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Party time ... Dean Cox celebrates with team mates in the Eagles' big win. Source: THERON KIRKMAN / AAP
West Coast forward Jack Darling booted five first-half goals and Nic Naitanui made a successful return from injury as the Eagles posted a 70-point victory over the Western Bulldogs in Sunday's AFL clash at Patersons Stadium.
Darling's first-half heroics set up the 21.11 (137) to 10.7 (67) win, while Naitanui was dominant in the ruck after coming on midway through the third quarter.
| 6.3 (39) | Q1 | 3.0 (18) |
| 10.4 (64) | Q2 | 5.2 (32) |
| 16.7 (103) | Q3 | 8.3 (51) |
| 21.11 (137) | Q4 | 10.7 (67) |
| Jack Darling 5 | Clay Smith 2 |
| Dean Cox 4 | Dylan Addison 1 |
| Josh J. Kennedy 4 | Adam Cooney 1 |
| Mark LeCras 3 | Liam Jones 1 |
| Luke Shuey 2 | Nick Lower 1 |
| Josh Hill 1 | Jackson Macrae 1 |
| Chris Masten 1 | Jake Stringer 1 |
| Matt Priddis 1 | Jason Tutt 1 |
| Mitchell Wallis 1 |
Former Magpie Sharrod Wellingham (26 possessions) was also impressive in his Eagles debut, while Josh Kennedy and Dean Cox finished with four goals each after Darling failed to add to his own tally in the second half.
Midfielder Luke Shuey also starred, but injured his ankle in the final quarter.
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The hype before the match surrounded the highly-anticipated return of Naitanui from his lingering groin injury.
| P | W | D | L | % | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 171.36 | 24 |
| 2 | Geelong | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 119.72 | 24 |
| 3 | Port Adelaide | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 136.95 | 20 |
| 4 | Sydney | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 134.16 | 20 |
| 5 | Hawthorn | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 129.00 | 20 |
| 6 | Fremantle | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 111.62 | 16 |
| 7 | Collingwood | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 98.69 | 16 |
| 8 | Carlton | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 114.36 | 12 |
| 9 | Richmond | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 101.74 | 12 |
| 10 | West Coast | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 109.84 | 8 |
| 11 | North Melbourne | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 101.86 | 8 |
| 12 | Adelaide | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 97.06 | 8 |
| 13 | Gold Coast | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 88.34 | 8 |
| 14 | Brisbane | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 72.27 | 8 |
| 15 | St Kilda | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 93.47 | 4 |
| 16 | Bulldogs | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 72.76 | 4 |
| 17 | Melbourne | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 56.07 | 4 |
| 18 | Greater Western Sydney | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 64.39 | 0 |
But fans had to wait until 14 minutes into the third quarter before Naitanui took off the sub's vest and made his way onto the field.
The 23-year-old only tallied five possessions for the match, but he was influential in the ruck with 17 hit-outs as West Coast powered to their second win of the season.
The victory lifted West Coast up to equal 10th on the table, while the Bulldogs' fifth loss on the trot left them mired near the foot of the table.
Adam Cooney, Clay Smith, ruckman Will Minson and Matthew Boyd battled valiantly for the Bulldogs, while Mark Austin managed to keep Darling goalless after half-time.
West Coast entered the match having kicked 17.42 in losses to Carlton and Port Adelaide over the previous fortnight.
But they showed no signs of nerves in front of goals during the first quarter, with Cox converting a beautiful set shot from the boundary, Shuey nailing a tricky set shot and Chris Masten kicking truly from outside 50m.
West Coast coach John Worsfold hopes vice-captain Beau Waters, who was a late withdrawal against the Bulldogs due to a tight adductor, will return next week, while midfielder Luke Shuey will be further assessed after experiencing cramping in his calf.
Worsfold was pleased with Naitanui's return, and said the 201cm ruckman was a chance to play a full game against Brisbane next week if he was used solely as a forward.
And after booting a combined 17.42 in losses to Carlton and Port Adelaide over the previous fortnight, the Eagles finally rediscovered their mojo in front of goal.
"I can't tell you what we did. I can't release my secrets,'' Worsfold said of the new-found accuracy.
"Confidence is a big thing. Mindset and technique is a big thing in goal kicking as well.''
The struggling Bulldogs looked out of their depth from the outset, despite gutsy efforts from ruckman Will Minson, emerging midfielder Clay Smith, and veterans Matthew Boyd and Adam Cooney.
Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney was understandably disappointed with the performance.
"The best West Coast team is probably a top 4-6 team,'' McCartney said.
"They've probably been a bit stop and start for a few weeks. Today they sensed a kill and went after it.''
The Bulldogs were racking up big numbers in the midfield, but West Coast were dominating play at either end of the ground.
Darren Glass, Eric Mackenzie, Shannon Hurn and Mitch Brown were relentless in defence, while Darling exploded in attack, with opponents Tom Young and Dale Morris unable to halt his influence.
The Bulldogs did have one memorable highlight for the half, with Jake Stringer dribbling home a beautiful goal from the boundary line.
Darling's dominance was halted by Austin after half-time, but the Eagles' charge continued, with Cox, Kennedy and Mark LeCras prolific.
Click here to see all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.
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