The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone in this country and it has been no different in the elite sporting environment.

Given the circumstances the AFL did a remarkable job to complete the last two seasons and clearly it did not happen without a level of anxiety, heartache and imagination. We all needed to be adroit and prepared to implement Plan B, C, D etc as required.

Because of the financial hit taken by the AFL – and some clubs, in particular – head office imposed a number of cost-cutting measures aimed at stemming the financial bleeding. That included an extremely tight cap on football department spending.

Our club dodged the major impact of the financial bullet for a number of reasons, including the extraordinary support from our members, many of whom chose to carry credits into 2021, and combined with our loyal sponsors and corporate members it helped us avert a potentially serious outcome.

We took other important steps internally, including the imposition of tight controls on spending within our own organisation but we were also fortunate to play in front of crowds more often than many of our competitors, particularly in 2021.

The soft cap in the football department imposed by the AFL was severe and if I had my time over again, I would certainly have taken a different course of action. We needed to cut resources under the AFL decree and that had a big impact on our morale and efficiency.

Given the opportunity to re-visit that situation, I would have taken a broader view to limit the heavy workload that was imposed on so many of the staff who remained. You can’t compromise preparation and support in elite sport and still expect to succeed, especially from Perth when traveling to the east coast virtually every second week brings with it a unique set of challenges. Few people outside of our environment understand the gravity of those requirements.

That said, we still do not accept that finishing in ninth position was reflective of the ability within our squad. To miss out on playing finals was not acceptable and we will address the issues that we have identified as the major contributing factors in that situation.

There is not one answer, there are many small issues that contributed to it and the good news is, it can be fixed. And finishing where we did, had just one advantage and that is it gave us more time to drill down into those reasons.

Some of the solutions were in place when the players returned for the start of pre-season training.

That’s where it starts and we will continue to tweak our program and systems in the lead up to 2022. And we expect every player to do what they need to do to help lift our club back into contention.

Our club makes no apology for its high expectations and while we fell short of what we desired, there were strong performances from several individuals in a season where injuries also hurt us.

Ruckman Nic Naitanui was a stand-out, winning his second consecutive John Worsfold Medal, also being selected in the all-Australian team in successive seasons – the third time in his career that he had been recognised with that honour.

That he topped the Club Champion leader board came as a surprise to no-one, winning by 40 votes from midfielder Dom Sheed, who achieved his first podium finish and the ultra-consistent Andrew Gaff, who finished third.

It was also a year where we had significant milestones, clearly the most notable being Shannon Hurn who became the first player from our club to reach the 300-game mark. Shannon has been a remarkable and durable player, a premiership captain, dual all-Australian and it was fitting that he should be the first Eagle to hit that milestone.

Key forward Josh Kennedy also played his 250th game for the club, while Brad Sheppard and Nic Naitanui racked up double centuries. Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo qualified for life membership, while Jack Redden played 100 games for the club. 

We will – and have – reinvested in our football department and remain committed to player development.

After considered discussion with the WAFC and the WAFL clubs, we will continue with the WAFL Eagles in 2021. We see that as the best option in developing our young players to the point where they have the best opportunity to succeed at the elite level.

Injuries to our senior list players were also significant in 2021 and we went into battle light on experience on too many occasions this year. What I would say, is that we were thrilled with the commitment of our recruits from the amateur and country ranks.

They were exemplary in their approach and could not be faulted around the club. I would like to acknowledge their efforts and congratulate Kieran Hug in particular for winning the WAFL fairest and best award.   

Daniel Pratt, who coached the WAFL Eagles as well as our AFLW team, has moved back into the AFL program for 2022, joining Jarrad Schofield and Matthew Knights in a revitalised coaching structure. Daniel has done a remarkable job with both the WAFL and AFLW programs and we are likely to see the benefits of his experience coaching his own teams through his return as an assistant in the AFL.

We will also continue to invest in our AFLW program. We entered this competition knowing that we would build towards sustained success, with an initial five-year target of education and development.

A solid foundation has been built around a core group of experienced players and we have drafted well over the last few years as we maintain our focus on the long game.

Significantly, one of those young draftees – Bella Lewis – won our Club Champion Award in her first season at the elite level.

With an influx of new talent, under the direction of Michael Prior, we look forward to the 2022 season with great anticipation.

The growth of the club in the last few years has been quite pronounced, evidenced through the advent of our AFLW team among a range of other initiatives. That has seen our reach in community extend even further, enhancing the connectivity with key stake-holders.

We intend to take that to even higher levels in the short and medium term with a presence in a number of regional centres around our vast State. In the last two years we have boasted the highest membership of any sporting club in the southern hemisphere, with a record 106,422 members in 2021 as the club hit six figures for the second year
in succession.

Many of those members are from regional Western Australia and we need a presence within those communities to enhance and build on their relationship with the club. 

We have already appointed a regional manager in the north-west and are significantly advanced in our exploration of similar appointments in the south-west and other centres around WA.

While our members have been remarkable, so to have our sponsors. Jack Cowin and Hungry Jack’s have been synonymous with our club for more than three decades and we are deeply appreciative of his support, as we are with our other co-major sponsor Lendi, who continue their exciting growth.

I would also like to acknowledge our youth engagement partner, BHP, who are so pivotal in that community reach I touched on earlier, as well as Audi Centre Perth, CUB, AGL and Edith Cowan University.

Of course Mineral Resources, naming rights partner at our headquarters, are highly valued for their support – all of those companies giving us the scope to do the things that make a difference and make our people proud.

While our club is much more than just our on-field achievements, it does remain our core product and the major reason why people commit to the West Coast Eagles.

At the end of any season there are always a number of departures and sadly, the completion of the 2021 campaign marks the fork in the road for three of our 2018 premiership players as they look to the next phase of their lives.

Mark Hutchings and Nathan Vardy were important role players in that successful campaign – Mark completing an outstanding day as the shadow for Steel Sidebottom through the midfield and Nathan working in tandem with Scott Lycett in the ruck.

Earlier in the season Daniel Venables announced his retirement as he did everything to recover from a serious head trauma from an incident in 2019. He is an outstanding young man and it was sad to see him unable to return to the game he loves.

We wish them well for the future, as we do Brayden Ainsworth, Brendon Ah Chee, Jarrod Cameron, Jarrod Brander, Ben Johnson and Will Collins.

There were also some departures off the field, with Digby Moullin, one of our senior executives, departing after almost 20 years with the club. Digby played a significant role in managing the build at Mineral Resources Park, having started with the club in the area of IT and growing to the extent that he project managed our new home.  He moved on to an exciting business opportunity mid-season.

We also bade farewell to Chris Wharton after eight years on the board. He was a great contributor and character within the organisation and although we will miss his presence at meetings we know his friendship will endure.

Chris was an integral part of an outstanding board and I would like to both acknowledge and thank Chairman Russell Gibbs and directors Paul Fitzpatrick (deputy chair), Terry Bowen, Zoe Yujnovich, Justin Langer, Nicole Moody and Ben Wyatt. In addition Rowan Jones joined the board in November.

I would also like to thank my Executive Assistant Anna Durante for her wonderful support as well as the Executive team at the club that does such a great job on a daily basis.

Finally, I’d like to once again thank my wife Pam and family for their unwavering support which has allowed me to continue to devote myself to the role.

I wish all of our members and supporters a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Stay safe and hopefully we can rise back into contention in 2022.

Trevor Nisbett
Chief Executive Officer