It was a warm Wednesday at Mineral Resources Park today, with the West Coast Eagles players going hard in their final training session of the year.

Residual bushfire smoke from the northern suburbs made its way down to MRP, the haze adding an extra element to the summery conditions.

Fans show love at Open Training

Despite the warm weather, flocks of Eagles fans made their way to training today, lining the boundary and watching on as the players were put through their paces. With school holidays now in full swing, hundreds of kids were eagerly looking for a glimpse of their favourite players, and lining up for photos and signatures at the post-training signing session.

Boys on the run

Tom Cole (finger), Harvey Johnston (elbow) and Hamish Davis (thumb) were unable to participate in the contact drills, but were dealt the task of running... and running... and running. The trio withstood the beating sun as they ran up and back on the boundary, stopping only for short breathers and drinks.

Variety on the track

For the last session of the year, the players were put through a number of different activities on the track today including, match simulation, a group circuit focusing on full ground contest, handball drills and forward 50 entries. Small groups broke off into different actions, including leap frogs over a partner, and one-on-one body work.  

Baker brings the voice

New Eagles midfielder Liam Baker impressed throughout the session, particularly with his strong tackling skills and body work. He also contributes vocally within the group, showing his experience and guidance for the younger recruits.

WAFL Eagles share the load

Eight WAFL Eagles joined the main squad today, including Jack Eastough, Shannon Lucassen, Darby McCarthy and Luke Yeo. While some of the AFL players are on lighter duties, it’s been a great opportunity for the WAFL players to further develop their craft and work with some of the senior names.

Numbers game

It’s great to see fan-favourite Harley Reid return to full training this week, taking part in training drills and match simulation today. His trademark #9 was no where to be seen, as he donned Dom Sheed’s #4 for the session, following a session in Oscar Allen’s #12 last week.

Flyin’ Ryan finds his groove

Premiership Eagle Liam Ryan had the fans on their feet, flying for an incredible trademark grab, which he unfortunately couldn’t bring to ground. Recently named in the Indigenous All Stars squad for a matchup with Fremantle in February, Ryan has had an impressive pre-season so far, working hard with his running and group drills.

One club

A number of the AFLW players stopped in to watch the session, after wrapping up their own session earlier in the day. Kellie Gibson, Lauren and Zoe Wakfer, Georgie Cleaver and Jaide Britton showed their support on the sidelines as the AFL players were pushing through in the heat.