The window to the future of the West Coast Eagles will be wide open when the club completes the 2024 season with a challenging match-up against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
The Eagles match committee has made five changes for this tough road trip and all of the inclusions are young emerging players, including defender Rhett Bazzo who will play his first game of the season.
Joining Bazzo on the trip east are first-year midfielder Clay Hall and forward Jack Hutchinson, utility player Ryan Maric and another exciting youngster in his second season of senior football, Campbell Chesser.
They come in for champion defender Jeremy McGovern, who underwent thumb surgery today, retired veteran Andrew Gaff, forward Liam Ryan - who is unavailable because of personal reasons - and half-back Alex Witherden who has a hip injury.
The only player omitted after the loss to Carlton last week is midfielder Zane Trew.
The inclusion of Bazzo is a tribute to his perseverance after the first part of his campaign was ruined by injury. A groin injury in pre-season kept him on the sidelines until mid-July – playing in the WAFL for the first time when the senior team played Brisbane.
He has played five WAFL games, building with each week to the point where he has earned a recall and will play his 21st senior match. His inclusion is the feel-good story of round 24.
Ruckman Matt Flynn, Trew and first-year forward Loch Rawlinson have been named as emergencies. Rawlinson travelled with the team which made its way to Geelong via Melbourne.
