Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Buckley berates “unfathomable” Eagles leadership
Jaiden Sciberras • April 15th, 2025 5:14 pm
The West Coast Eagles are yet to compete in 2025, winless through five and performing without any sign of conviction.
Their clash with Carlton on Saturday broke an extremely undesirable record, as their 77 contested possessions was the lowest tally since the stat was first recorded.
Currently in last place at 0-5 with a dismal 49.7 per cent, AFL legend Nathan Buckley has called out the complete lack of leadership from the Eagles senior cohort.
“(Their leadership is) a massive concern for me,” Buckley told SEN’s Whateley.
“Watching the game play out, Liam Duggan, who is one of the more experienced leaders there, he looked all at sea when he was dragged deeper towards goal.
“Some of his contests just weren’t good enough. Oscar Allen has been well speculated on, but he’s just not playing great footy.
“The contest is not consistent, it isn’t sustained. The guys that are having the biggest crack there are Liam Baker and Jack Graham and they are newbies, and they’re probably doing it out of respect for the coach."
The former Collingwood coach was extremely strong on the club's on-field production, failing to understand when and how the Eagles will locate any form going forward.
“The gap and the dearth of leadership on field at that football club, I cannot fathom," Buckley continued.
"I just cannot see where that is going to turn around.
“We are talking about the mighty West Coast. It is unfathomable what they are putting forward, less than 50 per cent when you look at their percentage.
“They are uncompetitive on the ladder, against an opposition and in the contest too often.
“It ended up being the least number of contested possessions won since contested possessions have been taken as a stat, and that includes the shortened games through 2020.
“You can win a contest, it doesn’t matter how inexperienced you are, it doesn’t matter how good the opposition are, you can go and win contests, but it just wasn’t happening.”
With Essendon and Hawthorn to come, West Coast and coach Andrew McQualter are staring down the barrel of a 0-7 start.
