'House of pain' back in order

AFTER two stirring wins at Subiaco Oval this season, West Coast defender Mitch Brown says the team is earning back respect and building a home ground fortress. <br /><br />

West Coast's two wins &ndash; a 33-point triumph over the Western Bulldogs on Sunday and a 50-point win over Port Adelaide in round two &ndash; were split by a 97-point thrashing away from home at the hands of St Kilda. <br /><br />

Brown said losses like that might give sides the impression that the Eagles were easy-beats, but wins like Sunday's would quickly prove them wrong. <br /><br />

&quot;We definitely want to make Subiaco Oval our fortress,&quot; Brown said at recovery on Monday.<br /><br />

&quot;We've got to show teams that they can't just come over here and think it's going to be a bye week. I think some of the teams might think that. <br /><br />

&quot;We've got to stick up for ourselves and show them it's going to be tough at Subiaco Oval.&quot;<br /><br />

Brown said winning away from home and stringing wins together was the next challenge for the Eagles group as it fights to earn back the respect lost in its 2008 campaign. <br /><br />

&quot;Especially with our performance last year, we lost a little bit of that,&quot; Brown admitted. <br /><br />

&quot;In 2007, we earned respect winning our first eight games &ndash; we've got to earn that back. Certainly winning and winning big games like that yesterday is the way to do it. <br /><br />

&quot;But we've obviously got to get the away wins up and get that consistency together.&quot;<br /><br />

With Daniel Kerr receiving a weekly buffeting form opposition taggers this season, Brown said a big part of the side earning back respect was sticking up for the star midfielder. <br /><br />

He said the players didn't look out for each other against the Saints.<br /><br />

&quot;That's not us at all; we don't do that. We stick up for each other and we put our bodies on the line,&quot; Brown said. <br /><br />

&quot;It's a team game, so we've got to help each other out, especially the boys like Matt Priddis and Daniel Kerr who are going to get tagged every week. We've got to stick up for those blokes.&quot;<br /><br />

Brown praised coach John Worsfold and skipper Darren Glass for their leadership following the round three loss. <br /><br />

He added guidance from Glass and young defender Eric Mackenzie had been crucial in his successful move into the backline following a knee reconstruction. &nbsp;<br /><br />

The young defenders will face their biggest test of the season this week when they travel to Aurora Stadium to take on Hawthorn duo Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead on Saturday. <br /><br />

Brown said he would meet any challenge thrown at him by Worsfold, and backed Mackenzie to take on one of the Hawks' forward stars. <br /><br />

&quot;Eric is in great form at the moment,&quot; he said. <br /><br />

&quot;He's good enough to match up on anyone in the AFL, I think. <br /><br />

&quot;We're going to go out there and give it everything on ANZAC Day.&quot;<br /></div><div class="articleDetails"><cite>for westcoasteagles.com.au</cite></div>

Youngsters press for selection

The nature of AFL football is that one man’s misery can be another’s lucky break. And while West Coast Eagles players are disappointed for experienced midfielder Brent Staker, there are a number of them making a strong case to take his place.

Staker will miss up to six weeks with two fractured metacarpals in his left hand and while he begins the recovery process, a host of players will be looking for promotion.

East Fremantle pair Tim Houlihan and Jamie McNamara have been in eye-catching form for a month, while Matt Spangher also continued his good touch. Brad Ebert and Will Schofield were prominent for Peel, while Scott Selwood and Ryan Davis also did their claims no harm.

Following is a summary of performances across the WAFL at the weekend.

Swan Districts v West Perth

Tony Notte: Returning from a knee injury, Notte kicked three goals, always looked dangerous and could easily have finished with five. He played at full-forward on Atkinson who had only five possessions on him. A good contribution in a winning effort.

Ryan Davis: A steady, hard working performance playing in midfield and at half-forward. Used the ball to good effect, especially early, and was strong at the centre bounces. Rounded off his game with nine tackles.

Mark Seaby: Enjoyed a good battle against Llane Spaanderman and had an impact for West Perth, especially with his ruck work. While Spaanderman picked up possessions around the ground, Seaby spent some time forward which was unproductive in a West Perth side that struggled t get the ball into the scoring zone.

Nic Naitanui (Reserves): Nic played only three quarters, as planned, and played forward for the majority of the game and did some ruck work around the ground. He used his leap to advantage, took a terrific vertical mark behind his opponent and he got through the game unscathed.

Claremont v Peel

Liam Bedford: Continues to grow as the season progresses and produced an encouraging effort. Had 12 possessions in first half at half-back and looked at home in that position. He was also thrown forward in the third quarter and was not as effective as he had been in defence.

Lewis Stevenson: Played wing and had nine possessions in the opening term when one of the Tigers’ most prominent players. Was a good outlet on his wing from defence in the first half. Was slightly down in the third quarter, but finished off the game well.

Pat McGinnity: A typically gritty performance from McGinnity, who worked hard through the midfield, was good in close and his decision making was good.

Beau Wilkes: A very strong game at centre half-back opposed to Robins. Held him to eight possessions and one goal. Read the play well, took some strong marks under pressure and delivered the ball with hs customary efficiency.

Ashley Arrowsmith: Arrowsmith started the game as a lead up half forward and he looked very dangerous ducking in and out of the space. He kicked two goals, took a strong mark in the first quarter and was very effective. In the 2nd quarter he was moved to a wing.

Brad Ebert: Used in the unusual role of a half-back flanker, Ebert tried to run off his opponent on several occasions. He continued to work on getting involved through physical pressure, by applying seven tackles and through his hard run. When Brad was injected into the midfield in the third quarter he had several good clearances and had six possessions despite close attention from the opposition.

Jordan Jones: Jordan played mainly in a back pocket and took several very good marks. Jordan applied good pressure to the opposition and did a good job for his team.

Will Schofield: Schofield was in excellent touch early, was very clean and was running strongly from centre half-back. He copped a heavy knock in the second term which slowed him down, but he returned and played in the forward line.

East Fremantle v Perth

Tim Houlihan: Houlihan maintained his rich vein of form with an outstanding display on the wing. He kicked the ball very well and his gut running was outstanding. He applied good pressure to the opposition and positioned himself well as a sweeper at stoppages.

Jamie McNamara: Jamie played midfield for the majority of the game and did spent some time resting deep forward in the second half. His work rate and run were very strong for four quarters, his clean hands and willingness to hunt the footy were outstanding. He also took several strong marks in what was a best-on-ground performance.

Matt Spangher: Matt played a very good game across half-back and in a back-pocket. His run and rebound were very good and generally he used the ball effectively. He took a number of strong marks in the back line and was an important member of his team’s defence.

Will Sullivan: Took four very good overhead marks, and finished the game with 25 hit outs opposed to the experienced and stronger Lindsay. Came off bench midway through Q4 and did well when the game was in the balance.

Ashley Smith: Played his first senior game for Perth and at times looked a little nervous. Will undoubtedly benefit from the run.

Scott Selwood: A typically strong, hard running and physical performance in midfield from Selwood. His intensity in close was noticeable and evident through 13 tackles. He used the ball well and showed some great ‘gut running’ in the last quarter.

South Fremantle v East Perth

Callum Wilson: Wilson played centre half-back for only 10 minutes and then moved to the forward line for the remainder of the game. He lead strongly into space and took some good one grab marks. Callum was team orientated, applied some good blocks and shepherds for his team mates.

Eagles might ask for blood test on Kerr

WEST Coast is considering sending star midfielder Daniel Kerr
for blood tests to determine why he struggled through Saturday's
loss to Fremantle.

Kerr, who had only 16 disposals for the game, cramped badly
after half-time and also vomited several times during the
match.

Although players running to a standstill and vomiting afterwards
is quite common, Eagles coach John Worsfold is concerned at the
number of times it has happened to Kerr.

Collingwood will assess the fitness of big forward Anthony Rocca
(ankle) and defender Heath Shaw (hamstring), who withdrew before
Friday night's win over North Melbourne, while Paul Medhurst
injured an ankle during the game.