The WAFL Eagles upset reigning premiers Peel Thunder on Saturday, securing a 27-point win in a pre-season hitout at Mineral Resources Park.

A number of exciting young West Coast draftees suited up in the blue and gold and showed promising signs in the 16.12 (108) to 12.10 (82) victory.

AFL Listed Players

Bo Allan

It was a really promising outing from Bo. He brought his toughness around the ball, and his running power in offence and it was a nice step forward for him.

Harry Barnett

It was a big task for Harry coming up against Liam Reidy and I thought he competed really well against him in that first half. In the second half he got to show his growth as a ruckman, we didn’t take stats in the game, but I feel like his hitouts and follow up would have been reflected strongly in the stats column if we did record them.

Lucca Grego

Luca is a young player who’s game is really building. We’ve seen some of his work in tight and his ability to stay composed and use the football really well. He does have a really combative side to him, which we are looking to see him bring out again in the coming weeks.

Rhett Bazzo

It was great to see Rhett play some footy again. He’s had a tough road with some nagging injuries, but full credit to him and the rehab crew with the way he played. He had a really strong game for the three quarters that he played and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, so really proud of his performance.

Tom Gross

It was a big challenge on the inside against some really experienced AFL listed midfielders and Grossy didn’t look out of place at all. His pressure and intensity around the ball was really noticeable and he had a big impact on the game.

Jack Williams

Strong response from J-Will, he lead the forward line and competed really well at contests, but it was more how quickly he was reacting to the game, which puts him in a good place for AFL selection, it was a really pleasing performance.

Jobe Shanahan

We threw Jobe forward again and he had a good impact, kicking three goals. The way he covers the ground, and his ability to compete both in the air and on the ground is impressive. He’s still working on his forward craft, and how to compete when the opposition tries to tie him down, which a lot of defenders will try and do against him, but it was nice to see him get some reward.

Loch Rawlinson

It was a solid performance from Loch. His work rate and ability to cover the ground was evident, and he played a really combative game in the contest. His cleanliness and ability to help others was evident.

Malakai Champion

We got to see some real glimpses of Mally this week, there were a few moments which really stood out in the coaches’ box because of his toughness. One in particular against Peel’s Will Brodie where his appetite for the contest was outstanding for a man of his stature. So it was an exciting game in that aspect, and he’s still working really hard on his forward craft and his running patterns, but it was great to see his toughness in the contest.  

Hamish Davis

It was a very strong game from Hamma. He showed his power running and his ability to cover the ground. He helped out in defence on multiple occasions, and then ran the full length of the ground and was able to impact in offence.

Sandy Brock

Sandy played with a real maturity this week, and I don’t imagine he lost any contests throughout the day. His ability to spread at a real speed caught the ye of the Peel defenders, which in turn, freed up someone else. His running capacity and his want to work for others really helped the team in offence, he’s going really well.