“G’day mate,” Belly here. “What are you doing on the weekend?

“Want a kick? It’ll be a bit of a trip, but it should be fun. And you’ll know a few of the other guys.”

That could have been any community coach/president in any competition in Australia. Only it wasn’t just ‘any’ coach or club. It was a club in the AFL; the highest level of the game.

It was Wednesday night and West Coast Eagles football manager Gavin Bell was doing the rounds.

A little licence has been taken to illustrate the plight of the club as it scrambled to assemble a team for this week’s game against Brisbane. Embellished, yes. But not so far removed from the truth as to be absurd.

Bell was calling players on the club’s Covid Contingency List to ascertain their availability to play against the Lions at the ‘Gabba on Saturday night. Many of those WAFL players were involved in training at their full-time clubs, routinely preparing for this week’s matches.

They were oblivious to the situation evolving at Mineral Resources Park.

To a large extent, so was Bell. He was simply preparing for the worst case scenario and planting the seed that if the number of players entering AFL Health and Safety protocols swelled any further in the ensuing 12 hours he would be sending out a distress call.

First thing Thursday morning he was back on the blower. SOS.

Following the routine of football in 2022, the club staff and players underwent a PCR COVID test on Wednesday afternoon and the small amount of data available suggested a strong possibility that some positive results would be returned.

Training earlier in the day had revealed captain Luke Shuey and forward Jack Petruccelle had hamstring complaints and would not play. Young key forward Jack Williams was training away from the main group and Willie Rioli had also been ruled out.

It didn’t look good.

The numbers involved in main training were inflationary; much better than reality because a number of players attached to the club’s WAFL Eagles team had been summoned so a meaningful session could transpire.

Bell hit the hay on Wednesday, his mind filling with possibilities. None that he liked. He awoke from a restless night to the news that coach Adam Simpson and debutant Greg Clark, would not be making the trip east.

The worn index finger on his right hand was about to get another workout. We’d be lucky to get a print off it today.

After the club’s WAFL fixture against East Fremantle had been postponed the reality of a player shortage at the highest level began to manifest. The club was down to around 20 fit players.

The Eagles would need help. Just as they did in round two against North Melbourne when five COVID Contingency players were a part of a brave effort.

By Thursday afternoon, the club had leaned on Declan Mountford – who played against the Roos – Angus Schumacher (East Perth), Jake Florenca (South Fremantle) and Logan Young (WAFL Eagles) to join them on a charter flight to Brisbane.

That the players and the clubs were willing to assist the Eagles at such short notice and with their own clubs playing on the weekend was again remarkable. 

Moments before boarding a bus bound for the airport acting senior coach Matthew Knights stood before the assembled players and coaches, announcing to the group that Florenca would make his AFL debut against the Lions.

Talk about a head spin!

Florenca has been a wonderful servant of the WAFL and the Bulldogs especially and his world had been turned upside down in hours.

He will become the 13^th debutant – the fifth from the WAFL top-up list – in a mind-blowing season. Aside from 1987 when all of the 33 players to represent the club were first-timers (albeit a handful with AFL experience) the club has never had more newcomers in a year.

Since then the high watermark has been 2001. Now, in 2022, that has been equalled and the presence of Florenca in the middle means the record for the highest number of players utilised in a season (43) continues to grow.