West Coast Eagles Brady Hough, Reuben Ginbey perform admirably after drawing short straws against Geelong

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West Coast Eagles Brady Hough, Reuben Ginbey perform admirably after drawing short straws against Geelong

West Coast’s modern day Mr Fix it, Brady Hough, will have some tough assignments to reflect on by the time he hangs up his No. 19 jumper.

Round 12 of the 2025 season will surely be somewhere near the apex of that list.

Hough was handed the shortest straw in the AFL when his coach Andrew McQualter sent him to Geelong’s explosive midfielder and Brownlow Medal fancy Bailey Smith on Sunday night at Optus Stadium.

The long-haired Cat answered with 15 first-quarter possessions to go with four clearances.

Smith had a goal on the board just a minute into the second term and 25 disposals and 442 metres gained by the long interval, the equal most by an player in a first half this season.

But Hough to his credit did not drop his head, sticking closer to Smith at stoppage in the third term.

His influence wasn’t as significant in the second half, albeit he still finished with 38 possessions.

Smith’s 834 metres gained capped off a phenomenal eight-game streak where he has had in excess of 600 metres gained.

The other noteworthy match up was Reuben Ginbey on Geelong forward and Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron.

Cameron kicked nine goals on Ginbey when the two teams last met, in round 24 last season.

But McQualter kept the faith.

Ginbey was frenetic in his close checking of Cameron, who worked into space with a mark on the lead for his first goal.

But Ginbey stuck to his task well, Cameron’s next genuine opportunity from a diving mark deep in the pocket early in the third term.

He showed impressive closing speed a few moments later to spoil after Smith had spotted Cameron on his own deep on the goalline and another with good use of his body.

But Jezza can destroy teams in the blink of an eye and a job well done for three quarters became a nightmare for Ginbey as the big Cat dobbed four in the last to finish with five and take an outright lead in the Coleman Medal.

At the opposite end of the ground, Oscar Allen won his own battle against the athletic Sam De Koning.

Camera IconReuben Ginbey of the Eagles spoils in a contest with Jeremy Cameron. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

Allen had three goals to half-time and was presenting a confident target for the Eagles’ mids in the absence of Jake Waterman.

By the time he’d kicked his fourth, the Cats had switched the dependable Jack Henry on to the Eagles co-captain.

The Eagles’ intentions were clear, handballing at every opportunity and looking to go through the corridor, but let themselves down with poor execution in the first quarter and early part of the second.

But that signalled West Coast’s best stanza of the match after the Cats had kicked 29 points clear, the highlight a Harley Reid follow up from a shot on the run seconds earlier on the end of some impressive surge work and gut running from defender Brock.

The Eagles had five of the last six clearances and 12 of the last 15 inside 50s for the second term and kicked five goals to the Cats four.

When the Cats threatened to run away with the match again in the third term with the first two goals, the Eagles responded through Allen and Liam Ryan and the margin was just 11 points at the last change.

They would have been aware of Geelong’s status as the best four quarter team in the league.

And for good reason. After Elijah Hewett kicked the first goal of the last term, the Cats answered with seven of the next eight.

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