West Coast's five non-negotiables in 2026
Because incremental gains are fine, but the way you get them matters.
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It’s the first in a series of guest features this pre-season, kicking off with Kurt from the Golden Wings podcast - breaking down West Coast’s non-negotiables in season 2026.
Give him a follow or listen to the pod if the Eagles are your thing.
Alright, let’s get stuck in.
West Coast had a 2025 to forget on the field, but their offseason has set them up to begin the long climb back to contention. Kurt from Golden Wings breaks down the five things they must get right this year to keep the momentum going.
1. Wins, a handful of them
In 2022, West Coast recorded just two wins, their worst ever return, and a point in club history that many thought was rock bottom. Three wins in 2023, followed by five in 2024, showed steady progress and built hope for a more substantial leap in 2025. Not to be. A horror 2025 campaign saw the club secure just one win, the worst single-season win/loss record in the AFL era. Yet ironically, the consensus view seemed to be that the Eagles’ standard of on-field performance had improved, with several close matches against the competition’s best, including Adelaide (minor premiers), Collingwood (preliminary finalists), Geelong (runners-up) and the eventual back-to-back premiers Brisbane. To prove the team hasn’t regressed, the Eagles will need to convert those chances to wins in 2026, with five a respectable starting point.
2. Waterman gets a clean run
Last week, a competitive ‘best vs rest’ match-sim session gave Eagles fans their first look at McQualter’s preferred line-up. The defence looked strong, headlined by dual premiership recruits Liam Baker and Brandon Starcevich. The forward line, however, was light on experience, with an average age of 22.8, drastically inflated by 33-year-old veteran Jamie Cripps. With Oscar Allen and Liam Ryan out the door, and Cripps unlikely to play every game, forward leadership and scoring responsibility will rest heavily on spearhead Jake Waterman, who needs some luck to go his way with injury. After managing just eight games last year, Waterman looms as the senior target inside 50, and this young forward brigade will need him back to his All-Australian best if they’re going to put up a competitive score.
3. Harley needs help
For the average fan, Harley Reid’s second season might have disappointed. But when you factor in his interrupted pre-season, lack of senior support, media scrutiny and the weight of carrying one of the worst-performed midfields we’ve seen in recent times, it was a true show of grit from the 20-year-old wunderkind. Elliot Yeo’s grunt will be sorely missed around the ball as he transitions to a new role, so who will step up to support Harley? Fellow No.1 pick Willem Duursma will aim to join him in the middle and form a formidable partnership, but that’s a long-term play. Recycled midfielders Deven Robertson, Finlay MacRae, and Harry Schoenberg were recruited to add a hardened, physical edge to the young midfield core. The club will hope that one of these new additions, alongside Elijah Hewett, Jack Graham and Tom McCarthy, can shoulder the load and allow Harley to play his natural game in 2026.
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