Carlton speedster Chris Yarran booted four goals to lead the Blues to victory. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow
Eagles skipper Darren Glass played on despite injuring his shoulder in the first quarter. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow
SPEED kills. It can also embarrass you as West Coast defender Adam Selwood found out last night.
Leg speed has never been a strong point for the 28-year-old veteran of 182 games, but his lack of it has never been more brutally exposed than at Patersons Stadium last night.
Twice in the decisive second quarter Carlton's Chris Yarran left Selwood in his wake as he kicked sensational running goals.
Not being able to catch Yarran is nothing to be ashamed of. But the fact Dennis Armfield and Jeff Garlett started well behind Selwood before catching him and putting on shepherds made it ugly.
To blame the wholehearted elder Selwood brother for the defeat would be wrong.
The host of Eagles who sprayed simple shots on goal will instead be looking in the mirror after the Blues stunned the Eagles 12.17 (89) to 7.23 (65).
The men at the centre of the bombshell trade between the clubs six years ago - Chris Judd and Josh Kennedy - were both only peripheral figures.
Carlton's 20-point half-time lead came despite Judd having no influence to that point.
Judd, the Eagles' 2006 premiership skipper, had just one kick and five handballs in the opening half.
The shutdown job was a team effort from the Eagles, with Scott Selwood, who finished with a game-high 32 disposals and seven clearances, and Luke Shuey keeping him on a leash in the midfield and Will Schofield and flag teammate Adam Selwood minding him when he was stationed forward.
Garlett booted Carlton's second major at the 21-minute mark of the first quarter but most eyes were on Eagles skipper Darren Glass, who was laying on the ground after hurting his right shoulder in an awkward fall.
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The veteran defender had his shoulder strapped and took part in one-on-one marking contests with runner Anthony Jones at quarter-time as a fitness test to decide whether he would play on.
Glass gamely battled on but was clearly restricted as he was forced to punch left-handed and struggled to tackle with his right arm.
The teams traded goals until Swan Districts product Yarran booted the first two of his brilliant running goals in the space of three minutes midway through the second term.
Yarran nonchalantly sprinted away from Adam Selwood to kick his second, before another WA recruit in Kane Lucas made it three in a row for the visitors.
With the Coasters in trouble 14 points down, the umpires looked to have come to the rescue as Callum Sinclair was handed a soft free kick in front of goal - his fourth free for the night.
The groans around Subiaco told the story as Sinclair hit the post from 20m out, taking West Coast's tally to a woeful 3.13. The Eagles finished with 14 behinds for the opening half, the equal highest first-half behind tally in the club's history.
When Glass was out-marked in front of goal by 184cm midfielder Brock McLean early in the third term, his bravery was becoming foolhardy but the Eagles opted to persist with the All-Australian captain, instead pulling Jamie
Cripps from the game to inject substitute Bradd Dalziell.
Mark LeCras gave the home side a glimmer of hope when his second goal 15 minutes into the third term ended a run of six majors to the rampant Blues. But West Coast's tally of 4.16 still said plenty about why it was in such dire trouble.
Yarran's lightning pace came back to haunt the Eagles when he panicked Eric Mackenzie into giving away a holding free kick in the goal square, converting to push the lead beyond five goals again.
It was now or never for a response and it finally came as Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff and Daniel Kerr combined for the last three goals of the third term to close the margin to a manageable 15 points at the final change.
It was a situation that required some magic and Kerr was the man to oblige as he landed his sensational drop punt from the point where the 50m arc intersected the boundary line at the Subiaco end of the ground.
The goal brought the loudest roar of the night from the crowd of 38, 674 and it would remain that way.
There was little more to cheer about as the Blues held the Eagles goal less throughout the final quarter.
Dalziell might have had fresh legs but even that was no help as he missed a simple set shot early in the final term to continue West Coast's shocking night in front of the sticks.
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