The 2022 AFL season could be best summed up in one word: Frustrating.

And we know from the feedback provided by the legion of West Coast Eagles members and fans that they absolutely shared the sentiment.

It was tough to watch our season implode with a string of serious injuries to senior players on the eve of the season and then the impacts of COVID-19.

It all combined to hit us like a freight train. The season was in tatters not long after it started as the match committee was forced to make up to a dozen changes from one game to the next.

History suggests that games are tough to win when making just four week-on-week tweaks to the line-up. Some of the factors involved in a season that yielded just two wins were beyond our control.

Others were not. Even before the mid-season bye we were focusing on the things that we could change; not just in the immediate, but in the longer term and we have taken some steps in addressing those areas.

Recognising that our list needed an injection of youth we focused heavily on the draft last year, bringing in some talented youngsters.

Unfortunately, we saw Campbell Chesser, our first selection, for no more than a few minutes in a practice game against Fremantle.

We remain excited by what he will bring and anticipate fortune will be kinder to him in 2023. We also recruited Brady Hough, Rhett Bazzo, Jack Williams and mature aged Subiaco midfielder Greg Clark to the club. They all have much to offer.

The only benefit from having the season we did was getting access to the best young talent in the recent 2022 National Draft.

We haven’t had a top 10 draft selection since 2010 when we locked in Andrew Gaff at #4.To provide context around that situation Gaff has now played 252 games to sit in the top 10 for all-time games played at the club.

In doing a deal with Port Adelaide in the move that saw Junior Rioli go to their club, we traded pick #2 and moved down the order to secure two picks in the first round – selections #8 and #12 (which dropped back to #9 and#13 after Brisbane made a successful bid for father/son prospect Will Ashcroft).

That decision was made because our recruiting staff consider that the first round boasts a lot of players with similar attributes with little differentiation in the skill sets. So we are able to bring in two quality young players as we continue our list rebuild.

An important part of the Rioli trade which did not receive the attention it should have at the time was that we also received Port Adelaide’s future second and third round selections.

The considered view of recruiters across the league is that next year’s pool runs deep and we currently have five selections in the first three rounds.

It also provides us with collateral should an experienced player wish to join our club during the 2023 trade period.

While our focus will lock in on quality youngsters we were also thrilled to bring in Jayden Hunt from Melbourne as a de-listed free agent and look forward to seeing his influence around the squad and in games.

Bringing young talent into the club is one element of the equation required to see our club bounce back as quickly as possible. We also need to give them every opportunity to succeed so our focus on development needs to sharpen.

As we do every year, we have taken a close look at our program and we know there are some areas that need to be addressed. We need to drive higher standards because we have fallen behind many of the clubs sitting ahead of us.

The pre-season is critical to our improvement and there is an expectation our players will push themselves harder to ensure they are ready for the rigours of an AFL season that demands peak fitness.

The 2022 season produced few highlights,but one of them was the final bow for a club great, Josh Kennedy who finished his career with 271 games in blue and gold and 712 goals.

His contribution to our club was remarkable and it was like that until the very end. Kicking eight goals in the round 21 game against Adelaide was extraordinary and he certainly appreciated the attendance of more than 50,000 to mark the occasion.

As a key player in the 2018 premiership, a dual Coleman medallist and all-Australian he has been one of the most distinguished players to represent our club in the last 36 years.

He relished the opportunity to farewell fans, but another of our premiership stars did not get the opportunity.

Jack Redden, player of the finals in 2018 and runner-up in the Club Champion Award in that memorable season, weighed up his options post season before announcing his retirement.

After 263 AFL games, split 134/129 with West Coast and Brisbane, he is ready to move into the next phase of his life. Something of a quiet achiever, Redden did so much good work in the midfield cauldron and we will miss him.

Before the season started we lost another star when Brad Sheppard announced his retirement after 216 games. He was one of the most popular players at our club when he decided it was time.

There were also some tough decisions and a number of players who gave everything for the club will not continue into 2023.

I would particularly like to thank Jackson Nelson, who played 100 games and his name will feature in perpetuity on the #30 locker, and Zac Langdon for his efforts over the last two years and wish all other departing players the best for the future.

We had a number of players who answered an SOS on the eve of the season and came on to the list to replace players who were inactive. To Patrick Naish, Hugh Dixon, Tom Joyce and Luke Strnadica we were most appreciative of their commitment to join the club at short notice.

I mentioned earlier that Andrew Gaff played his 250th game during the season and so, too, did his close mate Jack Darling. Born just a couple of days apart they joined us in 2010 and have been so durable over the course of their careers.

Forward Jamie Cripps, another football product from the Northampton production line, became the 28th player to represent the club in 200 games when he notched up his double century in the last game of the season.

Tom Barrass, who won the John Worsfold Medal after an outstanding season in defence, played his 100th game in the opening match against Gold Coast.

Other significant milestones were achieved by Tim Kelly, who played his 50th game in Eagles colours and his 100th AFL career match, while Jack Petruccelle and Rioli played their 50th game for the club.

While Barrass was a hot favourite going into the Club Champion Award given the season he had in the last line of defence, veteran Shannon Hurn was just as reliable. They held up remarkably well, but a defensive quinella at the top of the leader board suggests the ball spent too much time in our back half.

Kelly, Darling and Liam Duggan also were recognised for their strong performances by finishing in third, fourth and fifth positions respectively. I would also like to acknowledge Oscar Allen,who won the Chris Mainwaring Medal, in a season where he was unable to enter the field of battle.

He still managed to contribute significantly assisting both our WAFL and AFL programs with our forwards. Hough won our emerging player award after playing 15 matches in his first season and is an exciting prospect.

The efforts of Dana Hooker in her off-field commitments were recognised when she won the Eagles in the Community Award as she continued to make a strong impact as an ambassador for the Saba Rose Foundation that supports children with disabilities.

Unfortunately the WAFL program suffered from the knock-on effects of players being unavailable for senior selection and it was a tough year for our team.

Despite all of that senior coach Rob Wiley and football manager Neil Ross maintained a positive demeanour and played a significant role in the continued development of our young players. Congratulations to Harry Creasey on winning the WAFL Eagles fairest and best.

With some changes to rules governing our ability to recruit senior players we anticipate we will be able to provide greater support around Harry and his teammates next season.

While the men’s program receives the most attention, our AFLW program is on a trajectory we would like to replicate across the club.

Again, through accessing high calibre players through the draft in the last two years, we have been able to compete for longer against the better teams in the competition. Players like Bella Lewis, Sarah Lakay, Courtney Rowley, Charlie Thomas, Ella Roberts, Abbygail Bushby and a host of others are the future of our club and they have already provided an insight into their capabilities.

Sarah, Charlie and Ella all received Rising Star nominations in consecutive rounds of Season Seven to attest to their progress and credentials to lead us towards our target of having a significant impact on this competition.

So well led by Emma Swanson and Dana their progress has been most encouraging.They played two seasons in one calendar year which was a challenge, particularly in Season Six when they were living in a hub in Melbourne for a month, but the way they came through it showed they have what it takes to carry us forward.

Emma has proven a wonderful leader in every respect. We saw that through her actions when she won the Club Champion Award in both seasons that were played in 2022, but her imprimatur is certainly being laid on this program.

Michael Prior, Michelle Cowan and others immersed in the women’s program are certainly encouraged by what they have seen.

While on-field there were many and constant challenges, off-field we continued to make strong progress, again topping the membership ladder with 102,942 people committing to the club in 2022.

That was quite remarkable as we entered the season with great uncertainty around the COVID situation. There was reduced capacity at Optus Stadium, as well as lingering doubts about the wisdom of attending events with large numbers of people.

Combined with the on-field performances to have so many wholly committed members supporting the club was extraordinary.

A significant portion of our members are based in country regions and we have continued to build our presence in regional Western Australia to establish a stronger connection to the club for those people affected by distance.

We have already appointed regional managers in the North-West, South-West, Goldfields and Great Southern and will continue to develop the programs that have already been implemented and have been so well received.

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 our aforementioned community reach,as well as Audi Centre Perth, CUB, 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.

I would like to thank all of our sponsors for their continued outstanding contribution to our club. At the end of October we bade farewell to Chairman Russell Gibbs after 11 years of distinguished service.

Russell has been a remarkable servant of the club, initially with five years as a director and the last six years as our Chair. In line with our constitution he steps aside having played such a key role. He has built long-standing relationships with everyone internally, from the board, executive, players and staff and his legacy will be lasting.

Naturally, the highlight was being at MCG for that amazing day in September 2018 when we won our fourth premiership, but Russell would be just as proud of the impact the club has had within the community.

On behalf of our directors, executive, staff, players, members and fans, I thank Russell for his dedicated and committed service for over a decade.

After an extensive process long-serving director Paul Fitzpatrick, who has been on the board for seven years – the last three as Deputy Chair – assumes the role of Chair.

We all look forward to working with Paul, our newly-elected deputy Chair Elizabeth Gaines and the other directors Terry Bowen, Justin Langer, Rowan Jones, Nicole Moody, and Ben Wyatt whose collective skill set is both broad and impressive.

I would also like to thank the Manager of our Executive Office 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.

Trevor Nisbett

Chief Executive Officer