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Sport Nation
Duff: Eagles have the most vulnerable list in the AFL
Mark Duffield • April 29th, 2025 12:54 pm
You know the thing about rebuilds? They also have to be resets.
At some point a club and its fans have to stop talking about how bad things are and start talking about how good they might be in the future.
It is that time at West Coast. The club has talked about a new beginning. It is time to walk the new beginning.
One of the key things for new Eagles coach Andrew McQualter to achieve this season is not to buy into tall of the doom and gloom narratives that will be waved in front of him like scarves at a West Coast-Essendon clash.
Are the Eagles coming from a long way back? Absolutely. Do they have the most vulnerable list in the AFL at this point? I would say yes – and with Elliot Yeo injured, Jeremy McGovern and Jamie Cripps well into their 30s and Oscar Allen potentially leaving at the end of the season under restricted free agency – the list may get more vulnerable yet.
But let’s just take a look at the Eagles' 50-point loss to Hawthorn at the weekend – and ask the question – what can be achieved between now and the end of the season? We had a person on the textline yesterday ask whether the Eagles would win a game between now and the end of the season – my answer to that question is I think they will win one and probably two.
Here is why even a club in the Eagles vulnerable position has reasons for optimism:
I listened to the East coast critics declaring Oscar Allen playing in defence is a lose-lose. I then listened to Adam Simpson talk about it. Simpson’s view was that the Eagles needed Allen to play in defence – they had dropped Harry Edwards twice because of a lack of form and Jeremy McGovern needed support. At the other end young forwards Archer Reid and Jack Williams are actually showing a bit and have Jake Waterman – an All-Australian last year – for support.
I watched Harley Reid play the first half against the Hawks and wondered what the hell he was doing. There were unnecessary free kicks – there were thoughtless dump kicks. Then I watched the second half and good Harley appeared.
He finished with 19 disposals and seven clearances – more stoppage wins than any teammate. He kicked two goals from half chances. I have no idea what Harley will do next year but with four months of the 2025 season left there is a lot of time to enjoy what he might do this year if McQualter can reduce the bad Harley and increase the good.
The Eagle with the next most clearances after Harley was Elijah Hewett who had lit them up the previous week against Essendon and while not as effective in this game. Brady Hough midfield was a tick. Jack Hutchinson midfield has been a tick.
Here are the green shoots we seek – let’s see what McQualter can do with them over the remainder of the year.
