Eight reasons for West Coast fans to get excited ahead of 2019
Can West Coast go back-to-back in 2019? It’s an elusive achievement but with Andrew Gaff and Nic Naitanui returning to the line-up and a fully fit Josh Kennedy, Eagles fans have plenty of reasons to be excited.
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Can West Coast go back-to-back in 2019?
It’s an elusive achievement but with Andrew Gaff and Nic Naitanui returning to the line-up and a fully fit Josh Kennedy, Eagles fans have plenty of reasons to be excited.
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EIGHT REASONS FOR WEST COAST FANS TO GET EXCITED
BACK-TO-BACK?
It’s hard not to get excited by the season when your team enters as the reigning premier. Now the challenge for the Eagles will be whether they can go back-to-back. There are few reasons to suggest they cannot, with Mark LeCras (retired) and Scott Lycett (Port Adelaide) the only premiership players to depart the club over the off-season. However, going back-to-back is no easy task. Since 1990, only Adelaide (1997-1998), Brisbane (2001-2003) and Hawthorn (2013-2015) have managed to achieve the feat.
GAFF BACK
West Coast surged to the 2018 premiership without arguably its biggest star, Andrew Gaff. The midfielder made his last appearance for the season in Round 20 after being suspended for eight weeks for striking Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw. Despite missing the final three home-and-away games, Gaff was one of three Eagles named in the All-Australian squad following a season which saw him average 30.7 disposals, kick 12 goals and log a club-high 16 Brownlow Medal votes. The 26-year-old turned down lucrative offers to return to Melbourne over the off-season and instead signed a new contract at the Eagles. He will be available for selection again in Round 3, something the Eagles and their fans will be very much looking forward to.
THAT DEFENCE
Champion Data ranks West Coast’s defence as its biggest strength, rating the Eagles the fifth most talented in the area. That comes as little surprise given what we saw last season. Jeremy McGovern has emerged as the second-best key defender in the game behind Richmond’s Alex Rance, if not the best, with his intercept marking and contested marking both elite. Shannon Hurn joined McGovern as an All-Australian last season, the veteran also an elite intercept mark and kick who set up an average of 1.8 score launches a game out of defence. Then there was the emergence of Tom Barrass, who is only getting better, while Will Schofield keeps getting a job done each week.
MORE KENNEDY
Two-time Coleman Medal winner Josh Kennedy is an out-and-out star and again showed that last season. Problem was, he couldn’t get out on the park enough. Kennedy managed just 14 of a possible 25 games due to ankle and shin injuries. It was the first time since 2012 the durable key forward had missed more than five games in a season. However, Kennedy still managed to kick 43 goals at an average of 3.07 a game, ranking him 14th among the top goalkickers for the season. Kennedy is now 31 years old and is entering the final year of his current contract but the Eagles will be hoping there are plenty more games — and plenty more goals — in store for him in 2019.
PERTH FORTRESS
Many punters have long considered the Eagles to have the biggest home ground advantage in football and that did not change despite a venue shift last season. West Coast, along with Fremantle, shifted home base to the new Perth Stadium but still made it a fortress. The Eagles went 11-3 at the venue, averaging 101 points a game while conceding an average of just 77 points against. Their average crowd was 54,390 at a venue with a capacity of 60,156. And during the home-and-away season West Coast had 85 more free kicks than their opposition, that differential often most stark on their home turf. With 12 games at Perth Stadium next season, the Eagles will have a fair headstart on the rest of the competition if they can keep up such numbers.
THE TWO R’S
Willie Rioli and Liam Ryan had stunning debut seasons in 2018, their impact immediate. Pressure small forwards who know where the goals are, the combination worked well at the feet of Eagles tall forwards Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling. Rioli played 24 games, averaging 11.3 disposals, 2.6 tackles and kicking 28 goals. Ryan played 13 games, averaging 11.5 disposals, 1.9 tackles and kicking 20 goals. The pair look set to only get better, improving their consistency the key. If both can play full seasons in 2019 and continue to get better, the Eagles will be in good stead.
NIC NAT BACK
The excitement machine that is Nic Naitanui disappointingly missed the 2018 finals series after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Round 17. The injury resulted in a second knee reconstruction in three years in a cruel blow, coming after Naitanui had been experiencing another strong season in the ruck, averaging 10.9 disposals and 30.6 hitouts. While Naitanui will not be back to start the 2019 season, the good news is the 28-year-old is tracking ahead of schedule in his recovery. The aim is for a return by Round 15 next season, which would prove a very handy inclusion for West Coast’s push towards September.
THE UNDER 23s
Coach Adam Simpson was not afraid to get games into the kids last season, while still managing to maintain a top-four spot at the same time. There were some good signs among them, too. Liam Duggan and Tom Cole both lined up on Grand Final Day as 21-year-olds and performed well, while Daniel Venables was just 19 years old on the final day in September, which capped a debut season in which he played 15 games as a high half forward. Key forward Jake Waterman earned a Rising Star nomination during a debut season which saw him play 16 games, while Brayden Ainsworth, Oscar Allen, Jarrod Brander and Jack Petruccelle were other players under 23 to receive debuts. Having got a taste of what it takes at the top level, expect those players to all make further strides forward this season.
THE NUMBER: 11
A surprise to many is the fact this Eagles list is rated 11th entering next season. The bookends are effective but the midfield is the reason for this ranking. Should their midfield track along like it did towards the end of the year, expect this ranking to improve significantly.
Source: Champion Data
TAB ODDS
Premiership: $8
Top-8: $1.33
Most losses: $251
TRAJECTORY
2014: 9th (11-11)
2015: 2nd (16-1-5, runner-up)
2016: 6th (16-6, elimination final)
2017: 8th (12-10, semi-final)
2018: 2nd (16-6, premier)
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