WA Footy 101: West Coast great Andrew Embley re-lives 2006 preliminary fight-back as best game he’s been part of

“That win was the best game I’ve been part of.” It’s a big statement from former Eagles champion Andrew Embley, one many would assume relates to his club’s 2006 premiership triumph. Not so. Entering the penultimate weekend of that year the headline was ready to roll: “Derby Decider at the MCG” It had fans and those of us in the media salivating at the prospect of the biggest week of football in WA history. But first the Dockers and the Eagles had to advance past their preliminary finals. By the end of Friday night,the script had already gone pear-shaped when Fremantle failed to hold up its end of the bargain, beaten by Sydney at Stadium Australia. As part of the Perth travelling media,we headed from the Harbour City to Adelaide the following morning contemplating whether the other WA would even make it to the biggest game of the year. The Eagles had finished the home away season on top, a game clear of the Crows. But after West Coast dropped their qualifying final to the Swans and Adelaide took care of Fremantle in their qualifying final, the two highest ranking sides met at Football Park for the right to play Sydney the following week. Having won five of their previous six matches against the Crows, including two of those in Adelaide, the opposition and the venue held few fears. By half-time, it appeared as though the grand final was just about locked in. But not the one West Aussies had been eyeing off 24 hours earlier. In a low scoring affair, the Crows led the minor premiers by 22 points Midfielder Andrew Embley recalls the mood in the rooms at the long break with his team having kicked just two goals. “We’d had a couple of comeback games in 2006 so we knew there was plenty of resilience in the group” he said. The theme for the club that year was ‘Dig Deep’ and never was that call to arms more important. With the heartbreak of grand final defeat the previous year in the back of their minds John Worsfold’s team rallied in the third quarter. The usual suspects Chris Judd, Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr and Dean Cox were pivotal as was the role Michael Braun played on Adelaide superstar Andrew McLeod. He restricted the Norm Smith medallist to 16 disposals and one goal. Momentum changed and with one quarter to play the Eagles had reduced the deficit to eight points when they gathered for their final huddle. Embley said “as good as Adelaide had been we just thought the game was ours”. Early into the last quarter, the Eagles seized total control. Adam Hunter, who’d been pushed forward, joined Quinten Lynch and Ashley Hansen in capitalising on the dominance of the midfield, completing a memorable 10-point win. In commentary for Channel 10, dual Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight said the Eagles victory was their best outside their two grand final triumphs. He should know. Blight was coaching Geelong in 1992 and 1994 when West Coast won premierships. Arguably best on ground, Embley’s game was regarded by many as better than his Norm Smith Medal performance the following week. Embley says the victory remains a stand-out in his career. “We were just so relieved in the rooms after the match, even though when we jumped on the plane to go home the job wasn’t done,” Embley said. It may be known as the City of Churches, but Adelaide restaurants and bars were rocking that night with West Coast fans and members of the Perth fourth estate. On a wing and a prayer, many of us flew straight to Melbourne the following morning, a little worse for wear. Six days later we saw another Eagles triumph. All these years later, we’re still waiting for that first western derby final, let alone a grand final. That day will come.