West Coast will get an immediate shot at redemption against Carlton in their maiden finals appearance, with the Eagles securing their post-season berth thanks to Fremantle’s failure.
It comes as Eagles coach Daisy Pearce opened up about the “weird experience” of having to rely on watching the final game of the season as the battle for top-eight spots came down to the wire.
Only a Dockers draw against Adelaide could keep West Coast out of the finals frame, and Freo’s 12-point loss locked in the Eagles to eighth at the end of the season.
It means a return bout for West Coast against the fifth-placed Blues following their 20-point defeat to the same opponent on Friday night, with the elimination final to be played at Melbourne’s Ikon Park.
Should they beat the Blues, West Coast will have a follow-up fixture in Victoria for their semifinal clash.
The Eagles are set to face the loser of the North Melbourne – Hawthorn qualifying final, with the Hawks the most likely opponent for that potential game as the Roos are in the midst of a 24-game winning streak.
Speaking after their finals spot was secure, Pearce said she was proud of her playing group for breaking through for a finals berth.
“It’s been a weird experience having to watch and wait, but we’ve been able to enjoy it and see the light side of it now,” Pearce said.
Camera IconDaisy Pearce helped West Coast book a finals berth. Credit: AAP
“It would have been ideal to lock it away on Friday, but Carlton took their opportunities and handled our pressure better than we did in key patches of the game.
“But I’m just feeling proud of the group for the way they’ve competed so consistently.
“There’s a bit of a narrative that we ‘got lucky’, but we’ve been in the top eight for majority of the season, and we’ve earnt this opportunity.
“Our healthy percentage reiterates what we said all year, that it’s so important to play our way, value our pressure and defence and keep competing no matter what the scoreboard says.”
Adelaide will host St Kilda in the other elimination final, while Melbourne and Brisbane will square off in the other qualifying final.
The league is expected to release dates and times for the matches later on Sunday.
Fremantle’s loss to the Crows saw them slump to 11th, with the Dockers finishing with an identical 6-6 record to West Coast but a whopping 30.7 per cent in arrears.
More to come
