Former Eagles player Xavier Ellis believes spectator free games will see Eagles get less free kicks

West Coast are known to get the rub of the green with free kicks on their home turf. But no one from inside the club would ever confirm that – until now.

West Coast often get a favourable run with the umpires at home. Picture: AAP Image/Travis Anderson

Former West Coast midfielder Xavier Ellis says the supporter lockout at Perth Stadium against Melbourne next week will dry up the Eagles’ dream run with the umpires.

Ellis admitted that since he retired in 2016 it had become evident the Eagles got “the rub of the green” at home games, with close to 60,000 screaming fans piling in every week.

“I know umpires try and umpire fairly, but I reckon we get the rub of the green over here,” Ellis told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“As a player on the ground I never noticed it, but then when you finish up and there’s so many comments about West Coast getting the rub of the green and 95 per cent of Australia can’t be wrong.”

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But Ellis said the ghost atmosphere wouldn’t affect West Coast, because the 2018 premiers were so seasoned that players no longer need to feed off the wild noise levels.

“Potentially three years ago when they were inexperienced I reckon a lot of them got caught up with the noise and the fans and the crowd,” Ellis said.

“But now they’re just a really good footy team.”

A Herald Sun investigation in 2018 revealed that the Eagles had won the free kick count in 60 out of their most recent 72 home matches, excluding derbies against the Dockers.

In that run they had hundreds more whistles go their way.

Former St Kilda coach Alan Richardson coined it the “noise of affirmation” after he was frustrated that the Saints lost the free kick count by 13.

Richardson is now at the Demons.

The Eagles are due to host Melbourne, Geelong and Richmond early in the season. Hawthorn, Gold Coast and the Cats are the first clubs set to travel west to face Fremantle.

The Perth double-up for the Cats is in addition to next week’s trip to Giants Stadium to face GWS in front of empty stands.

West Coast often get a favourable run with the umpires at home. Picture: AAP Image/Travis Anderson

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Ellis said flying west would now be far less daunting.

“The crowd do go bonkers,” Ellis, who also won a premiership with Hawthorn in 2008, said.

“For the opposition coming over you’ll be licking your lips that you don’t have to deal with the anxieties and that fear of running out and getting booed.

“So potentially they might play a little bit better. You’ve only got to look at the (2018) prelim when Melbourne turned out one of the more dismal performances you’ll ever see, and I just think they got overawed by the crowd that day.

“In terms of West Coast, just the stage they’re at in their careers, I think they’ll be fine.

“Maybe for Fremantle it might be a little bit different again, because they’ve got less experience, a lot more kids and they probably draw a lot more from the crowd.”

Eagle defender Will Schofield was unfazed yesterday.

“We train everyday without a crowd,” Schofield said.

“I have played enough time in the WAFL to know what it’s like to play in front of not too many people.”

Originally published as Former Eagles player Xavier Ellis believes spectator free games will see Eagles get less free kicks