The West Coast Eagles ventured to Western Australia’s Great Southern region earlier this month to preach the value of education and train some of the area’s up-and-coming football talents.

Game development employees Drew Petrie and Kim Hannah teamed up with West Coast schools and community department stalwarts James Grabski and Bradd Dalziell to touch base with more than 3000 students from townships including Albany, Kojonup, Mount Barker, Mount Manypeaks and Borden.

Grabski and Dalziell delivered the club’s award-winning Eagles Rock My School program – which focuses on children’s physical, social and emotional wellbeing and teaches the value of resilience – to 11 primary schools across the region in addition to presenting West Coast’s ‘Eagle Insight’ program to four secondary school groups.

The latter program provides students an insight to the particulars of AFL sports science, sports psychology and goal setting.

While the community pair passed on pearls of wisdom to students, Petrie and Hannah trained up some of the region’s most promising football talents.

The experienced duo coordinated training sessions for the Great Southern Storm and Clontarf Academy in addition to touching base with local members of West Coast’s Naitanui Academy.

They also conducted a high performance training block for more than 65 members of the Great Southern Women’s Football League – more commonly known as the GSFLW – which doubled as a registration event for the competition.

The GSWL is in its foundation season, with a four team competition mooted to commence imminently.