West Coast have been ticking boxes in the pre-season, with all 30 listed players currently available and game ready, according to vice-captain Dana Hooker.

After returning from a long-term foot injury sustained last year, the experienced midfielder has been building fitness through match simulation and intra-club games, as well as testing herself in a practice match against Fremantle on December 21.

The same goes for fellow onballer Aisling McCarthy (knee), Maddy Collier (cheek), and Ashton Hill (ACL), who have all completed a pre-season successfully for the first time since 2020, as well as running personal bests in their two 1km time trials.

“I feel like our load and what we’ve been doing in sessions has been at a whole new height this year, so we’re probably as a team and a collective fitter than we’ve ever been,” Hooker said.

 “We’re more durable because we’ve had less on the injury list than we’ve ever had, and I think where we’re at with our footy knowledge and where we’re taking our game plan is in a really good place.”

The season opener against reigning premiers Brisbane will be West Coast’s first fitness test, as the group looks to maintain a four-quarter effort against the dominant side.

In round three last season, West Coast came into the long break with a one-point deficit against the Lions, but faded during the third term and were eventually toppled by 45 points.

Hooker is hopeful the current lack of injuries – as well as a solid pre-season foundation – will be enough to sustain a consistent effort across all four quarters.

“In training and our scratch matches in the lead-up, we’re being a lot harder on ourselves with the standards that we expect, the behaviours that we want to see more regularly in a footy sense,” Hooker said.

“When you’ve got the foundations and the really good social relationships off-field, it actually translates on-field, because you know you can have those tough conversations.

“You’re also providing feedback, it’s coming from a good place because you want to make them better or they want to make you better.

“So, having good off-field relationships is really the starting point to building the really strong on-field culture as well.”

As well as this, the injection of five new draftees in Charlie Thomas, Courtney Rowley, Beth Schilling, Sarah Lakay and Emily Bennett has elevated the group’s work rate, as senior players push to retain their position ahead of round one.

“I think the young girls that have come into the team have slotted in really well, they’re quite experienced young footballers through their growth and development over years of playing footy,” Hooker said.

“They’re picking up what’s expected of them, their footy knowledge, they’re learning and slotting in quite quickly.

“I think with all the young players – or any player that’s new to the squad that comes in – as a leader it’s your role and your responsibility to make sure you’re making it a really comfortable environment for them.

“And at the end of the day, every player on the list, you’ve got to be investing time into to get the best out of them.”