AFL footy boss weighs in on Eagles priority pick debate
Shayne Hope |
West Coast have been urged to follow examples set by rival clubs in order to climb the ladder again as AFL bosses hose down suggestions of a priority draft pick.
The Eagles are nursing a horror 1-17 record this season, after being belted at home by lowly Richmond last weekend.
It left the fallen power club three-and-half wins plus percentage below second-bottom North Melbourne.
Premiers in 2018, West Coast have not won more than five games in a year since 2021, victorious in just 11 of their last 90 games.
The barren run has included a raft of injuries to key players over multiple seasons, and has prompted talk of the club receiving a helping hand from league headquarters.
On Monday, new AFL football performance boss Greg Swann left the door open to a discussion around the Eagles being handed a priority pick.
But the former Brisbane chief executive – who was part of rebuilds at Collingwood, Carlton and the Lions – said the Eagles should follow other clubs’ blueprints in their bid to climb out of the doldrums.
“I’ve been there. When I started off at Brisbane, we weren’t very good either,” Swann said.
“It’s difficult, but it’s a process. You’ve got to get the right people in the right slots, you’ve got to get your list management right, your fitness, your recruiting … there’s a whole lot of stuff that goes into it.
“They’ve gone down a path now where they’re going fairly young, but they’ve also had a lot of injuries as well.
“They’re struggling, there’s no doubt about that, but that’s something that we’ll have a talk about.”
West Coast will almost certainly be handed another wooden spoon this season, after also finishing last in 2023.
It will give them the No.1 draft pick this year, while they can expect another high-end selection as compensation if sought-after captain Oscar Allen moves to a rival club through free agency.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the final decision around a separate priority pick would be left to the AFL Commission, but hinted it was an unlikely proposition.
“The blueprint is there, and Swanny and the work he did at Brisbane is one,” Dillon said.
“If you look at Adelaide on the weekend, they haven’t been in the finals since 2017.
“But through a lot of hard work, some really good decisions, some great trading and great drafting, they’re poised now for a top-four finish.”
Asked directly if West Coast have the scope for a priority pick, if they were to ask for one, Dillon again pointed to the Adelaide example.
“They’ve got to where they’ve got without a priority pick, and I think you can do it,” Dillon said.
“You’ve got to get the right people in the right slots and they’ve got to make a lot of hard calls and make the right calls.”
West Coast played finals for six consecutive seasons before narrowly missing the top-eight in 2021.
That successful run included the famous 2018 premiership and another grand-final appearance three years earlier.
AAP
