Season six presented plenty of hurdles for West Coast as the side battled travel restrictions, injuries and illness, which hammered the Eagles’ ability to build any consistency.

Michael Prior was appointed as the new senior coach and the club recruited some handy additions in the off-season, including top draft pick Charlie Thomas, former Giants forward Aimee Schmidt and defender Evie Gooch from Fremantle.

West Coast opened the season with a frustrating defeat by 28 points at Fremantle Oval, having pushed the Dockers to within five points at the last change.

Due to heightened border restrictions, the Eagles then travelled to Melbourne to enter a hub, with players and staff ultimately spending more than a month without the comforts of home.

Over the next two games, the Eagles suffered a heartbreaking 13-point loss to the Gold Coast Suns - after kicking the opening three goals of the final term to take a seemingly unassailable lead - and a 33-point defeat to the Adelaide Crows.

On a bright note, Courtney Rowley and Sarah Lakay made their debuts against the Suns, and Lakay didn’t miss a game for the rest of the season after a number of encouraging contributions.

Following a tough start to hub life, the Eagles galvanised to taste victory for the first time under coach Michael Prior in round four at St Kilda.

In a nail-biting two-point triumph, West Coast hung on as the Saints fail to convert their opportunities in a tense final quarter.

Dana Hooker was the standout for the Eagles, picking up 20 touches and laying five tackles, while Emma Swanson had 19 disposals in the scrappy but sweet 2.10 (22) to 2.8 (20) victory.

The win boosted West Coast heading into round five, when the Eagles came ever so close to overcoming the Cats, with a late goal from Aimee Schmidt putting the visitors ahead with two minutes to play.

However, Geelong snatched a match winner in the dying seconds of the game, breaking blue and gold hearts.

Another dampener from the clash came from the early injury of Aisling McCarthy, with the midfielder succumbing to a fractured wrist early in the first quarter which saw her miss the remainder of the season.

Finally returning home, the Eagles set foot back on WA soil after over a month in the hub and greeted Eagles fans at Mineral Resources Park with a Sunday clash against Collingwood.

The Pies were too good by 24 points but rookie defender Charlie Thomas displayed her potential to be one of the league’s best young prospects.

In the second of three-straight games at home, the Eagles hosted Richmond in round seven on a scorching day in Perth.

Played in temperatures beyond 36 degrees, Richmond burst out of the blocks and held West Coast at arm’s length to win by 23 points.

Schmidt scored two late goals for the hosts, while defender Emily Bennett injected herself into the game with six tackles on debut.

Round eight saw the Eagles face reigning premier Brisbane and the Lions were far too experienced against a youthful Eagles line-up in a 74-point thrashing.

The series of unfortunate events continued when Dana Hooker suffered a shoulder injury in a 60-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Mineral Resources Park.

With their playing stocks depleted, the Eagles flew to Victoria once again to face the Kangaroos for their final game of the season.

West Coast made a fast start at Arden Street, booting two early goals through Kellie Gibson and Grace Kelly, before the Roos bounced back and kicked eight unanswered majors.

While the improvement from previous weeks was evident, the fatigue of a long and challenging season caught up with the blue and gold in the 39-point defeat, which condemned West Coast to the wooden spoon.

At season’s end, the club saw some key departures in retiring duo Courtney Guard and Parris Laurie, while Maddy Collier moved home to be a part of the inaugural Sydney Swans side.

Skipper Emma Swanson led the pack as the Eagles best player with an average of 22.2 disposals and 5.1 clearances a game as she claimed her first Club Champion award.

There were plenty of positives to take, with Belinda Smith and Sophie McDonald standing tall in the backline, while several young players emerged.

Charlie Thomas, Sarah Lakay and Courtney Rowley all showed promise in their first campaign as the Eagles looked towards restocking the squad with talented youth.