As I sit down to write my final Year Book report after 34 years at the club I see it as a time for reflection as well as a time to look forward.

Having been intrinsically involved in this great football club for the majority of my working life has been a privilege.

And while the last couple of years have been especially challenging the club is well positioned to work its way up the ladder. We knew that we would be hitting a testing period in club history with a number of the club’s greatest players retiring virtually together.

We didn’t anticipate that we would bottom out quite as dramatically as we have in the last two years, but we did know it would be a testing period and we have both planned and responded accordingly. We are well on the way to building our way back.

For the third year in succession our focus was fixed on the National Draft and bringing in the best young talent in the country. Under the equalisation strategies employed by the AFL through the Total Player Payments, Soft Cap and the fixtures the most sustainable model has always been to build from the bottom up. 

Once in contention it is possible to top up by trading in experienced players who can fill a specific need, but the nucleus of a successful team will likely come through together.

Two years ago we drafted Campbell Chesser, Brady Hough, Rhett Bazzo and Jack Williams and we are confident they all have bright futures ahead of them. Last year we split out first selection to bring in Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett, while also drafting Harry Barnett, Noah Long and Coby Burgiel before adding Ryan Maric via the mid-season draft – as we did 12 months earlier with Jai Culley.

Again, we are excited about the roles they will play as we build towards rising up the ladder and then challenging for finals once more in the next couple of years.

We also recruited ruckman Matthew Flynn as a free agent from GWS during the trade period as well as exciting young forward Tyler Brockman who returns home after a couple of years at Hawthorn.

Needless to say the 2023 season fell well short of expectations. There were some extremely heavy and unacceptable defeats, but there were also some positives to
take away.

The most satisfying was that our loyal members remained committed to the club. We know how tough and frustrating it was on occasions watching from the stands, but to surpass the 100,000 member mark (103,275) for the fourth year in succession was amazing.

I will be forever grateful to the loyalty of our members.

We also had an average home game attendance of around 42,000 at Optus Stadium and everyone at the club on every level was most grateful for that support. Hopefully that unconditional loyalty will be rewarded as our members and fans watch this team grow over coming years.

After saying good-bye to champion goal-kicker Josh Kennedy and big bodied midfielder Jack Redden at the end of the 2022 campaign we this year farewelled three more all-time greats with Shannon Hurn, Luke Shuey and Nic Naitanui calling time on their careers.

All three will hold a special place in club history forever given the significant contributions each of them made. Shannon was the 2018 premiership captain and has represented our club (333 games) more often than any
other individual.

Luke succeeded Shannon as captain after the 2019 season and held the position until stepping down after the round 24 game against Adelaide while Nic was a generational talent who impacted stoppages more than any other player.

We will miss them, but that is also part of the evolutionary nature of our game.

We have seen many great champions come and go over the last 37 seasons and we know that within our current playing group we will have some individuals who will emerge to leave an indelible imprimatur on our club.

In my time as General Manager Football and as Chief Executive for the last 25 years I have seen so much change and been privileged to be involved in all four of the club’s premierships.

I have also seen our club move into State of the Art facilities – not once, but twice. The first time was at the turn of the century when we moved into headquarters on the eastern side of Subiaco Oval. And then there was the momentous move to Mineral Resources Park in 2019.

The search for a suitable site and finding a willing partner in the Town of Victoria Park was one of the biggest and most rewarding challenges of my time, but the end result was – and is – most satisfying. The club’s future is assured as it builds its roots at Lathlain.

The establishment of the Waalitj Foundation as well as the club’s own community department has seen it have an enormous impact in local and regional communities. Our members and fans take great pride in that impact.

More recently we have seen the establishment of our AFLW program and while progress has been slow, it has been steady and we are very excited about the future. We have on our list a nice mix of emerging and established players who can propel us up the ladder.

The 2023 AFL season produced just three wins, but there were still some outstanding contributors, led by Tim Kelly who won the Club Champion Award after a strong and consistent season. He was a decisive winner ahead of Oscar Allen and Liam Duggan while Reuben Ginbey won the Emerging
Player Award.

It was fitting that Shannon Hurn, a pillar at our football club for 18 seasons, should win the Chris Mainwaring Medal as best clubman while Oscar won the leading goal-kicker award after kicking 53 goals when opportunities were a little limited.

Significantly Liam Duggan and Dom Sheed qualified for life membership after playing 150 games for the club and they were recognised for that achievement at the Club Champion Awards. So, too, were loyal servants Ben Sharman, Digby Moullin, Peter Carter and
Bill Mitchell.

Ben has been a fastidious and dedicated member of the football department for 20 years, Digby was a long serving executive and was instrumental in the establishment of the facility at MRP while Peter was a dedicated and passionate member of the board who was a former deputy chair. Bill was a significant player in the establishment of the club and important in its formative years.

Our AFLW season produced just two wins, but again there were some players who shone with their performances. I’d like to congratulate Charlie Thomas on winning her first Club Champion Award, just ahead of another young star Ella Roberts.

The emergence of Charlie and Ella is a great sign for our club while experienced players like defender Belinda Smith, captain Emma Swanson, and fellow leaders Sophie McDonald, Dana Hooker, Bella Lewis and Aisling McCarthy finishing inside the top 10 was also important.

Kellie Gibson was our leading goal-kicker (12) and finished in sixth position after a fantastic return from a knee injury while Krstel Petrevski was a deserving winner of the best club person award.

Senior AFLW coach Michael Prior stood down towards the end of the season and I would to acknowledge the contribution he made over his three seasons in the role. Michael has resumed with the club in a community and game development role that he
previously occupied.

We will continue to build our AFLW list adopting a similar strategy to the men’s program as we target the best young talent available to complement those who are already at
the club.

Our WAFL team certainly faced some challenges this season as they were seriously impacted by the knock-on effects of low player availability. Through it all coach Rob Wiley remained both positive and philosophical and I would like to acknowledge him and his squad for their commitment and passion in the most testing circumstances.  

With captain Jackson Nelson maintaining a positive mindset in the circumstances and leading from the front by winning the fairest and best award they stuck to the task despite the adversity they confronted.  

While our members have been remarkable, so too have our sponsors. Jack Cowin and Hungry Jack’s have been synonymous with our club for more than 30 years 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 Audi Centre Perth, CUB, BHP, Edith Cowan University and all of our partners for their wonderful support.

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.

Since assuming the role of Chief Executive I have had the pleasure of working closely with a number of different Chairs and I would like to thank them all for their support and guidance over the last 25 years – as well as the many directors who have also made such valuable contributions.

I would like to acknowledge the support of the outstanding executives with whom I have worked over my time. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many committed and passionate towards a common goal.

The current executive is very talented and loyal and I would like to acknowledge Richard Godfrey (Chief Operating Officer), Gary Stocks (GM Communications), Tony Haselhurst (GM Commercial Operations), Lisa Braddock (GM Consumer Operations), Richard O’Connell (GM Community and Game Development), Peter Widdicombe (Chief Financial Officer), Fiona Dillon (GM Human Resources) and Gavin Bell (GM Football).

For the vast majority of my time in both roles at the club my job has been made so much easier because of the expertise of Anna Durante – Manager Executive Office. Anna is the longest serving staff member at the club and is renowned for her attention to detail and for setting the professional standards for everyone across the organisation. I would like to thank her both personally and on behalf of the club for everything she does.

To my wife Pam, daughter Lauren and sons Todd and Bradley many thanks for your unequivocal support. You have ridden the highs and lows with me and I am forever grateful to each of you.

As I move towards the next phase of my life I know the club is in good shape to rebound and I look forward to joining the fans in the stands and cheering our Eagles on.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Don Pyke on being appointed just the fifth Chief Executive in club history. He has a very strong connection to our club as a dual premiership player, assistant coach and director.

I will help in the transition phase in every way possible to assist Don in expediting our ascent up the premiership table.

My passion and love for this football club will never wane and I look forward to watching the revival from the stands.

Trevor Nisbett
Chief Executive Officer