Duff: West Coast's loss changes nothing

At West Coast - an old footy adage will be a very wise one to listen to and take note of this week – it's never as good, and never as bad as you think.

They have just lost a home game to the previously winless Richmond. If you follow this show from last week you will know I tipped the Tigers and I will tell you why.

Richmond haven’t been able to win this year because they are too young. West Coast over the past couple of weeks have become too young.

Andrew McQualter tried to add experience but the reality here is that Richmond’s senior players ran deeper and had more capability than West Coast’s.

Jayden Short, Nathan Broad and Nick Vlastuin to steady the backs. Jacob Hopper and Jack Ross to steady the midfield even after the early loss of Dion Prestia and Tom Lynch and late in the match Noah Balta to give cause for concern for West Coast in attack.

Lynch only kicked one goal but his presence kept the excellent Reuben Ginbey busy and meant mismatches elsewhere. Balta kicked three – so did Jonty Faull and in the 5 games leading into this game Faull wouldn’t have gotten a kick in a stampede – he had had 25 disposals for two goals.

This was a game the Eagles could have won but the loss doesn’t change anything – they have kids who can play – they need to find the balance between getting games into them and keeping them in one piece.

It might be time for a spell for young ruck Cooper Duff-Tytler. And here is the other thing – if their senior players aren’t out there or aren’t at their best – the season is going to get very gnarly very quickly for Andrew McQualter’s team.

Just on Duff-Tytler – the player he is often compared to is Luke Jackson – now a superstar of the competition – how many games so you reckon Jackson played in his first season at Melbourne? The answer is six – back in the COVID shortened season of 2020 – six out of 17.

The Eagles already have eight games into their young forward ruck – a spell in the WAFL for some confidence – if they can bring him back later and get another eight or so into him before the season is over – that’s a big win.

But the main thing for him – and Willem Duursma, Jobe Shanahan, Josh Lindsay, Bo Allan, Harley Reid and others – is that they are all in one piece come the end of the season and ready to do a big pre-season without surgery.

Was this a disappointing loss? Absolutely. Does it change anything? Absolutely not.