This weekend poses an inevitably intense match for the West Coast Eagles, lining up against famous long-time rival Sydney at Patersons Stadium.   This top-of-the-table clash will be sure to be a blockbuster, with a mere six percent separating Sydney at number one and West Coast at number two.

But despite this mounting pressure, the Eagles have still made sure they kick goals off the field this week, visiting budding young footballers at their respective WAFL clubs during school holiday football clinics.

Over Wednesday and Thursday this week, the entire West Coast squad headed out, splitting up to cover junior WAFL clubs all over Perth and share some advice with WA’s future football heroes.

Josh Hill, who attended Claremont Football Club with teammates Eric Mackenzie, Matt Rosa, Pat McGinnity, Tom Swift and Gerrick Weedon, said it was a good opportunity to pass on tips, and also take the team’s mind off things.

“There is a lot of hype about this weekend, given the rivalry between us and Sydney in the past, so it’s good to escape that for a bit and just get back to the basics of football with these kids, and remember what it’s all about,” the forward said.