Since coming into the league in 2020, it’s been far from smooth for the West Coast Eagles, with changes to the senior coaching title happening as frequently as it should be. After finishing up as wooden spooners in season six with just one win from 10 starts, Michael Prior’s second season in charge saw the Eagles win two games of their first four matches in season seven, before losing their final six games in a row. But despite that losing stretch, there were moments of competitiveness and sparks from within the young core that should get Eagles fans excited about where the next five years can really take them.
After finishing wooden spooners in season six, there’s nowhere but up for this side. With one win in season six, they should’ve at least doubled that win tally and have a bit more emphasis in blooding the kids this past season.
The Reality
The Eagles won two games – both of which came in the opening month. One was at the expense of expansion side Port Adelaide, the other was a real grind against GWS. But given that the Giants have belted them in past seasons, this was somewhat of a landmark win for the Eagles. They lost their final six games of the season, but were competitive in many of them; they started strong against Hawthorn in round six, but failed to hold onto the lead, they fell short in the Western Derby against Fremantle in a spirited effort and were admirable in losses to Richmond and Geelong.
But most importantly, they got games into their younger brigade of players: Ella Roberts was outstanding in her first season, Bella Lewis continues to emerge as a star and there were plenty of bright spots from the likes of Jaide Britton, Eleanor Hartill, Sarah Lakay and Courtney Rowley – all of which you’d suspect will be in this team for the next decade.
Stats That Matter
Whilst they sat 16th in the competition for disposals, West Coast were 10th in the competition for marks, averaging over 38 per game, which outlines that they do like to maintain possession and they attempted to play a settled brand of footy – something that they will get better at in due time. One thing that they would like to improve on is tackling, they were equal-16th in the competition, averaging 58.5 per game in season seven.
Most Improved Player
Spoilt for choice in this category – with honorable mentions to Sarah Lakay (24.8 hitouts per game in season seven – double her average in season six) and Aisling McCarthy (career averages in disposals, tackles, clearances, intercepts and score involvements) – I’ve left this part of the review to write about Charlie Thomas’s significant improvement over the course of the year.
As West Coast’s prized draft pick from 2021, she struggled to impact games across the course of her debut season, averaging 9.3 disposals per game across 10 games. Fast forward to season seven and the more games she played, the more prominent she was playing across the defensive half. Averages all across the board shot up significantly. She averaged 14.7 disposals, 2.7 marks, 309.5 metres gained, 5.4 rebound 50s and 5.3 intercept possessions per game.
The MVP
It’s hard to overlook this Eagles team without mentioning the name of Emma Swanson. Since arriving at the Eagles from the GWS Giants, she’s been the epitome of consistency and hardly puts a foot wrong. If she was on the other side of the country, she’d likely be heralded in the same vein as Monique Conti, Maddy Prespakis and Ellie Blackburn… just to name a few.
Swanson took out the Eagles’ best and fairest in season six on the back of shouldering a massive workload in the middle. She then backed it up by doing more of the same en route to claiming another best and fairest by the end of 2022. Compared to season six, her percentage of gametime jumped up from 78.3 percent to 91.2 percent. In season seven, Swanson averaged 21.4 disposals, 3.8 marks, 5.3 tackles, 5.3 clearances, 326 metres gained, 2.8 inside 50s and 2.3 score involvements per game.
Rating: 3/10
If you’ve listened to the podcast, you’ll know that I’m not the guy who gives out a ‘.5’ in the ratings, but this rating may not do justice in the eyes of the West Coast fans. Two wins and eight losses is not a great reading, but they got a lot from their younger brigade and as an overall fan of women’s football, I’m excited to see where this young core takes them, more excited to see stage two of the Ella Roberts ‘GOAT’ tour.
What's the pass mark for West Coast in 2023?
2 wins (with more competitive losses)
3-4 wins