Despite Wednesday being the West Coast players’ allocated day off, five Eagles decided to spend their free time putting smiles on the faces of some of the kids at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Loaded up with posters, footballs and other merchandise from the Team Store, Mark Nicoski, Matt Rosa, Lewis Stevenson, Will Sullivan and Brad Sheppard paid a visit to patients from the Orthopaedic and Burns wards where they signed autographs and handed out gifts to some excited young Eagles fans.

PMH player ambassador Mark Nicoski, who makes regular visits to the hospital across the entire year, said it was always a great experience to get down to the hospital.

“It’s really rewarding to see how happy they are when you hand them something as simple as a poster or give them a high five. They are pretty inspirational kids,” Nicoski said.

Making his first PMH visit, Lewis Stevenson echoed Nicoski’s thoughts.

“It was great to be able to come down and see the smiles on their faces and hear their stories. I’d love to come back,” said Stevenson.

Since 2005, the West Coast Eagles has been a proud partner of the PMH Foundation, helping to raise more than $180,000 for sick and injured kids in Western Australia. These funds have helped purchase crucial medical equipment including a patient cooling machine for the paediatric intensive care unit, an overhead warmer for the neonatal ward, a cardiac monitor for the infants ward and theming of the sensory room.