In case you haven’t been paying attention, West Coast are very calm about Harley, and always have been. Simpson has being trying to hose down media expectations from day one, and often diverts the attention to the team as a collective. The people who need to calm down are the tabloids!
But clearly Harley has the X-factor, unlike Ginbey who is more a strong, fast workhorse on a learning curve. The combo of Yeo and Harley is exciting to watch, but there is Culley and then Hewett, who like Ginbey and Harley are all rising star award winners. Hewett promises to be an exciting mid/forward who can burst packs and kick goals, same package, strong through the hips. He was already showing glimpses before Harley arrived, but fell to long term injury. Hall is another one in waiting, a young strong inside mid. But they need to keep Yeo on the park, not injured. The future is looking better for West Coast.

Have read conflicting ‘clickbait’. It started with him definitely leaving the club, wanting a year off, and delisted. The club and him would’ve come to some agreement obviously. But some weeks later the story morphed into- since leaving, he has now officially quit the club and may head east. He had OP, followed by a bad ankle injury. Can’t confirm that he has officially left however? Showed a lot of promise!

Not sure what the bet model is, but the GF should definitely be played in other states more often. It’s supposed to be a national game, but we all know that is a farce. It is controlled and directed by a Melbourne cartel in Melbourne’s best interests. The way the MCG 50 yr contract was covertly rushed through behind closed doors was nothing short of corruption and lacked any transparency or accountability. It reeked of Victorian bias and no doubt was largely done to lock that money stream into Melbourne. Yes the MCG GF has been a Melbourne tradition for a very long time, but it seriously needs to wake up and look towards the future. It needs to breakaway from the old boys club and truly embrace the competition as ‘National’ and do everything it can to support and promote this ideal. Victoria aside, the game is national and historically has been played in other states for a similar length of time, give or take a couple of decades. It started in Victoria approx 1860 and started in Fremantle in 1880, Adelaide in 1860, Sydney 1870, Qld 1860’s, Tassie 1860’s, and in NT around 1916. The Perth GF at Optus proved that it can be held and marketed successfully outside of Melbourne, not only that but it put on a fresh and vibrant new face to the GF, instead of the stale old ‘has been’ cheap charlie entertainment of the MCG with all it’s rusted on entertainment cronies from a bygone era. Perth showed the rest of the country the future of AFL and the GF. And that was in the middle of Covid! Time to get on board the ‘National game of AFL – it’s in the title Australian Football League (not Victorian). Victoria should be rightly proud that it has created the AFL, but it is time to let go of all it’s bogged down biases and truly let the competition soar! States will upgrade or build stadiums accordingly and the GF can be shared around. Alternating with the MCG is a good start. While I appreciate the problems and lack of lead time to set up properly, it the powers that be truly want it to happen!

Cameron’s gone, taken time off next year?

I formally retract my statement after just watching that pathetic, gutless, pea-hearted, performance by the Eagles against Pies! Sack the coach, chop out the dead wood, rebuild, whatever it takes to get this team back on track. There’s a serious disconnect going on at WCE?

You’d think it would be a Cat n’ Dog fight at the big dance for the tin mug?
But depending on where the dance is held eg- at the Disco Donut (Perth Craypot), then it might rattle the cage a bit for a couple of other outside contenders. But the Cats look a solid juggernaut!
Don’t be surprised if the Eagles make a late charge in finals and fall short if having to travel to the MCG…but..might put a scare into some if played at the Craypot! The Eagles outside roughies for mine!

Agree, something’s clearly not right at the Eagles nest, it’s a trainwreck! The so called ‘great list’ is stale. Some highly paid players are not delivering. Age and travel is a factor. A bunch of new players have been introduced, sometimes there’s cohesion sometimes not. Maybe there’s friction or lack of synergy between old guard and new guard? Even the coach seems bereft of explanations and in despair?
Maybe the clean-up culture went too far the other way, maybe too much friends+family in Friends-Family-Flag? Who know, but it ‘aint good! A big shake up needed!

It’s a major concern and after the Tigers win it looked like WC had turned a corner, but it was fools gold, the Tigers were on the slide. Most are tired of Simmo’s post game cliches “we have to do better, we need to improve, we’ll learn from that etc”…been listening to that for a couple of years, but nothings changed? It appears that the game has gone past the Eagles coaching staff and players? Perhaps there is in-house politics, perhaps the players no longer buy into the coaches plan? But the Eagles brand has been worked out by most teams now, it’s done and dusted. Champagne footy at Optus in front of 60,000 adoring fans is one thing, but that bubble has burst. The kick n’ mark keepy-off aerial game is tedious and obsolete, been worked out. The Eagles get destroyed by run n’ gun style footy that carves up the angles going in and avoids the Governator. The coach refuses to change or adapt or have a plan B? The match committee goes in tall game after game, in wet weather, if playing a fast running team, it’s talls, talls talls? The truth might be in there somewhere, but the wheels have really come off the bus now, it’s a fiasco! Everyone was waiting for the A-grade midfield to return, but that was a major letdown, they appeared to play better without them!? Time for a clean out and a rebuild!!

Weed aside, Willy has still been getting paid by the club during his 2 yrs out. The players are all on reduced salary as it is due to covid. It could be said an irresponsible Willy is leaching out their pay. The club is operating on reduced funds and staffing since covid, and has to weigh up the cost of nurturing Willy going forward. The mid term draft is only weeks away, that would be a factor weighing on the clubs mind, there’s a lot to consider apart from his ongoing irresponsible actions. Willy has to stop playing for Willy and start playing for the team and the club.
He might be back after late June as was the plan, in time for finals – or he might cop a penalty from the club and/or the AFL and miss the rest of the season; although I don’t see how that would do him any good; he needs to be playing for his own mental health.
Personally, he’s clearly not the brightest spark going around and has made some silly choices, but I’d like to see him playing in time for finals – what football purist wouldn’t? He’s a Rioli, a gifted player…

There’s been an absolute culture change since the Cuzz n’ Kerr days!?
That was all 15 years ago! But no club will ever stop the random occurrences from players with such a large list from all walks of life, just look at recent dramas from Richmond, Pies etc..like life it’s never going to be perfect.

And how did you go for those decades lost in the wilderness? Curious how fortunes have changed since the fixers were brought in? Like I said try playing away interstate every 2nd week like most teams and take a dip in attendance fees etc. You complain about one? As far as complaining about you paltry genuine away games and your financial loss, no one cares or is listening.

Maaate, Tigers have an armchair ride to finals every season!
Try having them fly interstate every 2nd week for the whole season!? See how they stack up then?
Even half your away games are played at the MCG!???
Is that fixed or what?
How is that a level competition?

and Sheed, Redden, Gaff, Nicnat, Duggan, Nelson all need to lift collectively…without our 2 best inside grunt mids in Shuey and Yeo.
Sheed and Gaff are soft in the tackle dept (?)…

It’s a tricky one to pick. Eagles midfield need to throw everything at it, for the entire match. Winning contested possessions would help. The dockers will be absolutely up and about for this game from the get-go.
You’d expect a turnover given the opportunity and history. But the Eagles play well at Optus and have had a reality check from the coach, combined with the need for 4 points after such a humiliating loss to Cats. They’ll also be determined to account for themselves. JK and Hurn’s leadership will add much to the mix. Petrucelle might add some spark to the forward line.
Should be a cracker!!

3 negative comments, good to see your objectivity shining through!?Surprisingly, and contradicting your learned opinion, many Eagles supporters are happy with the draft results as it plugs the gaps needed- a quality small defender, a quality small crumber and some midfield depth.Just because Witherden was not in Lions best 22, doesn’t mean he’s no good – he fits a required need at Eagles and can be improved upon. Eagles have a few good players who are struggling to get a game, and when they do break in they should be future locks.And here’s to Rioli coming back sooner than later!

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Why are they arrogant…?

Omg! How were they any more or less arrogant than any other team in the same situation? It’s just a well worn cliche, a tired old trope, a meaningless and irrational comment!

And vice versa with Freo fans!! Which equally makes it hard to support any success they have!

Agree, showed little insight into Eagles as a team or their season!?

I like your positivity! At 5th it’s a tough gig to the big dance, although it does have a certain advantage this covid season – but if they get to regroup with a break back in Perth and some key players back in – then I reckon we’ll see them go to another level, they certainly have it in them and the chemistry with the right players in. We’ve been seeing a patched together squad making the best of what’s available back in Qld – and yes they got dumped out last season by Cats and Tigers, but there’s a different feel to the team this season. If they get past the Cats and I think they will, they’ll have a new strategy for the Tigers-I just don’t think it will be as easy for the Tigers as last time.

So I’m guessing the AFL backs Gary Lyon’s stupid/angry comments about there being no place on the footy field for opposition players being friendly and sharing a laugh during a game!? – re: Josh Kennedy and the Hawks back man. When it’s rough+tough we say, harden up -that’s footy! When it’s friendly under fire and sportsmanship is shown, I say lighten up – that’s also footy! In some ways the worse thing about footy are how gutless, cowardly acts are accepted as the norm – but I make no judgement, simply to say to those that dish it out, may you be rewarded with the same in kind, in spades!

He’s the Premier of a state, he doesn’t have to answer to a football corporation from another state. He was simply or bluntly (as was required given the emergency/pandemic) pointing out that the last thing he was concerned about was football, his priority concern was the people first-and good on him!

Hardly a thug!? For sticking to his guns and doing a great job?
He’s had to fight off Scummo and his thugs, then the biggest thug of all – Clive Palmer /Jabba The Hutt – who tried to sue the state, then unleashed vindictive TV ads against McGowen (like he did with the “Miracle” election), and now he’s decided to sue McGowen personally! These are the real thugs, who wave flags and spout nationalistic jingo while pillaging the country and the workers with their own self interests…

Could anything be prettier at night than the flashing Disco-Donut (Optus)? 😂
Yes, they rushed that “MCG for 50 years” deal through very quickly with Eddie and the rest of the cartel!