SEASON & certainly had its promising moments for West Coast, but ultimately did not have much to show for it at season’s end.

However with a decrease in list turnover and the introduction of some extra young talent, can West Coast finally push up the ladder in 2023?

TEAM LIST

#1 Lauren Wakfer
#2 Kellie Gibson
#3 Charlotte Thomas
#4 Ella Roberts
#5 Courtney Rowley
#6 Isabella Lewis
#7 Aimee Schmidt
#8 Sasha Goranova
#9 Isabella Simmons
#10 Jessica Sedunary
#11 Aisling McCarthy
#12 Emma Humphries
#13 Emma Swanson
#14 Belinda Smith
#15 Abbygail Bushby
#16 Zoe Wakfer
#17 Dana Hooker
#18 Jaide Britton
#19 Amy Franklin
#20 Kate Bartlett
#21 Mikayla Western
#22 Ella Smith
#23 Sarah Lakay
#25 Eleanor Hartill
#28 Shanae Davison
#29 Emily Elkington
#30 Beth Schilling
#31 Evie Gooch
#32 Krstel Petrevski *
#35 Sophie McDonald
Mackenzie Webb

* inactive

CHANGES

In: Lauren Wakfer (return from inactive), Evie Gooch (return from inactive), Mackenzie Webb, Amy Franklin
Out: Krstel Petrevski (inactive), Imahra Cameron, Hayley Bullas, Emily Bennett, Ashleigh Gomes

FIXTURE

Round 1: vs. Fremantle @ Fremantle Community Bank Oval

Round 2: vs. Gold Coast @ Heritage Bank Stadium

Round 3: vs. Carlton @ Mineral Resources Park

Round 4: vs. Sydney @ Henson Park

Round 5: vs. Port Adelaide @ Mineral Resources Park

Round 6: vs. GWS @ Blacktown International Sports Park

Round 7: vs. Melbourne @ Mineral Resources Park

Round 8: vs. Essendon @ Windy Hill

Round 9: vs. Western Bulldogs @ Mineral Resources Park

Round 10: vs. Adelaide @ Mineral Resources Park

STRENGTHS

• Finally got some list stability
• Extremely favourable fixture

One characteristic of the Eagles over a number of years was the amount of list turnover they had year on year. This changed after last season, because although the list turnover did not completely cease it was significantly less than in previous years. It means that the coaches can truly build on last year.

The Eagles certainly will not be complaining about their fixture this season. None of their trips interstate this year will be to play finalists from last year, while the three Season 7 finalists they do play are all coming to them.

QUESTION MARKS

• Can their positive moments outweigh the negatives?
• Can they boost their percentage?

West Coast had some really good moments in Season 7 and at times looked really dangerous. However they were just too few and far between, but can West Coast build on that and make it a more regular occurrence?

One particularly concerning issue for West Coast is their percentage. Overall it was the second lowest in the competition in Season 7, and they had the highest points against tally in the competition. This means they need to find more avenues to goals while tightening their defence, but can they do it?

BEST & FAIREST CONTENDER

When thinking about West Coast’s best and fairest contenders, it is hard to go past captain Emma Swanson.

She is a reliable midfielder who was one of the Eagles’ strongest pollers in the count last year and also won the club best and fairest. She is also someone who does not seem to be slowing down with age as much as some others might, and with some talented midfielders alongside her to take some of the heat off her, she is not going to get the tag that some of her other top contenders will.

BREAKOUT PLAYER

Isabella Simmons came across to the Eagles last season after not getting a lot of game time at Melbourne, and showed glimpses of being a handy ruck.

With another season under her belt and more help in the ruck department, 2023 might just see this young star flourish even further.

PREDICTION

The list stability is certainly going to help West Coast as they try and build year on year. The favourable fixture will also certainly help, but the question will be how much. A few more wins on the board should be realistic for the Eagles, but whether it is enough to jump into finals might be a bit of a stretch.