AFL Team Profile: West Coast

West Coast Eagles have had a rough couple of seasons when struggling at the bottom of the ladder, and the club is now firmly in a rebuild phase.

The Eagles won the premiership in 2018, but have been on a slippery slope since then, and finished rock bottom in the 2023 campaign.

Another difficult season looks to be on the cards in 2024 and they are priced at 2.50 to suffer most losses in the regular season.

North Melbourne are the same price and it will be a battle between the two clubs to avoid the wooden spoon.

The Eagles have set their goals for the season, and playing with spirit and rediscovering their identity, figures prominently.

Let’s take a look at the Eagles heading into the 2024 AFL season.

Eagles hit rock bottom

2023 was another season to forget for West Coast Eagles who picked up just three wins to finish bottom of the ladder.

North Melbourne also picked up 12 points, but the Kangaroos had a percentage of 71.5 compared to West Coast’s 53.

Not only did the Eagles suffer 20 defeats throughout the season, they also suffered some record-breaking ones, just to rub some salt into the wounds.

West Coast conceded well over 100 points week in, week out, but their biggest humiliation came in Sydney against the Swans.

The home side chalked up a massive 205 points, with West Coast managing just 34 of their own.

It was a new low for the Eagles and a clear indication that the club was in need of a major rebuilding job.

There were question marks over the future of coach Adam Simpson, who guided them to grand final glory just five years earlier.

However, Simpson has the backing of the board and will be given the chance to go through the rebuild and attempt to restore former glories.

Where do the Eagles go in 2024? 

Simpson has revealed his plan and it is centred on the basics of the game.

Being able to compete at the contest will be huge, while he wants his side to play with spirit, something which was lacking in 2023.

Once the basics have been mastered it will be time to move on to the next stage of the rebuild, but it looks set to be another tough season for the Eagles members.

However they have a plan and some talented youngsters, so it is not all doom and gloom in Perth.

Key players

The key to the West Coast rebuild will be bringing the youngsters through. They are the future of the club.

However, there are still enough experienced heads in the camp to help them on the journey, and they will also be crucial.

Andrew Gaff, Dom Sheed and Tim Kelly will have a big role to play in midfield, while Tom Barras, Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo will be key in defence.

Up top, a lot of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Oscar Allen. If the forward can stay fit then he could have a massive season.

Allen is in the hunt for the Coleman Medal, for most goals in the regular season, and is priced at 19.00 to win it.

Eagles head to Adelaide

The Eagles begin the campaign with a tough opener when they travel to Port Adelaide on Sunday 17th March.

West Coast are priced at 7.50 to cause a boilover, while Port are the hot fancies at 1.09.