The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2020 season was their 34th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their seventh season under premiership coach Adam Simpson, and the first season with Luke Shuey as captain. The West Coast Eagles finished the season with 12 wins and 5 losses, placing them fifth on the ladder, qualifying for the 2020 AFL finals series, in which they were eliminated in the first round by eighth-placed Collingwood. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on their season, with the team forced to hub in Queensland for much of the season due to restrictions on travelling to Western Australia from other states.
2020 was the first year for West Coast in the AFL Women's competition, in which they finished seventh. In addition, West Coast withdrew from the West Australian Football League competition in 2020 due to COVID-19 after fielding a team for the first time in 2019.[1]
In February 2020, as part of West Coast's overall rebrand over the past few years, they released a new version of their club song. The song, which contains a didgeridoo and clapstick intro was written, composed and produced by Ian Berney, and sung by Ian Kenny, both from Perth band Birds of Tokyo.[10][11][12]
West Coast's major sponsors for 2020 were fast food outlet Hungry Jack's and online mortgage broker Lendi.[13] The club had 100,776 members in 2020, an 11.4% increase on 2019 membership numbers, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The membership was the highest in the AFL, the first time this happened to a club outside of Victoria.[14]
West Coast's only trade in the 2019 trade period involved receiving Tim Kelly and a 2020 third round pick from Geelong, and pick 52 from Essendon, in exchange for picks 14, 24 and a 2020 first round pick going to Geelong, pick 33 going to Essendon, and Essendon and Geelong exchanging pick 37 and 57. The trade came after Kelly was overlooked by West Coast as a draft pick for five years, instead being drafted by Geelong, where he played the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The trade occurred due to Kelly's desire to return to Western Australia, having previously wanted to trade in the 2018 trade period. Kelly signed a six-year deal with West Coast, worth approximately $5 million.[21][22][23]
In the 2019 national draft, Callum Jamieson (pick 49) and Ben Johnson (pick 58) were drafted, both of whom are from Western Australia.[24]Francis Watson was elevated from the rookie list, signing on for another year.[25] Anthony Treacy (pick 11), Mitch O'Neill (pick 25), Brendon Ah Chee (pick 33) and Hamish Brayshaw (pick 39) were drafted in the 2020 rookie draft.[20]Nic Reid and Jamaine Jones were added to the rookie list in the supplementary selection period. Jamaine Jones previously played for Geelong in 2018 and 2019, but was delisted at the end of that year.[26]
West Coast used 37 players from the 45 on its playing list, six of which were debutants. They were Harry Edwards (round 9), Nic Reid (round 12), Xavier O'Neill (round 13), Bailey Williams (round 14), Hamish Brayshaw (round 17) and Luke Foley (round 18). Tim Kelly (round 1) and Jamaine Jones (round 4) also played their first games for West Coast, after having previously played for Geelong.[31] Six players played every match of the season. They were Tom Barrass, Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff, Tim Kelly, Liam Ryan and Brad Sheppard.[32]
In February 2020, Daniel Venables was ruled out for the entire 2020 season due to concussion as a result of a head knock he suffered in round nine of 2019.[33]Willie Rioli also did not play at all during the 2020 season, having been provisionally suspended for the entire season due to allegedly tampering with two urine tests in August and September 2019. He was eventually sentenced in March 2021 to a two year backdated suspension, starting in August 2019.[34][35]
The original fixture for the 2020 season was revealed by the AFL in October 2019. West Coast would have played 22 matches, facing Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong, Richmond and Port Adelaide twice, and all other teams once.[42] As part of their pre-season, West Coast faced Essendon and Fremantle in the Marsh Community Series, ending up beaten by both teams.[43][44] The match against Essendon was originally scheduled for 28 February, but it was rescheduled to the day prior so that it did not occur at the same time as the State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match.[45]
West Coast played their first game of the regular season on 22 March against Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Melbourne were soundly beaten by 27 points in that match, which was Tim Kelly's first game for the Eagles. The match was played with no spectators present, and occurred just hours after AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced that the 2020 AFL season would be suspended until at least the start of June, due to restrictions on interstate travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[46][47] The Eagles' round 1 match would be the last AFL match to be played for over two months.[48]
On 25 May, the AFL revealed the revised fixtures for rounds 2 to 5. West Coast were to go into a hub on the Gold Coast for at least four weeks, completing matches only in Queensland for that time.[49] On 8 June, the West Coast team arrived at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.[50] Their first match after the AFL season continuing was against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium, on 13 June. The Suns thrashed the Eagles by 44 points in an upset, giving the 2019 wooden spooners their first win in 426 days.[51] In round 3, West Coast played the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, in which the Lions beat West Coast by 30 points. That was West Coast's first match with crowds attending, with 1,965 spectators at the game.[52] West Coast then played Port Adelaide, the eventual minor premiers at Metricon Stadium, in which the Eagles were beaten 13.11 (89) to 6.5 (41). That game making it three losses in a row for the Eagles, continuing their horror run in the Queensland hub and placing them 16th on the AFL ladder. Jamaine Jones made his West Coast debut that game, and Will Schofield was suspended for one match after headbutting Zak Butters.[53][54]
West Coast were scheduled to play Richmond on round 5, but due to Queensland's latest quarantine requirements, West Coast would have had to quarantine for 14 days following a match against a Victorian side. This resulted in the Eagles playing Sydney instead, at Metricon Stadium.[55][56] West Coast got their first win in the Queensland hub against Sydney, beating them by 30 points. Tom Barrass took a mark of the year contender, and Luke Shuey injured his hamstring, causing him to miss two games.[57] The following round, West Coast beat the winless Adelaide by 33 points at the Gabba, in their last game in Queensland before heading home for 7 weeks.[58][59] During the week prior, Crows ruckmanReilly O'Brien accidentally tweeted that Nic Naitanui was "lazy and unfit", among other notes about the Eagles ruckman. This incident gained notoriety in the days surrounding the round 6 match.[60][61]
West Coast's first game at Optus Stadium since round 1 was a Western Derby against Fremantle. The Eagles won 9.8 (62) to 5.2 (32), giving them the longest ever Western Derby winning streak, with 10 wins in a row against Fremantle. Josh Kennedy on his 250th AFL game won the Glendinning–Allan Medal. The game had the largest crowd of any Australian sporting event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.[62][63] In round 8, West Coast beat Collingwood by 66 points. West Coast's 18.3 (111) was the largest score of the season at the time, against Collingwood's 6.9 (45). Josh Kennedy kicked 7 goals in the match.[64] The next round, West Coast beat Geelong by 9 points, putting West Coast fourth on the ladder. The Eagles were behind by 21 points during the 3rd quarter, but were able to make a comeback. Josh Kennedy kicked 4 goals, putting him first in the Coleman Medal race. In round 10, West Coast had a bye.[65][66]
Following the bye, West Coast had three more games in a row at Optus Stadium, of which they won all three. The games were against Carlton, with a margin of 22,[67]Hawthorn, with a margin of 32,[68] and Greater Western Sydney, with a margin of 12.[69]Elliot Yeo developed a groin injury against Carlton, resulting in him missing the rest of the season.[70][71] At the end of those three rounds, West Coast had the longest winning streak of the season, with eight wins in a row, and were fourth on the ladder. The round 13 Greater Western Sydney match was the first match in a series of five for West Coast over 19 days, from 23 August to 10 September. On 25 August, the team flew over to Queensland for their second hub in that state. The Eagles stayed Sanctuary Cove resort, on the Gold Coast for their hub.[72]
West Coast's first match in their second Queensland hub was against Richmond at Metricon Stadium on Thursday, 27 August. Richmond beat West Coast by 27 points, ending their eight game winning streak. Josh Kennedy received a concussion, causing him to miss out on most of the Richmond game and West Coast's next game.[73][74][75] The following Tuesday, West Coast faced Essendon, beating them by 15 points, with Liam Ryan kicking four goals.[76][77] In round 16, after West Coast's second 5 day break in a row, they faced Western Bulldogs, who beat the Eagles in an upset. The margin was 2 points, and the result eventually caused West Coast to miss the top four.[78]
West Coast were forced to make 6 player changes for their round 17 game against St Kilda, due to injuries. At the time, Brendon Ah Chee, Mark Hutchings, Lewis Jetta, Jack Redden, Dom Sheed, Luke Shuey and Elliot Yeo were injured, and Jamie Cripps couldn't be selected for personal reasons.[79][80] Despite this, the Eagles won against St Kilda by 15 points, guaranteeing them a finals spot, however Jeremy McGovern injured his hamstring, leaving him out for the final match of the home-and-away season, against North Melbourne.[81][82][83] West Coast won their round 18 match against North Melbourne by 15 points, giving them a small chance of a top 4 finish,[84] but neither Richmond or Geelong lost their matches,[48] causing West Coast to finish 5th at the end of the season, setting them up for an elimination final against Collingwood.[85]
West Coast's elimination final against Collingwood occurred on Saturday, 3 October. The Eagles went into the match as favourites, due to having beat the Magpies by 66 points earlier in the season, having won all games at home during the home-and-away season, and being higher on the ladder than the Magpies. However, after several lead changes in the match, Collingwood ended up winning the elimination final by 1 point, ending West Coast's 2020 season. This was the first year since 2016 where West Coast did not progress beyond the first week of the finals.[86][87]
Updated to match(es) played on 21 September 2020. Source: AFL Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers
During the week prior to the 2020 season starting, the AFL announced that the season would be shorted from 22 matches per team to 17 matches per team, with each team playing each other once. This meant 2020 was the first year where only one Western Derby took place. At the time, the AFL said the first four rounds of the season would remain as previously fixtured, with the remaining rounds to be refixtured. It also announced that there would not be any spectators at games for the first time in the league's history, and that each quarter would be only 16 minutes long, to facilitate shortening the breaks between each game.[88][89] Round 1 went ahead as originally fixtured, however the AFL announced on the Sunday of round 1 that the league would be postponed until at least the start of June. The remaining matches of round 1 occurred, including the West Coast match, but no more matches occurred for over two months.[47]
On 12 May 2020, the AFL ruled that AFL players are not allowed to play in state leagues as part of strict protocols implemented due to COVID-19. This resulted in West Coast withdrawing from the West Australian Football League for 2020.[1] Western Australia's COVID-19 border restrictions meant that any travellers from interstate would have to quarantine for 14 days. This made it impractical to hold AFL matches in Perth. In order to get the season back up and running, West Coast stayed in a hub on the Gold Coast for five weeks, playing matches at Metricon Stadium and the Gabba. The season resumed on 11 June.[90][91][92] From round 3 onwards, matches in Queensland were allowed to have small crowds.[93]
From rounds 7 to 13, West Coast were back in Perth, playing consecutive games at Optus Stadium. To get around the interstate travel quarantine requirement, two interstate teams would go to Western Australia, and play each other for their first week in the state, under strict quarantine while doing so. After the 14 day quarantine period, then they played West Coast and Fremantle, before heading over east again. The first two teams to do this were Collingwood and Geelong, followed by Carlton and Hawthorn, and finally Sydney and Greater Western Sydney.[94][95][96] Initially Optus Stadium was meant to be at its full capacity of 60,000 spectators, but the Western Australian government restricted it to 30,000 spectators after a spike in virus numbers in Victoria.[97][98][99] Due to West Coast having already played Sydney, they flew back over to Queensland after playing Greater Western Sydney for a second hub on the Gold Coast.[100]
West Coast played their remaining six matches of the home-and-away season at Metricon Stadium and the Gabba. Rounds 13 through to 17 were condensed in order for the season to finish sooner. This resulted in the Eagles playing five matches over 19 days.[101] West Coast negotiated with North Melbourne to buy the rights from them to host their round 18 game in Perth. The deal would have meant West Coast pay North Melbourne between $700,000 and $800,000, however the AFL did not allow that deal to go ahead. The match was played at North Melbourne's preferred ground of Metricon Stadium.[102][103]
West Coast went back home for their preliminary final against Collingwood, which they hosted at Optus Stadium.[104][105] Prior to the match, West Coast quarantined in Perth for 14 days, and Collingwood quarantined for 7 days. Due to the Magpies' short quarantine period, it was initially believed that the Eagles would have to quarantine for 14 days if they lost, but it was later confirmed that they would quarantine for 7 days.[106][107] The Western Australian government increased the allowed capacity of the stadium to 35,000, including staff and officials, meaning that approximately 33,000 spectators were allowed to attend the game.[108]
Nic Naitanui, Liam Ryan and Brad Sheppard were all selected in the 2020 All-Australian team. Andrew Gaff was in the 40-man initial squad but was not selected for the final team. West Coast had the equal highest number of players in the 2020 All-Australian team that year, with three. 2020 was the first time Liam Ryan and Brad Sheppard were selected in the All-Australian team, and the second time Nic Naitanui was selected.[109][110]
West Coast held its awards night on 19 October at the Crown Perth Grand Ballroom. Nic Naitanui won the John Worsfold Medal with 194 votes. Behind him was Andrew Gaff (192), Brad Sheppard (163), Tom Barrass (154) and Liam Duggan (152). This was Naitanui's first John Worsfold Medal, and the second time a ruckman won the award. His previous highest place for the medal was fifth, in 2010. Other awards presented on the night were the Chris Mainwaring Medal for Best Clubman, awarded to Brad Sheppard; Emerging Talent, awarded to Josh Rotham; Player of the finals, awarded to Nic Naitanui; and Leading Goalkicker, awarded to Josh Kennedy. Jamie Cripps, who played his 150th game for the club in 2020 was awarded life membership of the West Coast Eagles, along with former eagles Eric Mackenzie and Beau Waters, and former club chairman Alan Cransberg.[111][112]
↑ Delisting of Chris Masten.[15] Delisting of Keegan Brooksby, Kurt Mutimer and Matthew Allen.[16] Delisting of Fraser McInnes, Brodie Riach and Patrick Bines.[17] Delisting of Josh Smith.[18]
1 2 Hamish Brayshaw and Brendon Ah Chee were later drafted in the 2020 rookie draft.
The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football League. The club plays its home games at Optus Stadium and has its headquarters at Lathlain Park. The West Australian Football Commission wholly owns the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Football Club, the AFL's other Western Australian team.
Gary Ablett Jr. is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). The eldest son of Australian Football Hall of Fame member and former Hawthorn and Geelong player Gary Ablett Sr., Ablett was drafted to Geelong under the father–son rule in the 2001 national draft and has since become recognised as one of the all-time great midfielders. Ablett is a dual premiership player, dual Brownlow Medallist, five-time Leigh Matthews Trophy winner, three-time AFLCA champion player of the year award winner and eight-time All-Australian.
The Western Derby is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, the term "derby" is used to describe the match. It has become the most important match for football in Western Australia, with former West Coast player and coach John Worsfold claiming that in the week before a derby that it is the main topic in Perth.
It's obviously different to the build-up of any normal game... We don't care what else is happening in the country, which is great."
Daniel Alan Kerr is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside midfielder.
Andrew Gerard Embley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is known for winning the Norm Smith Medal as the best player in the 2006 AFL Grand Final.
William John Schofield is an Australian rules footballer who formerly played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). At 196 centimetres tall and weighing 92 kilograms (203 lb), he is a versatile defender who has played key-position and half-back roles throughout his career. West Coast drafted him from the Geelong Falcons with pick 50 in the 2006 national draft, and debuted in round 17 of the 2007 AFL season. Schofield has played in two AFL Grand Finals: a loss in 2015 and a victory in 2018. He achieved life membership at West Coast in 2016 after playing 150 games for the club. He retired following the 2020 season.
Nicholas Naitanui is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was born in Sydney to Fijian parents, and his family moved to Perth, Western Australia after his father's death. Growing up in Midvale, Naitanui attended Governor Stirling Senior High School, and played football for the Midvale Junior Football Club. After representing Western Australia in the 2007 and 2008 AFL Under 18 Championships, he debuted in 2008 for the Swan Districts Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Naitanui was drafted by West Coast with the second pick in the 2008 National Draft.
The 2010 season was the West Coast Eagles' 24th season in the AFL. The Eagles finished 16th and last to record their first wooden spoon in the competition, just four years after their premiership season of 2006. West Coast played 22 games, including 12 at Subiaco Oval, winning just four and losing the remaining eighteen.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2011 season was their 25th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their tenth season under premiership coach John Worsfold, and the fourth season with Darren Glass as captain. In the previous season, West Coast finished last on the ladder to receive their first wooden spoon. West Coast began their 2011 season with a four-point win over North Melbourne on 27 March. At the conclusion of round ten, West Coast had won five of their nine games and lost four, but over the remainder of the season they won 12 of their 13 games to finish fourth at the end of the regular season. In the finals series, the club lost their qualifying final to Collingwood by 20 points. They defeated Carlton in a home semi-final, but lost to Geelong, the eventual premiers in a preliminary final at the MCG the following week.
The 2014 season was the West Coast Eagles' 28th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), the premier Australian rules football competition. The 2014 season also marks the first season of the club's reserves affiliation with the East Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). West Coast finished thirteenth in the previous season, despite having made the finals in the two preceding seasons. At the end of the 2013 season, previous coach John Worsfold retired, after twelve seasons in the position, and was replaced by Adam Simpson, who had not coached previously at AFL level. Darren Glass was retained as captain for a seventh season, with Josh Kennedy and Scott Selwood as vice-captains. However, Glass retired from football after round 12, and was replaced by five acting co-captains: Shannon Hurn, Kennedy, Eric Mackenzie, Matt Priddis, and Selwood. Undefeated in the 2014 pre-season competition, West Coast started its season against the Western Bulldogs on 23 March. The club failed to qualify for the 2014 finals series, finishing its season in ninth place, with 11 wins and 11 losses. Priddis won the highest individual award, the Brownlow Medal, Beau Waters won the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, and Mackenzie was the club champion winning the John Worsfold Medal. No players from West Coast were selected on the All-Australian team.
Thomas Donald Barrass is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has played as a key defender since his junior career with Claremont. Barrass was drafted by West Coast with pick 43 of the 2013 national draft, but did not make his senior debut until round 17 of the 2015 AFL season. He was nominated for the 2016 AFL Rising Star and won a premiership with West Coast in 2018. He has most recently joined the Hawthorn Hawks in the 2024 AFL Continental Trade Period.
The 2017 AFL season was the 121st season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eighteen clubs, ran from 23 March until 30 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eighteen clubs, ran from 22 March until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
Timothy Kelly is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He formerly played for the Geelong Football Club between 2018 and 2019.
The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eighteen clubs.
The 2021 AFL season was the 125th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eighteen clubs, ran from 18 March until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2021 season was their 35th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their eighth season under premiership coach Adam Simpson, and their second season with Luke Shuey as captain. Having finished in the top eight every season since 2015, it was expected that West Coast would do the same in 2021. They won eight of their first thirteen matches, including an unexpected win against Port Adelaide, and a 97-point thrashing by Geelong, placing them seventh on the ladder before their midseason bye. They continued on to lose seven of their remaining nine matches, including a 92-point loss to Sydney, and their first Western Derby loss since 2015, causing them to finish ninth, missing finals.
The 2021 AFL Women's season was the fifth season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 14 clubs and ran from 28 January to 17 April, comprising a nine-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top six clubs.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2019 season was their 33rd season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their sixth season under coach Adam Simpson, and their fifth and final season with Shannon Hurn as captain. Having won the 2018 AFL Grand Final, expectations were that West Coast would finish in the top four on the ladder. They won only three of their first six games, losing by greater than 40 points to the Brisbane Lions, Port Adelaide and Geelong, placing the Eagles 12th on the ladder at the end of round six. They then won 12 of their next 14 games, the losses being to Sydney by 45 points and to Collingwood by 1 point. By the end of round 21, West Coast had been in the top four since round 14, and were aiming to finish in the top two. They then had a disappointing six-point loss to Richmond, and a shock 38-point loss to Hawthorn at home, to finish the season fifth on the ladder. This meant West Coast missed out on the double chance that top four teams get in the AFL finals, significantly lowering their chances of winning the Grand Final. In the 2019 AFL finals series, they faced Essendon in an elimination final, beating them by 55 points, before losing to Geelong in a semi-final by 20 points, ending West Coast's season.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. The 2021 AFL Women's season was their second season in that competition, their first season with Daniel Pratt as coach, and their second season with Emma Swanson as captain. They won two out of the nine games they played, their only wins being by one point against Gold Coast and 39 points against Geelong. They finished 12th out of 14 on the ladder, missing out on qualifying for finals.
1 2 Beattie, Tyson (17 October 2019). "Schofield and Watson extend". West Coast Eagles. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
↑ Dickinson, Rhys (20 August 2020). "Upbeat Yeo on the mend". West Coast Eagles. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
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