West Coast skipper Darren Glass says the Eagles have moved on from last decade’s famous rivalry with Sydney, but the teams are set to create a new chapter when they battle for the AFL’s top spot in Perth on Sunday.
Sydney versus West Coast was the fixture to watch between 2005-07, with six games in a row producing margins of four points or fewer.
The Swans defeated West Coast by four in the 2005 grand final but the Eagles got their revenge a year later with a one-point win in the decider.
Sydney have won their past five games against West Coast, but on Sunday the Eagles will start favourites on their home turf, where they have strung together 18 straight victories.
Interestingly, the Swans were the last team to beat West Coast in Perth, an inspired performance from Adam Goodes hauling Sydney to a 13-point victory in round three last year.
Sydney top the table with an 11-3 record, but second-placed West Coast trail their arch rivals by just 6.2 per cent and will overtake them should they prevail on Sunday.
Glass played a key role on former Sydney spearhead Barry Hall in the epics of yesteryear but says it feels like a new chapter has formed between the two clubs given the sizeable personnel changes.
“I think the teams have moved on,” Glass said on Monday.
“The teams have changed a lot since the grand final days, but Sydney are still a very good football side.
“I still think they play a similar brand of footy – a good contested brand – and like all good sides I think they get a good even contribution across the whole team.
“That’s been their trademark for a number of years now.
“It was a nice rivalry (last decade).
“It felt like a real mutual respect between the two teams.”
Swans spearhead Sam Reid booted six goals in Saturday’s 47-point win over Brisbane and Glass admitted he and fellow defender Eric Mackenzie would have their hands full containing the emerging star.
West Coast defender Beau Waters, who was a late withdrawal from last week’s win over North Melbourne, will have his injured knee assessed this week, while Brad Sheppard (ankle) also faces a fitness test.
Veteran defender Adam Selwood is a strong chance to earn a recall after tallying 34 possessions in the WAFL.
