The AFL is an elite, high performance competition where there is little margin for error.  The on-field feedback comes in terms of wins and losses.  

We started the season having won only 10 games across three competitions in two years, with clearly a lot of work to do to elevate our football programs.

While there was incremental improvement in our AFL men’s program (eight wins across the AFL and WAFL) and more tangible progress in the AFLW competition (four wins) this year, we all know there is so much more required. 

Since assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer in January 2024 my focus has been firmly locked on three key areas:

Football – To establish the best structure, programs and environments for our athletes and coaches to thrive and perform to elite levels.

People – To ensure we promote, add, and reward our people across the club with a view on having ”best in class” operations driven by wonderfully talented people.

Engagement – To be open and transparent as a club and provide unique insights to our fans and members whilst building on connections with our history of success.

We undertook a refresh of our vision and values which saw us commit to the vision of “Progress” - incremental, continuous, sustained, hard-fought progress. That’s our vision; plain and simple. We must keep moving forwards.

I am confident the significant changes and initiatives that have been implemented will allow us to return to once again being a dominant force in the competition.

During the season, senior coach Adam Simpson and the club agreed to part ways, with Jarrad Schofield becoming interim head coach for the last seven games. We won two of those matches and I thank Jarrad for his efforts to put purpose into those remaining games.

A thank you also to the football department staff for their efforts and for engaging in the changes required to shift our program.

We also farewell Matthew Knights (Assistant Coach - Forwards), Tom Morrison (Development Coach - Backs), and Drew Petrie (Player Development) and thank them for their service and wish them well in their future endeavours.

After an extensive and thorough process, we appointed Andrew McQualter to the position of Senior Coach just a couple of days after Brisbane won the Grand Final.

A former St Kilda and Gold Coast player, Andrew comes to us after building a strong resume at Richmond where he was an assistant coach when they won three premierships between 2017 and 2020. He was then interim senior coach for the second half of the 2023 campaign for the Tigers before assuming an assistant coaching position at Melbourne in 2024.

Andrew is a modern coach and a leader with a clear and progressive style of play, an outstanding ability to connect with players and an appreciation of engagement across the wider club. We look forward to seeing what he can do with our young squad over the next three years and beyond. We also welcome Jane and children Emily, Alice and Georgia to the West Coast Eagles.  

The return of John Worsfold as Head of Football, where he will work across all three of the club’s football programs, is also exciting. It is a new role at our club, but critically important as John looks to assist in the areas of player and coach development, high performance of our teams as well as a keen eye on club culture and leading all football staff.

John has not only a strong and successful football background, but most recently spent four years in a leadership and cultural role with a mining company that adds to his reputation and resume.  It is great to have John back at the club.

Other key football appointments who we welcome include Jamie Maddocks (Head of Development), Marco Bello (Forwards), Shannon Hurn (Development) and Steve Allan (Head Physiotherapist). All will bring fresh eyes, new energy and great knowledge from their past experiences.             

Despite the AFL season not reaching the heights we anticipated, there were some strong individual seasons from several players.

Congratulations to Jeremy McGovern who was a very deserving winner of the John Worsfold Medal after an outstanding season that also saw him earn his fifth All-Australian blazer. Jeremy was a beacon down back and continued to set the standard in terms of consistency and courage. 

After a frustrating couple of seasons with injury Elliot Yeo bounced back with some dynamic performances in the midfield to finish runner up and Jake Waterman, after a fantastic off -season enjoyed a breakout year, finishing in third place.

Jake was also the leading goal-kicker (53) and earned All-Australian honours for the first time.

Developing youngster Brady Hough, in his third season of senior football, played every game and won the award as the defensive player of the year while exciting rookie Harley Reid won the Emerging Player Award and co-captain Liam Duggan won the Chris Mainwaring Medal as Best Clubman, as well as finishing fourth in our Club Champion award.

A big congratulations to Harley Sparks on winning our WAFL Eagles Player of the Year and brilliant to see one of our non-listed players contribute so strongly for the WAFL team. 

Late in the season, wingman Andrew Gaff called time on his stellar 280-game career at the club, playing his final match against Carlton in round 23 where the Eagles faithful were able to give him a rousing farewell.

A Club Champion and two-time All-Australian he was an outstanding contributor over 15 seasons at the club. Despite limited opportunities at senior level this season he was a shining light and great resource for our young players, both throughout the week at training and with the WAFL Eagles. We wish Andrew, Emma and little Harvey all the best for the future and thank them for their incredible contribution.

After 298 games, Jack Darling requested a trade and will continue his career at North Melbourne while Tom Barrass (150 games) sought a move to Hawthorn which the club facilitated during the trade period.  Both these men have been outstanding servants of the club, life members, premiership players and played some wonderful games for the club over many years.  We wish them and their respective families the best for the move to Victoria.

We have had 11 list changes since the end of the season and we thank each of those departing players for their contributions.

Under the guidance of Daisy Pearce as coach, the AFLW program took some momentous strides forward to be in finals contention late in the season.

This squad has been building for the last couple of seasons and showed very positive signs and started to build an expectation around performance.  Significantly, Ella Roberts followed Charlie Thomas by becoming an All-Australian while playing for the Eagles.

Not surprisingly she also won the AFLW Club Champion Award after a remarkable season and together with Thomas, runner-up in the count, and third-placed Bella Lewis, produced an outstanding body of work across the season.

Aided by the recruitment of some experienced players from other clubs, including Jess Hosking (Richmond) and Ali Drennan (GWS), our young, rising stars including Beth Schilling, who won a Rising Star nomination, Jaide Britton and both Lauren and Zoe Wakfer continued to grow their impact at the highest level.

The ‘W’ program is certainly moving in the right direction, and we look forward to their rise to premiership contention in coming seasons. Thank you to Daisy, Michelle Cowan (Head of AFLW), the AFLW players and staff for embracing the new vision and values so whole heartedly and for their energy and passion which is always so recognisable around the team.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Chair Paul Fitzpatrick and the Board for their support in my first year as the Chief Executive Officer. I understood the magnitude of the role when I was appointed and appreciate their support and guidance as we navigate our way forward, and as we farewell Paul, thank him for his leadership during his tenure.

Further, I would convey my thanks to the executive team who helped me get a ‘feel’ for the intricacies of their various departments and for the efforts of our staff over the last 12 months. It can be difficult when on-field success is limited but everyone stuck to their task and maintained high levels of energy and professionalism throughout the year. 

A special thank you to several of our long serving staff who have finished up with the club during 2024.  To Trevor Nisbett (CEO - 25 years), Gary Stocks (General Manager Communications – 24 years), Tony Haselhurst (General Manager Commercial – 22 years), Trevor Woodhouse (Recruiting – 32 years), Rohan O’Brien (Recruiting and List Management - 33 years), Ross Glendenning (Commercial – 14 years), Mark Finucane (Head Physiotherapist – 16 years) and Adam Simpson (Senior Coach – 11 years) thank you all for your amazing contribution to the club and for your role in building the club during your time.

To our 104,000 members and our supporter base of around 800,000 fans many thanks for your unwavering support. We exist to make you proud, and we are committed to returning as a force in every competition where we represent you all.

Our players certainly notice that you are behind them when they play, whether that be 50,000-plus at Optus Stadium, or several thousand blue and gold flag-carrying members at various other venues around the country.

We have great respect for your loyalty and passion and certainly do not take it for granted.

Regarding loyalty, I would also like to acknowledge the commitment of our major sponsors Hungry Jack’s and Lendi, along with all other partners including the Audi Centre Perth, CUB, BHP, Edith Cowan University and, of course, the naming rights partner of our magnificent facility – Mineral Resources.

The financial position of our club continues to be strong, and the growth of our community programs, plus the ongoing success of the Waalitj Foundation are things that should make us proud.

Finally, to my wife Jodie many thanks for your amazing support and counsel throughout my journey, but particularly in the last 12 months. I couldn’t do this job without you by my side, and it is greatly appreciated.     

Best wishes to all for the upcoming festive season.  Stay safe and we look forward to cracking in for the 2025 season

Fly Higher

Don Pyke
CEO