When times are tough, the adage suggests, you find out who your friends are and the true value of those relationships.

Since my earliest involvement with the club, I have certainly found that most, if not all, in the West Coast Eagles family whether they be players, coaches, football staff, board, executive, supporters, members, corporate partners or sponsors, are totally committed in both good and bad times. And, in what may go down as being the toughest year in our history, when we needed it most this attitude shone through in spades. For that reason, I couldn’t be prouder.

I can also say on behalf of those charged with the responsibility of navigating our way through this crisis, it was so reassuring to know you were there with us. The many messages of support received were greatly appreciated.

Further highlighting this support was the fact that not only did existing membership stay strong, but many more in our community joined our club. This pushed membership numbers to 101,275, which set a record for a sporting club in the southern hemisphere.

Given this happened at the time when there was no certainty of games being played during the season, and for that matter in the foreseeable future, was nothing short of remarkable. It also suggests that many see their club, the West Coast Eagles, as so much more than simply entertainment.

Perhaps it is for social connection to others, maybe as support for the many programs the club provides to our community or simply for a sense of belonging to an organisation with whom they share similar values. Whatever the reason, it is wonderful.

We also understand that some weren’t in a position to continue their membership or sponsorship at this time. In these few instances, we are not only thankful for their past support but look forward to welcoming them back in the future.

The club itself, while better positioned than most in the AFL, was certainly not immune from having to make very difficult decisions. Some were due to rules imposed on us by the AFL as they sought to ‘balance the books’. This included the enforced reduction of the football department ‘soft cap’, which is the amount a club can spend on coaches and player support such as physiotherapists, sports science, welfare etc. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the loss of some very talented, loyal and long-term servants of the club.

There was also the knock-on effect of no games and COVID-19 restrictions, which meant the roles of some game day and event staff became redundant.

But through the darkness shone light as the extraordinary and greatly appreciated family culture at the club was demonstrated. These included initiatives such as the deployment of several staff members from the football department to work with sponsors.

BHP, our inclusion and diversity partner, and Mineral Resources, the naming rights partner at our home in the Town of Victoria Park, stepped up big time and utilised some  of our assistant coaches and high-performance staff who had been stood down, to visit sites in the north-west and assist with a variety   of physical and mental health programs for workers.

It proved to be a mutually rewarding experience for all concerned; a great outcome in dire circumstances.

With all this swirling around off field, of course it had a significant impact on field.

Our team twice ventured to quarantine hubs at high performance centres in Queensland and managed to play six home games at Optus Stadium – the opening round with no fans in attendance and five matches in the middle of the season at around 50 per cent capacity.

Remarkably, after all this, at the end of the home and away season we were but a few percentage points away from a top four finish, just as we were in 2019. Unfortunately, the loss of the double chance came back to bite us when after what was described as a “cracking game” we lost to Collingwood by a solitary point in an elimination final.

Ultimately, Richmond once again demonstrated why they set the benchmark for the competition, standing up when it mattered. Our congratulations go to them.

However, from the moment our season ended our coach Adam Simpson and General Manager of Football Craig Vozzo have been hard at work reviewing all aspects of our football department to assess our direction for 2021 and beyond with a focus on sustained success. This is done as matter of course, even in a premiership year, because in this highly competitive industry it is imperative to remain agile and forward thinking.

Of course, while the focus is always on team performance, during the abbreviated AFL season we also saw some wonderful individual achievements. Having watched him overcome many challenges as well
as bring joy to so many, I was personally delighted to see Nic Naitanui win his first John Worsfold Medal.

Alongside him on the podium were Andrew Gaff, who fell just a couple of votes short of the major prize, as well as Brad Sheppard, Tom Barrass and Liam Duggan who rounded out the top five. It was great to see defenders receiving recognition for their efforts.

Nic, Brad and Liam Ryan were also awarded all-Australian selection, which was fantastic for them as individuals but also for our club. A measure of Brad Sheppard’s impact was that he also collected the coveted Chris Mainwaring Medal among his endorsements for a wonderful year.

Sadly, the end of the 2020 campaign we also said goodbye to wonderful club people and 2018 premiership players Will Schofield and Lewis Jetta. Both will be forever linked to key moments in the grand final and it should provide them with great comfort when they reflect on their outstanding contributions to both our club and the game more broadly.

While we enjoyed the highest level of membership of any club in the AFL, our fan base also enthusiastically embraced the entry of our West Coast Eagles team into the AFLW competition.

Sadly, the pandemic raised its head with the competition at an exciting juncture and the season was cut two games short. The AFLW did get through one week of a finals series before it became impossible to continue, the competition was called off leading into the preliminary finals and there was no premier.

While we tasted victory in only one of the six games we played, our AFLW team brought such great energy to the club and we can’t wait to see this continue to grow.

Under the guidance of Head of Female Football Adam Selwood and Senior Coach Luke Dwyer, our captain Emma Swanson and vice-captain Dana Hooker proved exceptional leaders and demonstrated so clearly why our recruiting staff were keen to have them at our club from the outset. Dana won the inaugural Club Champion Award after an outstanding season.

Moving into next season Daniel Pratt will take over as senior coach after Luke Dwyer stepped aside for personal reasons. Our thanks to Luke for coaching our inaugural AFLW team. Daniel comes from our men’s program and is highly credentialed, having been a valued member of our coaching staff for seven years.

As mentioned, this year has been challenging on every front and I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with outstanding people at our club led by our CEO Trevor Nisbett and our COO Richard Godfrey. My sincerest gratitude to them and their executives and staff for the many hours of long and often very difficult work.

I would like to acknowledge my outstanding Board of Directors. It has been a great pleasure as Chairman to work with these very talented people that give generously of their time.

I would like to thank Paul Fitzpatrick and his wife Nikki, Chris Wharton and his wife Donna, Trevor Nisbett and his wife Pam, Terry Bowen and his wife Petra, Zoe Yujnovich and her husband Jason, and Justin Langer and his wife Sue for their support in the past 12 months.
 
I would also like to publicly acknowledge my wife Tam and my daughters Amy and Emily for supporting me in this role. Clearly without their understanding, I wouldn’t be able to dedicate myself to the responsibilities of being chairman of such a great club.

In conclusion, may I sincerely thank you all including our sponsors – especially AFL co-majors Hungry Jack’s and Lendi and AFLW co-majors BHP and Barminco – as well as members and fans for your loyal support.

While we may not know what the future brings, I do know that our club, your club, the West Coast Eagles, can meet any challenge because of the strength of the people and relationships that exist.

A Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all.

Enjoy your family and loved ones, stay safe and look forward to the 2021 season, which will roll around before we know it.