THE WAALITJ Marawar completed a stunning upset over Naarm with a 35-point win at Optus Stadium.
Just nine months after collecting the wooden spoon, the Eagles notched their third win in their past four home games and sent the Demons tumbling to seventh on the ladder with a 16.9 (105) to 10.10 (70) win that underlined how dangerous they have become in 2024 if underestimated.
Harley Reid was central to the win with 21 disposals, seven clearances and two goals, kicking a NAB Goal of the Year contender from a centre clearance.
Meanwhile, key forward Jake Waterman continued his own outstanding season and climbed to equal top in the Coleman Medal race with a bag of five goals that took his season tally to a career-best 29.
It was a stunning team performance built on physicality and pressure, with the young team refusing to take a backwards step against the 2021 premiers and playing with the spirit they targeted as a non-negotiable this season.
They responded every time the Demons looked like making a run and then broke away in the final quarter, kicking four goals to one to kick 100 points for the third time this season against a wayward Demons team that would have finished the round in third with a win.
The Eagles were switched on from the very start, with Waterman taking two contested marks in the opening minute and slotting a set shot from 50m to re-open his account after missing last week with concussion.
Fellow key forward Jack Darling, who finished with three goals and 12 tackles, also showed he was up for the fight with a crafty goal out of mid air, which resulted in an accidental head knock for Jake Lever and saw the Naarm defender substituted before quarter-time.
A big reason for the Eagles' fast start was midfielder Tim Kelly, who had 10 of his 30 disposals in the opening term, while Reid was electric, giving the home team a 14-point lead when he burst out of the centre to kick a memorable 45m goal on the run.
The Eagles kept up their physical, high-pressure approach after quarter-time and quickly found themselves with a 27-point lead after Ryan Maric and Darling converted set shots, putting the Demons in a dangerous position if they couldn't respond quickly.
Well held for most of the first quarter, Petracca won a big centre clearance to set up Kade Chandler, with Ben Brown then wobbling through a snap from tight on the boundary line to cut the margin to nine points.
By half-time, four of Dees' six goals had come from stoppages and it was clear they needed to limit the Eagles' inside 50 advantage (27-15) and spend more time in their front half to get their noses in front after the main break.
In a third-quarter armwrestle, they achieved the first and finally got an inside 50 advantage (14-10), but wayward kicking proved costly as they put on 3.7 and made no ground on the scoreboard.
Reid was again the star for the Eagles, first in the midfield, where he laid his double fend-off on premiership stars Oliver and Petracca before setting up a goal for Darling.
Then, after four straight behinds for the Demons, he outmuscled Blake Howes to win a contest in the pocket and motored in for his second goal to give the Eagles an 18-point lead at the last break, which proved enough as they celebrated a memorable win.
WAALITJ MARAWAR 4.3 7.7 12.8 16.9 (105)
NARRM 2.1 6.1 9.8 10.10 (70)
GOALS
Waalitj Marawar: Waterman 5, Darling 3, Reid 2, Ryan 2, Cripps, Ginbey, Hunt, Maric
Narrm: Fritsch 3, Brown, Chandler, McAdam, Neal-Bullen, Petracca, Pickett, Windsor
BEST
Waalitj Marawar: Reid, Waterman, Kelly, Darling, McGovern, Ginbey, Duggan
Naarm: Oliver, Fritsch, Gawn, Petracca, Salem
INJURIES
Waalitj Marawar: Nil
Naarm: Lever (concussion)
SUBSTITUTES
Waalitj Marawar: Tyrell Dewar (replaced Luke Edwards in the fourth quarter)
Narrm: Taj Woewodin (replaced Jake Lever in the first quarter)
Crowd: 43,408 at Optus Stadium
