West Coast was lucky to avoid the wooden spoon in 2022, only saved by the incompetence of North Melbourne this season.
But the club’s two wins were impressive ones. The first, in Round 4 against Collingwood, is even more impressive in hindsight against a top four team at the MCG.
Meanwhile, the Round 15 triumph against Essendon was also important for home fans to have some sort of enjoyment in the season.
After an injury/COVID crisis to start the year, West Coast never recovered and there’s little optimism around the Eagles for 2023.
But Adam Simpson is sticking strong by the club and he’ll look to spin his wisdom and turn it around next year.
Our recap of West Coast’s 2022 season.
The season in a sentence
There are virtually zero positives to take out of West Coast’s 2022 season, with two wins and 20 losses the club’s worst statistical season in its history.
The Highlight
Josh Kennedy’s final game wasn’t a win, but the key forward exited the match a champion.
In a 16-point loss to Adelaide in front of his home crowd at Optus Stadium, Kennedy booted a final bag of eight goals.
In a season where there was little to enjoy, Eagles fans and players alike could celebrate the 34-year-old tearing apart an opposition defence one last time.
The Lowlight
Where to begin?
The whole season for the Eagles was a lowlight and the final 85-point thumping by Geelong just put a cherry on top.
But the club’s Round 11 loss to the Western Bulldogs to the tune of 101 points was absolute rock bottom. It was the club’s seventh straight loss by more than 50 points, and to lose in such fashion in front of their home crowd was embarrassing.
It also led to the worst first half of a season for West Coast in its history and came with much of the side having returned from injury/COVID, meaning Simpson had nowhere to hide.
Off-season moves to make
The priority for West Coast has to be to re-sign Nic Naitanui. The star ruckman has somewhat flown under the radar this season, but doesn’t yet have a deal signed for next season. He stated earlier this year that he would not be trade bait and would happily sign one-year extensions for the rest of his career, although it is worrying the 32-year-old is yet to put pen to paper.
A call also needs to be made on veteran Shannon Hurn, while Junior Rioli is mulling a contract extension as well.
The Eagles are well stocked at either end of the ground. Oscar Allen and Jack Darling can hopefully lead the forward line for years to come, while Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass are among the best defensive duos in the competition.
It’s the midfield where the side struggles. The Tim Kelly trade hasn’t lived up to the hype, Andrew Gaff hasn’t been the same player this year, Luke Shuey is a year older and Jack Redden could spend much of 2023 in the WAFL.
An A-grade midfielder would be high up on the club’s wish list to help keep the Eagles relevant in the meantime, but also help the young draftees develop over the coming years.
On the chopping block
Alex Witherden may be West Coast’s most tradeable player.
The former Brisbane Lion displayed some brilliant form to start the season but dropped off as the season continued and fell down in the pecking order. He only played two of the last eight games, but based on his earlier output, the 23-year-old should have some currency at the trade table.
He is also out of contract at the end of the year.
There are several players in danger of losing their positions on the list. With Naitanui, Hurn, Shuey and Redden all to remain at the club, West Coast could cut deep and there could be up to half a dozen young Eagles nervous when they face their exit interviews.
BnF top 3
- Tom Barrass
- Shannon Hurn
- Tim Kelly
There’s not much to pick for from the Eagles, but Tom Barrass should be a runaway winner. The full back held his own under immense pressure this semester and should be rewarded with his first All-Australian blazer when the team is released on Wednesday.
Season grade
1/10