The West Coast Eagles’ rise to football heights may well be premature. After scaling the AFL competition in 2006, many pundits would have never picked a last-placed Eagles from 2010 to get anywhere near the top eight this year. But the Eagles are soaring, and have not looked down.
Before the 2011 season had even begun, speculation flared over coach John Worsfold being sacked, given he was coming out of contract at season’s end – his tenth at the Eagles.
Now, 16 rounds on, Worsfold couldn’t be more delighted with his Eagles this season. They now sit fifth on the AFL ladder with a 10-4 record, and with eight rounds to play, finals football is on the agenda.
In their current position, they are most certainly the biggest surprise packet of the 2011 season. A good run home could prove favourable in helping the Eagles finish comfortably inside the top four if all goes according to plan, after recent scintillating wins over fellow contenders Geelong and Carlton.
Half of the final remaining eight games will be played at their home ground at Paterson’s Stadium in Perth, three in Melbourne, and one in Brisbane. Having only lost one game at home, at least four of these could be deciding factors to a top four berth. If they win against Richmond, you could just about pencil them into the four.
The Eagles’ run home is not the only thing to like about their incredible resurgence. The improvement of senior players, in conjunction with budding young talent, have played a major role in their incredible performances this season, and has got all fans excited about an Eagles’ revival.
Ruckman Dean Cox is a key to their revival, in a season that could almost see him in All-Australian form.
Incredible, in the wake of past seasons where he has battled numerous injuries, and has seen to be overshadowed by rising youngsters Priddis, Rosa, Kennedy and Selwood to name a few, as the Eagles looked set in a rebuilding process.
One of the biggest factors has been the acquisition of number two draft pick in the 2008 draft, Nic Naitanui. His sheer athleticism, height and leaping abilities have been a trademark of his game. With Dean Cox by his side, they are developing into one of the most feared ruck duos in the AFL.
Daniel Kerr too: after playing only four games last season, and amidst drug scandals after the departure of Ben Cousins, he looked to be on the way out. But after a miraculous return to form this season, averaging 24 possessions alone this year, he is another reason the Eagles’ midfield looks so ominous.
Two-time All-Australian Darren Glass is another senior head who appears to be finding form again, form that he has been renowned for as an elite defender in previous seasons.
As if a flashback to seasons past, many of these senior players are finding form that defined the Eagles’ golden era in the mid 2000s.
And if that was not good enough, the promising youth that the Eagles have bred in recent seasons is heavily understated.
Matt Priddis is rapidly becoming one of the competition’s elite midfielders, and at only 26, he has a lot more left in him. Averaging 28 disposals this season, he is leading the way in the Eagles’ midfield, and when they play well, he dominates.
And if four Selwood brothers is not enough in one competition, then two of them at one club certainly helps. The development of youngsters Adam Selwood and his brother Scott Selwood have been contributing factors to the development of a strong Eagles’ midfield. Football is in their blood, and just having them bolsters their list immensely.
Furthermore, you have All-Australian forward Mark LeCras, Josh Kennedy, and linchpin Quinten Lynch, with the recruitment of Jack Darling at pick number twenty-six in this season’s draft giving opposition defenders an even more difficult task in an already potent forward line.
All due credit has to go to the Eagles’ recruitment who have managed to unearth a mixture of tall and small players across all sections of the ground, to build a team around a group of core players that brought the Eagles their success in 2006.
The road to the finals is a long and treacherous one for all involved. But if the Eagles continue down the path they have travelled this year, a top-four spot and a home final may just be in their reach.
They have every chance of seeing September action, but just how far can these Eagles soar? Only time will tell.
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