Geelong legend Cameron Mooney says ailing West Coast need to ‘suck it up’

One of the AFL’s greats has gone all in on the Eagles, saying the club needs to ‘suck it up’ as they head towards one of the worst records of all time.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 24: Eagles captain Luke Shuey walks from the field after defeat during the round 15 AFL match between Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles at Sydney Cricket Ground, on June 24, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Three-time premiership legend Cameron Mooney, has gone all in on the ailing West Coast Eagles as they spiral further into one of the darkest losing streaks the AFL has ever seen.

With their 171-point drubbing at the hands of Sydney, the Eagles have now won three of their last 40 matches, in a malaise last seen with Fitzroy in the 1990s.

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Despite this, Fox Footy’s Cameron Mooney says that West Coast should not be given any sort of assistance from the AFL, and that it’s on the club to drag themselves out of their situation.

“No, no,” Mooney said when asked whether West Coast should be given help from the league.

“This is a team that’s just come off a premiership not too long ago.

“It’s one of the richest and most successful clubs in the competition, memberships, all of those things.

“This isn’t a club that’s been down in the doldrums for 20 years or the last decade – this is a really strong powerful footy club that’s having a bad time.

“Suck it up and work out of it. That’s just what you’ve gotta do.”

Mooney (right) was a two-time premiership player with Geelong.

Eagles captain Luke Shuey walks from the field after defeat during the round 15 AFL match between Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Mooney said that of the issues wrong with West Coast, the “list is long”.

“From the outside looking in … their biggest (issue) is they just don’t have the players,” he said.

“The injury list is enormous. They’re injuries to their best players. And it doesn’t matter what team you are, if you’re missing a few of your best players, you’re not going to go well – but if you’re missing a lot of them, then you’re going to be in all sorts.

“There’s also a little bit of you know, did they hold onto some of the older players too long?

“It’s hard sometimes when you’ve got a group that has taken you to the peak, and you do want to look after your premiership players, and I love that.

“From what I hear, (West Coast coach Adam Simpson) has done that – but on the other side of the coin, you’ve got to sometimes be a little bit ruthless in this game.”

Mooney (left) went down in three rounds to former Essendon ruckman Tom Bellchambers. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Mooney also reflected on his ill-fated foray into boxing, being knocked out in the third round last month by former Essendon ruckman Tom Bellchambers.

“I’m all done now,” Mooney said when asked about a potential return to the ring.

“It was a lot of fun, it was very daunting,” he said.

“The night was special, but I was 10 years older, 25 kilos lighter and about six inches shorter.

“I thought the fight was a good fight, but he was just too big. He got me on my backside but I hit him with some big shots – he was just too big and didn’t go down.

“To be honest, I probably knew going into it – I was sparring with much bigger guys, and I knew going in that I was probably in a bit of trouble, because at 43, I just couldn’t get my legs under me enough to move in and out.

“It’s not the kind of fighter that I was – I was used to fighting people my size or smaller, all of a sudden I was the tiny one and you’ve almost got to change the way that you fight.

“It was great fun, something that I was glad that I did, I would have just liked the big fella to fall over once! That was all I was looking for!”

Originally published as Geelong legend Cameron Mooney says ailing West Coast need to ‘suck it up’