West Coast’s three-step plan to make the most of AFL assistance package
An AFL assistance package is only as good as how you use it. And now that the powers that be have delivered an equalisation boon to West Coast, it’s up to the Eagles to make the most of it.
An AFL assistance package is only as good as how you use it.
And now that the powers that be have delivered an equalisation boon to West Coast, it’s up to the Eagles to make the most of it.
The AFL this week announced West Coast will receive:
• An end of first round draft selection in the 2025 National Draft (currently selection 19)
• Four additional AFL Rookie List spots for AFL Seasons 2026, 2027 and 2028.
It’s a good hand. But the Eagles, led by list manager Matt Clarke and coach Andrew McQualter, still need to spend it wisely.
“Our submission highlighted factors – such as the compromised nature of recent national drafts – that have increased the challenge of rebuilding our playing list, while also considering the broader implications for the competition of sustained poor on-field performance,” chief executive Don Pyke said.
“Equalisation is a core pillar of the AFL and, as such, we believed our Club qualified for assistance, which we are committed to using responsibly in alignment with our clear list management strategy to take us forward.”
This is what West Coast needs to do to make the most of the AFL’s controversial generosity ahead of the most important off-season the club has ever had.
THE DRAFT
After taking too long to admit the list needed a rebuild, West Coast has only recently started to address a dearth of top-end talent.
If Campbell Chesser secures a trade to Carlton, every single one of the Eagles’ top draft picks for seven straight seasons between 2015 and 2021 will no longer be at the club.
Luke Partington (pick 28, 2015), Jarrod Brander (pick 14, 2017), Xavier O’Neill (pick 28, 2018) and Callum Jamieson (pick 49, 2019) were all delisted, Daniel Venables (pick 13, 2016) and Luke Edwards (pick 52, 2020) both had to retire due to concussion while Chesser has requested a trade.
West Coast only seriously committed to the draft again in 2022, picking up local pair Reuben Ginbey (pick nine) and Elijah Hewett (pick 14) in the first round before adding Harley Reid at pick one a year later.
READ: THE TOP 100 PROSPECTS IN 2025 DRAFT
But now with arguably the best draft hand this year, the Eagles have to dominate the top end.
West Coast currently has picks 1, 15, 19, 20, 33, 51.
They are almost certain to acquire pick two when the AFL deems Brisbane’s offer to Eagles co-captain Oscar Allen is worthy of band one compensation.
West Coast is also likely to add more draft capital in exchange for wantaway pair Liam Ryan (St Kilda) and Chesser (Carlton).
That currently leaves West Coast with three first-round picks, soon to be four, two second-round picks and a third-rounder.
The Eagles have already made six list changes, delisting Jamieson, Jack Petruccelle and Loch Rawlinson while Dom Sheed, Jeremy McGovern and Jayden Hunt have retired. It’ll be nine changes once the departures of Allen, Chesser and Ryan are confirmed.
It leaves Category B rookies Malakai Champion and Coen Livingstone as the only Eagles without a contract for next season.
The Eagles have shown a tendency to split high-end picks, adopting the mentality that two or three is better than one.
But given how compromised this year’s talent pool is with many of the best talents academy-linked, West Coast needs to resist the temptation to trade down the order and take at least three first-round picks to the draft.
Could the Eagles even bundle up 15 and 19, both likely to be in the mid-to-late 20s by the time bids are made, and try to secure another top 10 selection? Don’t forget that club’s can now trade picks two years in advance, giving West Coast even more flexibility to cash in before Tasmania comes to the table.
“Clearly, the opportunity with the change to the points system is that we can maybe do something to get ourselves further up the draft,” Pyke told the ABC after West Coast’s concessions were revealed.
“If you’re trading future picks, you have to assess if you’re trading into a weaker or stronger draft.
“We’re trying to do two things at once: bring some high-end young talent and some experienced guys to help those guys develop.
“It’s important, it’s always important because the reality is you get one chance a year to reshape your list, the future of the club is set during these periods.
“The harsh reality is we are where we are, and the assistance allows us to head back to the draft and the rookie draft and build our squad.”
Just look at what Gold Coast achieved six years ago with its assistance package.
The main prize was selection No. 1 in the 2019 draft. The Suns already held the top pick after claiming the wooden spoon.
With the first two picks, Gold Coast drafted Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson. Rowell is now a Brownlow medallist, Anderson is now captain and the Suns made finals for the first time this season off the back of the pair making the All-Australian side.
That’s the sort of haul the Eagles should be striving for – a Richmond-esque injection of first-round talent that can impact from day one.
With the first two picks, rival recruiters are expecting the Eagles to take 191cm Victorian utility Willem Duursma and 200cm ruckman-forward Cooper Duff-Tytler.
Pick 12 should be turned into a home-grown talent like classy rebounding defender Jacob Farrow, tipped to be the first West Aussie selected, or South Fremantle midfielder Fred Rodriguez.
Anything after that should be traded in exchange for established talent or used on diamonds in the rough later in the draft.
THE ROOKIE LIST
West Coast believes the addition of four additional rookie spots, to be funded by the club, will allow it to add a combination of low-risk NGA prospects and experienced campaigners.
The Eagles will have access to three academy products in this year’s draft – tough onballer Koby Evans and livewire forwards Wes Walley and Tylah Williams.
West Coast will also get first dibs on father-son prospect Charlie Banfield.
The son of two-time premiership Eagle Drew, the 191cm wingman represented Western Australia at this year’s under-18s national championships and also recently won the Mel Whinnen medal as best on ground in Claremont’s Colts grand final win over South Fremantle, finishing with 28 touches.
Evans, Walley and Williams have been invited to the draft combine in Melbourne but the expectation is that the latter is the only certainty to attract a bid in the national draft.
Draft gurus believe Williams will range from 15-30, Evans will go somewhere between 20-50 after an injury-interrupted season, Walley will be a late draft chance or a rookie and Banfield will be anywhere from pick 30 to a rookie chance.
Even if one, two or even all three slip through and West Coast can rookie list them, premiership Eagle Will Schofield is imploring the club to use the additional spots on established talent.
“I don’t think they should be using this to go and add three 17/18 year olds who are darts at the dart board,” Schofield said.
“I’d personally be going and getting the best three state league players in the country. Go and get a Shaun Mannagh.”
The Eagles are reportedly one of several clubs that have expressed interest in mature-age Frankston midfielder Tom Blamires.
East Fremantle midfielder Milan Murdock is crying out for an AFL opportunity after West Coast overlooked him in the mid-season draft.
Could the Eagles convince two-time premiership Tiger Kamdyn McIntosh to return to Western Australia and play on? Or would Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell return to Perth, where he spent his teenage years, after being told to explore his options by Collingwood?
West Coast faces a fine balance between speculative picks and much-needed leadership and experience.
THE TRADE PERIOD
West Coast has been linked to plenty of players, but the club is yet to secure any definitive signatures.
The Eagles have been urged to reconsider their long-term offer to two-time premiership Lion Brandon Starcevich after he suffered a fourth concussion in 12 months in the grand final.
But West Coast is still very interested in the gritty defender and is expected to offer up its newly acquired end of first-round concession pick, currently 19, in trade talks with Brisbane.
The Eagles had hoped to bring in Starcevich as a free agent without diluting their Allen compensation pick, but it now seems that the clubs will head to the trade table instead.
“I won’t get into the specifics of it but Brandon is a guy we identified from a way out that can tick a lot of boxes for us,” Pyke said.
“He did receive another head knock, and we’re mindful of all the issues at play there, and we’ll be in discussions with Brisbane around that.”
West Coast remains in the hunt for Richmond key defender Tylar Young but fellow target Hawthorn forward Sam Butler has re-signed.
The Eagles have also renewed their interest in out-of-favour Brisbane hard-nut Deven Robertson in a bid to improve their midfield depth. But they have a battle on their hands with the Western Bulldogs also keen.
Both present relatively inexpensive options that can step into the Eagles’ best 23 from round one next season.
The key for West Coast will be getting maximum returns for Ryan and Chesser and parting ways with second-round picks at best in its pursuit of Young and Robertson.
Originally published as West Coast’s three-step plan to make the most of AFL assistance package
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