High time for Eagles to stand tall at home
Mark Hutchings says West Coast must start turning around their poor record at home, starting when Collingwood visit Patersons Stadium on Sunday.
The emerging midfielder described last Saturday's away win over Adelaide as the team's new benchmark and said the playing group had taken renewed confidence from its eighth victory this year.
The 23-year-old said the Eagles' work at stoppages had been the key to their best win this season.
He also said he had embraced the role of specialist tagger and was planning to run with Scott Pendlebury or Dayne Beams this week.
West Coast have won seven out of their past 22 matches at Patersons Stadium during a barren spell extending to the start of the 2013 season.
Their away record stacks up better, with 10 wins on the road over the same period.
They have defeated the Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast at home this season.
Hutchings conceded the team needed to lift on home turf.
"We understand that it's an advantage, or a perceived advantage, for us to play here on a big ground against some of the teams that travel here," Hutchings said.
"We probably need to get results a bit more often. But it doesn't really change how we approach the game. We still want to win. We'll plan meticulously."
West Coast's midfield - the team's perceived weakness - had the better of Adelaide's engine room.
They won the clearances at stoppages 28-21 and finished with five more inside 50s, with that advantage resulting in almost twice as many marks inside 50.
Hutchings said the players could also take lessons from what they did right in their nine-point loss to Collingwood in round 10.
"That day we looked after the football, but we also won the contest around the stoppages as well," he said.
"Most of the time in this day and age, games are won and lost in the midfield and around the contested situation. That was something that was pleasing on the weekend, that we won that battle. I think it's a big reason why we won the game."
Hutchings has now performed the team's run-with role for three successive matches, keeping Crows game breaker Patrick Dangerfield to just 10 kicks and one goal on the weekend.
·Brad Sheppard (ankle) and Sharrod Wellingham (knee) have been officially ruled out for the season.
