The AFLW competition underwent structural change in the lead up to round one in 2021.

The conference system was removed, with all 14 teams now competing on the same ladder, and teams were fixtured to play nine home and away matches.

However, due to continued restrictions and border closures caused by the pandemic, fixtures had to be adjusted a number of times throughout the season, providing a level of uncertainty for every team in the competition.

The Eagles were originally scheduled to play Gold Coast in Queensland in their season-opener, but a more challenging start to the season ensued against experienced AFLW powerhouse Adelaide.

Despite dealing with a number of injuries, West Coast took the fight to the Crows but couldn’t match their class in a 38-point defeat at Mineral Resources Park.

On a tough day, midfielder Brianna Green went down with an ankle injury, Demi Liddle hurt her back and Maddy Collier received a concussion, automatically ruling her out for the following game – set against Greater Western Sydney in South Australia.

But that game would never come as Western Australia went into lockdown on February 1 due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in the state.

South Australia swiftly closed its border to the west and the Giants clash was cancelled, resulting in the Eagles staying home for a rescheduled Derby behind closed doors against crosstown rivals Fremantle.

During lockdown, the Eagles lost star onballer Dana Hooker to a freak foot injury at home, with the vice-captain joining Green, Collier and Liddle as omissions from round one.

In trying conditions, the Eagles fell to the Dockers by nine points at Fremantle Oval in a competitive effort after Irish stars Niamh Kelly and Aisling McCarthy – no foreigners to wet and wild conditions – dominated in the opening term.

While the performance was much-improved from the previous season’s clash, the major downside was senior coach Daniel Pratt’s side suffering another bout of injuries. Niamh Kelly (finger), Andrea Gilmore (finger) and ruck Parris Laurie (knee) were all casualties in the wet.

For the following rounds, West Coast dipped into the WAFLW competition to use top up players to help fill out the squad as Claremont’s Jessica Low and Sasha Goranova joined training.

Round three saw a battered Eagles side come up against the ferocious Lions in Brisbane, which resulted in a gutsy 35-point loss to the eventual premiers.

During round four, the Eagles finally played the Giants, but in Sydney at Blacktown International Sportspark Oval. Alicia Janz made her debut for the club and Lauren Gauci played her first game of AFLW.

After a strong first quarter, the Eagles went down by 20 points and sustained another injury in the process, with Aisling McCarthy landing awkwardly on her knee in the third stanza.

Fortunes looked brighter for the Eagles coming into round five against winless Gold Coast in their first home game since the opening week of the season, with a number of players returning to the playing group from injury. 

In a one-point thriller, West Coast claimed its first win of the campaign, led by young midfielder Mikayla Bowen who received a Rising Star nomination for her performance.

The Eagles kicked three unanswered goals in a blistering opening term but were forced to defend an avalanche of inside 50s against them before hanging on 5.4 (34) to 4.9 (33).

Coming into round six, West Coast still had almost a third of the list sidelined through injury and the lack of player availability told as the Eagles fell to Fremantle by 67 points – with Grace Kelly scoring the only goal for West Coast at Optus Stadium.

But a week is a long time in football, and the Eagles bounced back at their next opportunity with a club-record 39-point winning margin over Geelong at Mineral Resources Park.

Classy forward Imahra Cameron produced a scintillating second term, kicking three goals in the space of six minutes, to blow the Cats away in the 8.5 (53) to 2.2 (14) triumph.

Midfield dynamo Emma Swanson starred with 21 disposals and eight tackles, but was handed a two-match ban for a bump on Georgie Rankin, ending the Eagles skipper’s season early in a tough blow for the squad.

Bella Lewis (18 disposals, five tackles) stepped up admirably in the following encounter against Richmond at Punt Road Oval and earned a Rising Star nomination.

The brave visitors lost McCarthy to a knee injury in the opening minutes and had a bench full of injured players at the final siren, but only fell narrowly short of back-to-back wins, with Bowen impressing again with 21 touches in the 5.12 (42) to 5.4 (34) loss.

By the time the season-finale came around West Coast’s squad was on its last legs in terms of availability as Maddy Collier, Shanae Davison and McCarthy were all ruled out, and in another late blow Parris Laurie suffered an ankle injury before the bounce and couldn’t be replaced in the team.

Unsurprisingly, West Coast suffered a heavy 56-point loss to St Kilda to finish a season full of disruptions and uncertainty.

The side faced fixture changes, training cancellations and lockdowns but still fought out every game, despite the significant number of injuries the team endured.

Across the entire country 2021 was a difficult year, however the West Coast Eagles dealt with an unfavourable hand and ultimately came out the other side of season five a stronger and more experienced outfit.