Thousands of West Coast Eagles faithful members and fans flocked to Mineral Resources Park this morning as the club reconnected to its ardent supporters.

Unable to hold events of this nature in recent years because of the interruptions caused by the world wide pandemic, players and staff once again enjoyed the interaction with Eagles diehards.

From a bouncy castle, petting zoos and face painting to the ever-popular signing session with the players, the day was a wonderful success.

Both AFL and AFLW players were housed in marquees for an hour working their way through long queues as fans patiently waited for precious signatures.

Unfortunately, the event was so popular the demand could not be met, but there will be further autograph opportunities at open training sessions in the lead-up to round one as well as through the course of the 2023 campaign.

The faithful who were gathered also heard from senior coach Adam Simpson and captain Luke Shuey while AFLW coach Michael Prior and captain Emma Swanson also gave an insight into the looming preparations for their season which is likely to start around August/September.  

Shuey and Simpson spoke about the health of the squad as the build up to round one intensifies over coming weeks. Shuey was among the players being managed in Friday night’s intra-club match, with young key forward Oscar Allen.

Midfielder Dom Sheed was absent with a family wedding.

Swanson enlightened fans on preparations for the AFLW pre-season and with a few teammates will start with an arduous marathon session which will include a 100km bike ride and 10x1km runs