The Look Ahead will be the staple pre-season content piece, setting a tone for all 18 teams. The plan is to use them as a scene setter for team trends and individuals. In other words, don’t expect predictions, expect topics to be introduced – from both a list build and on-field perspective.
The series is in reverse ladder order, which means West Coast is first cab off the rank.
Player contracts
At the moment there are 20 Eagles out of contract at the end of 2024. For me, in an ideal world this year is about leaving no stone unturned in figuring out what each player is capable of.
Naturally some of those Eagles are already well known, whether they’re veterans or proven products. The key here is the untried; players either unseen or barely seen at the highest level.
Speaking as a self-proclaimed expert who has spent the last few years watching a continual re-re-re-build, one of the most important areas for a team in West Coast’s position is ensuring there are no question marks left on any delistings at the end of a season.
It doesn’t mean gifting players games. Sometimes it gets done entirely away from prying eyes, on the training track or at WAFL level. Then again, if the Eagles have another 29 concurrent injuries, maybe a win or two gets sacrificed short term to ensure there’s no unknowns or missed pieces long term. It’s a trade off a rebuilding team should nearly always make.
(And of course, if I’ve missed any summer contract signings in the above graphic, please let me know.)
List demographics
Roughly a third of the list is in their first or second seasons, there are 11 players – total – between their age 23 and 27 year – and nearly every single one of those in the 28 and over group need to be playing to help fast track the youngsters along.
Given it’s a fair assumption there’ll be another big batch of draftees arriving at the end of 2024, the intriguing part is what West Coast decide beforehand about their relative hole in the ‘prime years’ of a career and how they decide to fill it.
Do they see enough from the youngsters and veterans approach to let that strategy play out, the youngsters naturally taking the lead? Or if the veterans can’t hold on, do they decide they need to find extra experience in the interim until youth is ready to take over?
Create your own West Coast Depth Chart
Changes in personnel
In
From other clubs: Tyler Brockman, Matt Flynn
National Draft: Clay Hall, Harvey Johnston, Archer Reid, Harley Reid
Rookie Draft: Loch Rawlinson
Cat B Rookie/Academy: Coen Livingstone
Out: Greg Clark, Luke Foley, Shannon Hurn, Nic Naitanui, Xavier O’Neill, Samo Petrevski-Seton, Luke Shuey, Connor West, Isiah Winder
What does ‘starting from scratch’ look like?
“We’re trying to chase an identity that we don’t have. We’re starting from scratch in that space.”
“We start with the contest, we defend as well as we can, and our ball movement needs to get its own identity as well, so the fundamentals are critical this time of year.”
For other teams in this Look Ahead series, this area of the piece will focus on specific strengths and weaknesses carrying over from 2023 to 2024.
But in this case, when Adam Simpson says the above (in mid-January), best laid plans go out the window.
Although it’s a ‘start from scratch’ in the identity space, the list has been transitioning over the last couple of years. In that respect it’s not as if there’s still layers upon layers of deadwood to discard.
From a team game style point of view though, starting from scratch throws up all sorts of exciting scenarios to watch because in theory, starting from scratch in 2024 should have a game style building towards hitting its prime at the back end of the decade.
It’s an opportunity to get a step on the rest of the league. Instead of following the current trends like most of the other 17 teams, because there’s no pressure on West Coast to win now, they can look ahead.
What’s the best counter to today’s predominant game styles? Is it something we can start to implement? Will the game move in a different direction entirely, and can we foresee what that is?
This season should be our first look at what the West Coast brains trust is attempting to build with their game style.
What is success for West Coast in 2024?
Ask five different people and you’ll probably get five different answers.
For me, a successful year isn’t about the win-loss count, but by how many foundational pieces they lock in for the medium to long term.
Is asking for half a dozen too unrealistic? It’ll probably only take three or four minutes of match time to officially lock Harley Reid in as the first of those.
If the Eagles can find six to add to the handful of pieces they already have, it’ll be a hugely successful year (by my standards, anyway).
Ricky as you say it’s a wait and see with how West Coast determines its future pathway.
I agree with you that the opportunity presents itself to do something a little different.