The historical significance of this game, rather than the result itself, means there is a compelling case to include the 1991 qualifying final against Hawthorn as one of the classics in West Coast history.
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The game was memorable in its own right, but this more about the AFL recognising that West Coast deserved to host the game at Subiaco. It was the first time a finals series match was played outside of Melbourne.
Amid much lobbying from West Coast, after the heavy travelling impost in the 1990 season, League Headquarters finally conceded that the opportunity should be granted to host a final at Subiaco Oval. After all, the Eagles had finished on top of the table, three games and about 30 percent clear of the Hawks.
The previous year, West Coast finished third but was out on its collective feet by the time it played Essendon in a preliminary final at Waverley. The Eagles had finished the qualifying season by travelling to Brisbane and Geelong, backed that up by playing Collingwood in a qualifying final, which was drawn, so they went back to do it all again.
They then headed back to Waverley to play Melbourne in the first semi-final and finished six consecutive weeks on the road with a loss to Essendon.
The disparity in the fixtures was recognised and the upshot was that West Coast hosted the second-placed Hawthorn at Subiaco Oval in the 1991 qualifying final – an epic encounter, albeit a game that ultimately provided disappointment for Eagles fans.
For a young club, in just its fifth season in the game’s showcase competition, there was much to learn out of this game. And that education was not limited to the match itself.
When footy fever hits in September, it’s tough to keep the hype under control, managing the expectations and build-up that was one of the key issues for coach Mick Malthouse. He discovered a couple of days out from the match that the club’s marketing department had printed thousands of masks depicting one of the club’s star players, Craig Turley, and bearing the logo of a club sponsor.
He quickly extinguished the idea to do all he could to ensure the focus was on the team performance.
And the team started well enough, jumping out to an early advantage before the finals-hardened Hawks hit back.
After a bright start, which saw West Coast lead 4.0 to 2.3 in the early going, Hawthorn chipped away. Ruckman Stephen Lawrence was wielding a strong influence while defenders Gary Ayres, Ray Jencke and Chris Langford were also repelling many of the Eagles’ attacking moves.
The Eagles still led by five points at the first break, thanks largely to the efforts of Chris Lewis, Peter Wilson and Brett Heady while Michael Brennan was ensuring that gun Hawks forward Jason Dunstall got no easy possessions.
Towards the end of that opening term, however, there was a sense that the Hawks were starting to assume control and that they had dulled the impact of the home team.
They turned that deficit into an 11-point advantage by half time and despite losing Dermott Brereton to a knee injury in the second term, it was starting to look a little ominous.
The Eagles refused to lie down and it was an absorbing battle, coming within a goal of regaining the lead in the last term when Karl Langdon kicked an early goal.
Then came the Hawthorn response and it proved irresistible. Dunstall had been brilliantly denied by Brennan all day, but he got on the end of some great service from the likes of Pritchard and John Platten and kicked four last-quarter goals to steer his team to a 23-point win.
It was a bitter blow to West Coast’s premiership aspirations and although they rallied to make the grand final against Hawthorn at Waverley, the loss in the first final played outside of Melbourne proved decisive.
Lewis, Heady, Wilson, full-forward Peter Sumich, Ashley McIntosh and John Worsfold were all strong contributors but their efforts were not enough to combat the all-conquering Hawks.
1991 Qualifying Final v Hawthorn
Sunday, September 8 - Subiaco Oval
Hawthorn 5.4 8.9 12.12 18.16 124
West Coast Eagles 6.3 7.4 11.9 15.11 101
Goals – Hawthorn: Dunstall 4; Hudson 3; Dear, Jarman, Platten 2; Condon, Allan, Morrissey, Lawrence, Brereton. West Coast Eagles: Lewis 3; Sumich, Wilson 2; Langdon, Peter Matera, Heady, Kemp, Turley, Waterman, Peos, McIntosh.
Attendance: 44,142