G’day people! Guest post today from the one and only Kurt from the Golden Wings podcast.
The way that West Coast finished the season meant there was plenty of unrest, but once the dust settles it’s a bit easier to see the steps they took in ‘26.
And you’ve got pick No.3 in hand (even if that turns into No.5 after bids) with some great forward-mid impact players likely to be on the board.
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Plenty coming this week, with a guest Freo post set to drop tomorrow. And shortly we’ll have an announcement about an in-person activation at the WAFL grand final we’re pretty excited about too.
Let’s get stuck in.
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Four wins don’t sound like a lot, but this season will be judged on far more from a West Coast perspective. Kurt from Golden Wings has a full wrap on his YouTube channel, but we asked him to find five positives for us to help Eagles fans come to terms with the year just gone.
The torchbearers are set
Rebuilds are a slow burn, and West Coast especially has taken its time to hit the draft in a substantial way. After five years of bottom-three finishes, we can finally see the future leaders emerging.
Harley Reid is a once-in-a-decade player; teams will rebuild for years and go without a genuine match-winner in the guts. Rewarded for an outstanding year with his maiden John Worsfold Medal, it’s hard to see a world where he doesn’t push for All Australian honours next year.
Willem Duursma is mature beyond his years, and his attributes make for a one-in-a-million player. A midfielder who stands taller than his full-forward, Willem’s ability to dominate the air and the ground-level contest makes him impossible to contain. Add a burst of pace, tidy foot skills, composure and an innate goal sense, and the Eagles could have two of the competition’s best mids over the next decade on their books.
Throw in Reuben Ginbey, who can only be described as a warrior down back. His attack on the footy is no different to his attack on the training track. He’ll drag the team along with him as he continues to set the standard.
If there’s a mental and physical archetype I want my team built around, West Coast have got it. These are the players that will set the standards for the emerging group.
The boys got fitter
The addition of ex-Fremantle High Performance Manager, Phil Merriman, may have been overshadowed by last season’s Trade and Draft acquisitions, but his impact was obvious in 2026.
Eyebrows were raised when high-tempo match-sim was introduced earlier than ever at the Eagles, one of many changes Merriman brought to the club’s fitness regime. But it paid dividends; the Eagles were fitter, stronger, and found themselves able to consistently push teams right until the final siren.
Games aren’t won in January, but they certainly can be lost with a poor pre-season. Can’t wait to see the results of another gruelling summer for this young group.
Competitive for longer
You’re never satisfied without the four points, but this year the uplift in fourth-quarter competitiveness was clear.
The four wins speak for themselves; add another five games that were lost by less than 12 points, and you’ve got nine genuine opportunities to win. Off the back of a historically poor one-win season, the improvement is evident.
The young Eagles sorely lacked the poise and experience to finish these games in front on the scoreboard, but that’ll come. The talent, development and fitness are compounding, and there’s a platform set for another jump in the wins tally for 2027.
Bargain buys providing
Plenty is made of the high-pedigree talent that rebuilding clubs acquire through the draft. When you can also add quality mature-age talent around the fringes, the wheel starts to turn much quicker.
Take Milan Murdock, signed as an untried SSP just weeks before the season opener. No one could have predicted he’d rejuvenate the Eagles’ forward line and sew up a top-four finish in the best and fairest.
Tom McCarthy too had an outstanding year in defence as last year’s marquee Mid-Season pickup, reflected by a top-six finish in the B&F. Then enter Marcus Herbert, Pick 13 in this year’s MSD. Slotted straight into a role at AFL level, was best afield for the Eagles in his first-ever Derby, and looks a player for the future.
Even Deven Robertson was a massive success as a DFA Rookie prior to his ACL injury, and Finn MaCrae’s leadership in the WAFL can’t be undersold. The bargain buys are providing, credit to the West Coast recruiters for taking a punt on them.
With crisis comes opportunity
When two of West Coast’s most important players and key defensive pillars, Harry Edwards and Reuben Ginbey, were sidelined with long-term injuries, the cupboard was looking bare. But from the fire emerged Rhett Bazzo, who proved he’ll be an integral piece of this young West Coast defence.
His AFL experience before this season has been rough, to say the least. Called up ahead of his time to an injury-ravaged backline, as a young key back was always going to be tough. Playing on some of the best key forwards the modern era has seen, in a team that was losing by 100 points regularly, you could forgive him for being scarred by those early games.
With a little more stability, Rhett has been able to develop in the WAFL over the past 18 months and when called upon this season, he was ready. He put together a fantastic 14 games, ranking above average in Intercepts, Intercept Marks and One-Percenters, and winning 69% of his contested one-v-one’s.
One of the feel-good stories of the season, Rhett is grit and resilience personified. I can’t wait to see what he can do with this newfound belief, alongside Reuben Ginbey next season.
That’s us all caught up.
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Catch you next week.
