The lightning that halted play successful last night's Perth Stadium clash whitethorn person rescued West Coast's ailing campaign, erstwhile Brisbane manager Justin Leppitsch believes.
Play was halted for 29 minutes during the past 4th of West Coast's lucifer against Melbourne, which the Demons yet won by 9 points successful a tense finish.
It means West Coast, who person present won 10 games and mislaid 10, stay seventh connected the ladder.
But erstwhile Adam Simpson's men returned to the tract astir 16 minutes into the last word of past night's game, they were forced to play an uncharacteristic attacking marque of footy due to the fact that they were faced with a 33-point deficit.
As a result, the Eagles were much nonstop successful their shot question and opted to play connected overmuch much regularly, piling connected 4 final-term goals to the Demons' zero arsenic Melbourne clung desperately to their lead.
While West Coast fell abbreviated successful a 10.12 (72) to 9.9 (63) defeat, Leppitsch says the lightning whitethorn person forced them to unlock a much daring mindset arsenic they zero successful connected the finals.
"There was a contested people taken by – I deliberation it mightiness person been (Tom) Cole down the line. He conscionable took off," Leppitsch said connected SEN radio.
"And determination were bodies around; it's not similar determination were unfastened fields and you tin people and play connected consecutive away. He conscionable thought, 'Oh well, there's 3 oregon 4 bodies, I'm going to effort to instrumentality them on. If I get successful occupation I'll conscionable usage a handball oregon conscionable footwear it forward'.
"A batch of the clip West Coast haven't been a make-it-up-on-the-run benignant of offence.
"Richmond person perchance been accused of that implicit the past 4 years. Sometimes you conscionable spell and marque it up and past springiness the adjacent feline the opportunity. It mightiness beryllium a bully opportunity, it mightiness beryllium an good opportunity. You conscionable springiness the subordinate the decision.
"And I thought (West Coast) did that truly good (last night). Maybe it was a portion of the planning, possibly it was just, 'Well, we've got nary prime now, we conscionable person to tally down this people and we person to instrumentality each hazard possible'. But I deliberation it worked for them, I thought it was truly good, they threw a fewer punches."
Footy clubs walk an unthinkable fig of hours each week trying to maestro their attacking systems.
And portion Leppitsch has had a thorough sensation of that successful his clip arsenic a player, caput manager and adjunct coach, the erstwhile Lions defender says non-structured attacking footy tin service arsenic a deadly weapon.
"It makes it unpredictable for the coaches' box, it makes it unpredictable sometimes for your teammates, but it makes it truly unpredictable for the opposition. They don't cognize what you're doing next," Leppitsch said.
"I deliberation often the spot of footy is making it unpredictable for (the opposition) truthful they don't cognize what's going on."
West Coast are acceptable to conscionable Fremantle and Brisbane successful their past 2 games of the regular season.
No squad extracurricular the apical six is yet locked successful to play finals footy, leaving the seventh-placed West Coast successful a presumption of sedate danger.
The Eagles are sitting connected 40 contention points, conscionable fractional a triumph up of the eighth-placed Giants and 1 triumph up of Essendon, Richmond, St Kilda and Fremantle.
For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
English (US) ·