Several hundred fans decked out in blue and gold gave West Coast’s last open training session before Christmas a festive atmosphere on Wednesday morning.
With a bouncy castle in high demand, free posters, facepainting and the chance to grab a signature and photo with their favourite player, there was plenty for Eagles supporters to get excited about as they watched the squad push through another important session.
On the track, the playing group looked sharp and skipper Luke Shuey was buzzing around with the best of them.
Under the watchful eye of new midfield coach Matthew Knights, the Eagles captain and great mate Nic Naitanui didn’t hold back on the physicality during stoppage work as the players chained the ball out of tight confines and delivered to the tall targets inside 50.
Young gun Oscar Allen, Jack Darling and veteran Josh Kennedy worked in tandem, attacking the marking bag with gusto as they launched for the Sherrin.
Several stars worked through their individual programs, including Jeremy McGovern during change of direction agility runs as he builds back from hip surgery, while Jack Redden has ditched the sling on his left shoulder and looked in terrific condition as he punched out laps around the boundary.
The silky foot skills of Willie Rioli were another reminder of what West Coast has to look forward to next season, and Brady Hough’s size and athleticism is an exciting prospect for the late-blooming draftee from Harvey.
Hough moved through traffic with confidence, running machines Zac Langdon and Connor West continued to impress with their immense workrates, and speedster Jack Petruccelle was another to catch the eye reaching into his bag of tricks.
In typical style, ball magnet Dom Sheed was in everything during match simulation drills and midfield jet Elliot Yeo continues to get the critical work into his body after two seasons impacted by osteitis pubis.
Train-on duo Kade Dittmar and Luke Strnadica were in the thick of the action, with the latter opposing two-time John Worsfold medallist Naitanui in ruck contests.
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