RECAP: Bunbury in national spotlight as West Coast Eagles do down to North Melbourne at Hands Oval
North Melbourne jumped out of the blocks in Bunbury’s AFL debut but had to come from behind in the fourth to claim victory.
Recap all the action from our blog.
That's a wrap
West Coast’s South-West jaunt ends in disappointment but they don’t have long to think about with Carlton coming to Optus Stadium on Sunday.
And we will get a Perth double with Fremantle taking on North at Optus.
So, until then, goodnight!
McQualter reflects
It ended up being a tough day for the Eagles who were left to rue woeful goalkicking.
Learning to win
Andrew McQualter has fronted the media after the loss and was a grim looking man.
Mayor’s tick
The West Australian spoke to Bunbury mayor Jaysen Miguel during the match and he was stoked by today’s turnout of more than 12,000.
“It’s been talked about for a long time and plans had been put in place, but to sit here now and see the place packed, it’s amazing,”
“Everyone’s getting around it and it’s really exciting.”
ANALYSIS: Death by by a thousand paper cuts
“Maybe it was the unfamiliar venue, but apart from one or two cameos and a Harley Reid hang on the members wing early in the final term, this was a tough watch.”
Read Glen Quartermain’s full analysis here.
Going nowhere
The Bunbury fans are making the most of their day in the sun.
Many have stuck around to catch players from both teams while the bars are still doing good business.
If today is the mark for whether the deal can continue long term, it is a raging yes!
Rooms heaving
North Melbourne’s rooms were filled to the brim after their comeback win.
So much so, fans had to head out the back with players jumping out of the rooms to see family and friends.
MATCH WRAP
Here’s the story of the game from Mitchell Woodcock as what looked like it was going to be a day to remember for West Coast in Bunbury quickly turned into a day to forget.
Zurhaar talks
“It wasn’t a good win, it was an ugly win,” says Cam Zurhaar after the game.
Tried to focus as much as possible on his routine rather than the pressure of the moment with his big Q4 goal.
That defeat makes things tough for West Coast to get off the bottom of the ladder, even with 10 games to go. They’re now two games and percentage behind Richmond, with the Roos jumping up to 16th.
