AFL found-up: West Coast Eagles defy the odds as Port Adelaide hit rock bottom in gripping round four

Round four saw the 2022 season begin to settle down, with morale-boosting wins and stinging losses making it clearer where some clubs really stand. 

Welcome to the AFL round-up, where we digest the week that was.

It was a game you could play 100 more times and never get the same result. Just how the West Coast Eagles won that game against Collingwood on Saturday is something that will puzzle historians for centuries to come.

It wasn't just the Eagles' well-documented personnel issues that made this result a shock, but the flow of the game itself — even Adam Simpson had to admit that «the numbers» produced by West Coast don't tend to lead to victories.

But it turned out to be a win built on intangibles. The sort of spirit, desperation and leadership that has been questioned in this team, and a healthy dose of good luck too.

All of which was personified best by Willie Rioli, whose return to the AFL has been both remarkable and deflating — what a tremendous shame we have been robbed of his footballing talents for the last two years.

Simpson said the Eagles haven't been the same since Rioli was whisked away from camp on the eve of the 2019 semi-final against Geelong. He has a point, but if nothing else they've been far less watchable.

West Coast's ceiling and ambition for this year remains uncertain, but as we said in last week's Round-Up, this has to be a year of preparation for years ahead. To that end, Saturday was a big step forward.

Few could argue the footy has been pretty damn entertaining so far in 2022, and round four in particular was fast and furious. With one glaring exception.

What on earth was that on Thursday night? A sleepy, meandering, aimless performance from Port Adelaide largely gave Melbourne the night off.

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