Drew Petrie says the appeal of playing a new role at a club on the verge of premiership success convinced him to join the West Coast Eagles.
Fronting the local media for the first time in blue and gold, the 316-game Kangaroo come Eagles rookie said he was ready to embrace the challenges that came with playing a forward ruck role.
“The conversations earlier with Adam [Simpson] and Brady Rawlings and Craig Vozzo around what my role would be was something that excited me,” Petrie said.
“If it was purely going to be a forward position over here I doubt I would have come. But the ruck is an element and something I think will certainly help me become a good player this year.”
Petrie has landed in the Eagles’ nest with eyes wide open.
With Nathan Vardy and Jonathan Giles fit – and Scott Lycett nearing a return to pre-season training – the 34-year-old will need to fight for his spot in the Eagles’ starting 22.
“You’ve always got to compete for spots,” he explained.
“I think people will probably look at it and say, ‘Well, you were probably one of the first picked at North for a lot of years’, but I was still competing against other guys there. I’m going to be competing against other teammates here and that’s healthy. If we are all playing our best it makes it hard for match committee to select. I’m certainly here to just assist the team wherever I can, and that’s ruck-forward. I’m wanting to be able to do that in the seniors.”
In spite of being at the club for a maximum 48 hours, Petrie said it was evident the squad was seeking redemption following a disappointing finals exit last season.
He believed the team would harness the hurt of that defeat to drive it over the gruelling pre-season.
“I reckon there would be a bit of disappointment that would drive the group this year,” he said.
“The club hasn’t lost any of its talent overnight. This opportunity coming up here, at a club that I think can be successful this year; that’s why I’m here. If it was a club that [I thought] wasn’t going to be successful or in a different phase, then I wouldn’t have come across.”
Like many of the club’s players, Petrie was looking forward to hitting the track with four-time premiership winner and three-time All Australian Sam Mitchell over the summer.
He hoped the club would reap the rewards of bringing in two seasoned veterans over the trade and draft periods.
“West Coast is a club that is relatively young still, so it’s got the option to bring in Sam and myself to play, given the age profile of the list at the moment,” Petrie said.
“It’s that value playing wise, but experience wise, hopefully both Sam and myself can have a really good effect around the change rooms and have an impact in more places than around the ground.”
