pendlebury when he accepted the Anzac Medal as best afield, the match also sparked debate about whether the AFL needs full-time umpires.
