There’s no moment in football more exciting than a debut, and on Friday night the West Coast Eagles’ Naitanui Academy players donned the blue and gold for the first time in a clash against Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy.

A number of the Naitanui Academy members joined the side at age 12 through the Naitanui Cup, and were given the opportunity to train at Mineral Resources Park until the first entry point for next generation academy matches at age 14.

In an exciting moment for all involved, the players were presented with their West Coast guernsey before their first-ever derby at Cockburn ARC, which was a hotly contested clash from the first centre bounce.

The Naitanui Academy were able to show their wares early, locking the ball inside 50 and winning the contested ball, but found it difficult to capitalise and inflict scoreboard pressure against the home side.

But, the enthusiasm and spirit was palpable at the ground, with plenty to like from the range of Eagles debutants, including their contest work and ability to dominate field position, particularly in the second quarter when kicking with the breeze.

The match went down to the fourth stanza – with the Naitanui Academy trailing by 10 points at the final break – but Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy were able to snare several consecutive goals against the wind to outlast the Eagles debutants.

Despite the loss, inaugural West Coast captain and Naitanui Academy coach, Steve Malaxos, was pleased with the players’ efforts across the match.

 “It was a great reward for effort to pull on that jumper for the first time,” Malaxos said.

“Whether it be making your debut at AFL level, WAFL level or Academy level, playing in that blue and gold jumper is something really special and you could feel the excitement from our players.

“The boys have been training really hard – for over two years – to get to this point, and for them to finally get to play in Eagles’ colours, is something they’ll never forget.”

Naitanui Academy Manager Chris Brown was also proud of the players’ development across a two-year time period.

“The boys fought hard all day, it was pleasing to see them dominate field position, particularly in that second quarter, it was just the inability to capitalise which hurt us in the end,” Brown said.

“But the boys didn’t lie down, they kept fighting and kept battling which was extremely pleasing to see.

“There’s plenty of learnings and messaging to be had after the game, your best learnings come after losses.

“There’s also lots of areas to improve on in the next few terms, and the boys are extremely keen to build and play again in term three.

“Altogether it was a great contest and has set us up for term two of training.

“It was also great to have Steve Malaxos down here coaching again, he has a wealth of knowledge and is definitely imparting it on the next generation of young players.

“We also had Sam Rotham down here learning off of Steve, ahead of coaching his first game in term three, so that was exciting.

“A special thanks to Fremantle’s Wade Splicker and Graham Mills for their work around the match, it was fantastic to watch the boys play their first game at Cockburn ARC.

“Thank you also to BHP for their continuous support of the Naitanui Academy, which keeps the program free and accessible to all.”