Lowly Eagles desperate to atone for 171-point massacre… but Swans will be smarting: LIVE AFL

West Coast takes on Sydney in the first of three Gather Round games on Saturday, with the Eagles desperate for a better showing than the last time they played the Swans.

The Eagles (0-3, 42.8%), who’ve lost their first three games of 2023 by 50, 65 and 73 points respectively, copped a 171-point thumping at the hands of Sydney in Round 15 last year.

The scary thing for them is the Swans (3-1, 125.3%) will be smarting after dropping their first game of the season last week, going down to Richmond in a shock upset.

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For the Eagles, debutant Loch Rawlinson and Josh Rotham came into Adam Simpson’s side at the expense of Jamaine Jones (omitted) and Tyler Brockman (injured).

Meanwhile, Taylor Adams played his first game for the Swans, joining the recovered Harry Cunningham as John Longmire’s ins. Dane Rampe (injured) and Corey Warner (omitted) went out of the side.

The match gets underway at 1:30pm AEDT from Adelaide Hills/Mt Barker.

Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 504), streaming on Kayo or via Hubbl.

ROLLING MATCH UPDATES

45 minutes out from the opening bounce and there are no late changes for either side.

West Coast debutant Loch Rawlinson and second-gamer Caleb Mitchell are today’s starting subs.

With skipper Callum Mills and veteran ex-captains Luke Parker and Dane Rampe all absent today, livewire forward Tom Papley is handling Sydney’s captaincy duties at Adelaide Hills.

Logan McDonald dribbled home Sydney’s first goal of the contest after Hayden McLean’s earlier snap grazed the goalpost, with the Swans dominating West Coast’s territory in the early stages.

It prompted a brief discussion about West Coast’s choice to kick against the wind to start the match.

“I didn’t like it,” North Melbourne champion David King said of Liam Duggan’s pre-game decision, as the Adelaide Hills flags waved in the breeze.

However, while Sydney’s momentum was evident early on, it was relatively short-lived.

Harley Reid kicked his first AFL goal in amazing fashion, as the Eagles answered Sydney’s early surge to take the lead after Jamie Cripps later slotted a beautiful set shot.

An Errol Gulden goal in response, before Taylor Adams’ first major in Sydney colours, put the Swans back up 11 points — taking that narrow advantage into the quarter-time break.

After failing to capitalise on his first set shot, West Coast’s Noah Long dobbed the first goal of the second quarter for the Eagles, dragging their deficit back to just four points early in the period.

Sydney’s McDonald kicked his second goal of the game, booming home a long set shot, before Robbie Fox added Sydney’s second of the quarter.

A tidy West Coast passage of play led to a responding goal for the Eagles, who dragged the margin back to 10 points nearly halfway through the second term.

Two more Eagles goals from Jack Petruccelle and Ryan Maric put them back in the lead.

“It’s the Harley Reid show at the moment,” Dwayne Russell said after another Reid clearance led to a West Coast score.

After Jake Waterman put West Coast ahead by nine points, Fox Footy commentator Kelli Underwood said it was “an Adelaide Hills ambush” by the Eagles.

A much-needed Swans goal by Chad Warner made it a four-point Eagles lead.

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