| Names | |
|---|---|
| Full name | West Coast Eagles |
| Nickname(s) | Eagles |
| 2011 season | |
| Premiership | 4th |
| Pre-season Cup | Semi-finals |
| Leading goalkicker | Josh Kennedy (59 goals) |
| Best and fairest | Darren Glass |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Colours | Blue Gold (1987–1994) Navy blue Gold White (1995–) |
| Competition | Australian Football League (AFL) |
| Chairman | Alan Cransberg |
| Coach | John Worsfold |
| Captain(s) | Darren Glass |
| Premierships | 3 (1992, 1994, 2006) |
| Ground(s) | Subiaco Oval (capacity: 43,600) |
| Other information | |
| Official website | www.westcoasteagles.com.au |
| Guernsey: |
|
| Current season: 2011 season |
|
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval (currently also known as Patersons Stadium due to a sponsorship agreement). The club also played games at the WACA Ground between 1987 and 2000.
The Eagles are currently one of the wealthiest,[1] most-supported[2] and successful clubs in the AFL, winning three premierships since entering the competition, in 1992, 1994 and 2006. In terms of overall win percentage, the Eagles are the fourth-most successful club in VFL/AFL history, and the most successful non-Victorian club, with an overall win percentage of 55.15%.[3]
Formed in 1986, the West Coast Eagles were given only 160 days to assemble a team and establish an infrastructure for its inaugural season, 1987. The club appointed Ron Alexander as its first head coach on 22 September 1986 and revealed its 32-men squad for its first season on 30 October that year.[4]
The club's first official home and away match at Subiaco Oval against Richmond on 29 March 1987 was played before a crowd of 23,897. The fledgling Eagles, down by 33 points at the final change, somehow managed to outscore the visiting and tiring Tigers nine goals to one in the final term to run out 14 point winners – a club record last quarter comeback that lasted until round 10 of 2006.[5] By season's end, the club had split its games with eleven wins and eleven losses for a seventh place finish, but despite this quite respectable effort, inaugural coach Ron Alexander was sacked from the position and replaced with WA coaching legend John Todd.
The 1988 season saw the Eagles improve to become one of the strongest teams of the competition, finishing the home and away season in fourth, before narrowly losing the Elimination Final to Melbourne by two points. Despite this loss, the mood was upbeat at the club for the future, although it was the last game for inaugural captain Glendinning.[6]
However, the 1989 season put the club under a lot of pressure. Injuries and poor form led to the club only winning two matches in the first fifteen rounds of the season, culminating in the "Windy Hill Massacre", where the Eagles lost by a club record 142 points to Essendon. In the nadir of this season, with major financial problems besetting the club and a bleak outlook, there was even talk of disbanding the club and reverting back to the WAFL as the senior competition in Western Australia. However, the Eagles rallied with five wins in the last seven weeks of the season. While it was enough to stave off the wolves, it was not enough to keep John Todd in the role of senior coach, nor allow first year captain Murray Rance to retain the role.
| 1991 AFL Home & Away Season | W | L | D | Total | % | ||||
| West Coast | 19 | 3 | 0 | 76 | 162.2 | ||||
| Minor Premiers | |||||||||
As the VFL made way for the new AFL, the Eagles entered the 1990s with a new coach, Mick Malthouse, a Victorian recruited from Footscray, and a new captain in Steve Malaxos who had won the club's first club champion award in 1987. The change in leadership, and the rise of a few younger players, led to a resurgence at the club winning sixteen games on the way to a third place finish at the end of the home and away season. This led to a berth in the Qualifying Final against Collingwood, which resulted in a famous draw,[7] but the Eagles could not win the replay, and despite beating Melbourne in the First Semi Final, bowed out a fortnight later to Essendon in the Preliminary Final.
| 1991 AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
| Hawthorn | 20 | 19 | 139 |
| West Coast | 13 | 8 | 86 |
| Venue: Waverley Park | Crowd: 75,230[8] | ||
As 1991 started, out of favour captain Malaxos was replaced with youngster John Worsfold. That didn't seem to affect the club as the season saw what was probably the most dominant Eagles side, winning the first twelve games of the season, a club-record nineteen games in the home and away series, and the Eagles' first minor premiership.[9] However, the young team struggled with the finals pressure exerted by such a dominant season, and while they made the 1991 AFL Grand Final, it was lost to Hawthorn by 53 points in front of a crowd of 75,230. It was the only Grand Final ever to be played at Waverley Park, and the first in the AFL to feature a non-Victorian side.
| 1992 AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
| West Coast | 16 | 17 | 113 |
| Geelong | 12 | 13 | 85 |
| Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground | Crowd: 95,007[8] | ||
The Eagles weren't as strong through the 1992 season, but managed to get a reasonable spot in the finals, winning a classic final against Hawthorn[10] on the way to a Grand Final appearance, this time against Geelong at the MCG. The Eagles struggled early in the match, trailing by as much as four goals, but ended up over-running the Cats to win by 28 points and claim the club's first ever premiership, with Peter Matera winning the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground. The 1992 Premiership was the first senior AFL premiership won by a team from outside Victoria.
| 1994 AFL Home & Away Season | W | L | D | Total | % | ||||
| West Coast | 16 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 132.2 | ||||
| Minor Premiers | |||||||||
The year of 1993 saw relatively little premiership points separate the finalists, and although West Coast were in the mix, the team never fully clicked across the season.
In 1994 the Eagles again won the minor premiership at the end of the home and away season – the clubs second McClelland Trophy.
| 1994 AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
| West Coast | 20 | 23 | 143 |
| Geelong | 8 | 15 | 63 |
| Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground | Crowd: 93,860[8] | ||
This time they managed to carry the form through the finals series, despite a scare in the opening week of the finals when Collingwood nearly sneaked over the line in a close game at the WACA Ground. In the end the Eagles did not lose a match in the series, culminating in an 80 point thrashing of Geelong in the Grand Final for the club's second premiership. Dean Kemp was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground on this occasion.
In 1995, a local AFL club rival the Fremantle Football Club was introduced to the WA football market, heightening competition for the West Australian audience and forming a fierce rivalry to become the Western Derby, a twice yearly encounter between the two clubs. The derby was for much of the 90s a West Coast affair, with the Eagles winning the first nine encounters before the Dockers finally won the later derby of 1999.
Meanwhile the club's performances on the field slipped a little from the heights of the early 90s, but never so far as to not make the finals. After bowing out quietly in 1995, the Eagles won their opening final in 1996, resulting in what would normally have been a home semi final against Essendon. However, due to what Eagles fans saw as a poorly constructed contract between the league and the MCG, the game was scheduled to be played at the MCG instead of Subiaco.[11] In all the furore the Eagles were comprehensively thrashed. On a brighter note, young Eagle Ben Cousins won the club's first AFL Rising Star award for the best rookie in the competition for 1996.[12]
The 1997 and 1998 seasons saw the Eagles mostly making up numbers in the finals, bowing out early both years, with the most notable incident being when captain John Worsfold was dropped for what would have been his final appearance in the 1998 Semi Final;[13] oddly mirroring what happened to his predecessor in the role, Steve Malaxos, who was dropped for the 1990 Preliminary Final and never played for the club again.[14] Worsfold was replaced in the captaincy by his vice captain, Guy McKenna.
In the second week of the 1999 season the Eagles again found themselves in the situation where they earned a home final (after beating the Western Bulldogs at the MCG in the first week), but once again the MCG contract denied the club the right to host the final, and the Eagles faced Carlton and lost on the road.[15] This rule later cost the Adelaide Crows the right to host a Semi Final in 2002, and the Brisbane Lions a Preliminary Final in 2004 (both of which were played against Victorian opposition at the MCG) before it was finally abolished.
The 1999 season is probably more remembered for the continual rumours that linked coach Mick Malthouse to the senior coaching role at Collingwood; the rumours ended up being proven correct when Malthouse was released from his contract to the club for the 2000 season, to be replaced with Ken Judge. Also notable in 1999 was the first (and currently only) Eagle to top the AFL goalkicking, when Scott Cummings won the Coleman Medal with 95 goals but did not make the All Australian Team.[16]
The Eagles might have started Judge's reign as coach impressively, thrashing reigning premiers North Melbourne in the opening game of 2000, and winning two games by over 100 points in three weeks against Adelaide and Fremantle, but it was to turn sour quite quickly in the latter part of the 2000 season. Sitting at six wins and five losses at the half way point of the season, injury struck, and West Coast slumped to win only one more match for the season, and missing the finals for the first time since 1989, and another change of captaincy, as McKenna retired to be replaced with Dean Kemp and Ben Cousins as co-captains. The Eagles also introduced a much maligned ochre colour to their home and away uniforms in these years, which have since been abandoned for the more traditional uniforms worn in previous years.
However as bad as 2000 might have been, the 2001 season was the club's all time nadir. In a shocking season, crueled by injury, older players falling away, and general mutterings of dissatisfaction, the club won only five matches for the entire year, all against other bottom four sides; the fourteenth place finish was by far the lowest in the club's history until winning their inaugural wooden spoon for finishing last in the 2010 season. Against rumours of player dissatisfaction, and even revolt, Ken Judge was sacked from the coaching role, to be replaced in turn by former premiership captain John Worsfold.
It appeared to be a poisoned chalice that was handed to Worsfold in his first senior coaching role: a team that was widely tipped to slump further to the bottom of the ladder. Most fans would have been satisfied with just an improvement in performance, but Worsfold and his mostly young charges surprised many, being almost unbeatable at home, and sneaking a couple of crucial away wins to make an unexpected finals appearance on the back of an eleven-win – eleven-loss home and away season in 2002. The Eagles lost first up and were eliminated, but it was a sign of improvement to come. The 2002 season saw the debut of 2001 draft pick Chris Judd in its round two match against Collingwood.
The 2003 and 2004 seasons were opposites of each other. In 2003, the Eagles ran riot early, sitting in the high reaches of the ladder mid-season before injury took out the second part of the season and the club slumped to finish just inside the finals, and were bundled straight out; in 2004, the season was looking down the barrel early, but a dramatic late-season recovery saw the Eagles steal a spot in the finals in the last week of the home and away season, only to be thrashed in a thunderstorm by the Sydney Swans first up.
2004 however saw the first ever Eagle to win Australian Football's highest individual award, when Chris Judd won the Brownlow Medal in a canter. Previous best West Coast performances had been runner-up efforts from Craig Turley in 1991, Peter Matera in 1994 and 1997, and Ben Cousins in 2003.[17]
Season 2005 saw the Eagles start by accounting for all opponents in the opening eight weeks before losing to then-bottom-placed Collingwood. The Eagles, however, recovered to be as much as five games clear, before a poor run home saw the club lose the final week and surrender the minor premiership to the Adelaide Crows. Despite this, the Eagles turned it around in the finals to make the Grand Final against the Sydney Swans. However, in reverse of the result in the 2005 Qualifying Final which the Eagles won by 4 points, the Swans managed to hold out the Eagles to win the low scoring encounter by four points. There was some consolation for Eagles fans with Chris Judd being awarded the Norm Smith medal in a losing side which, with captain Ben Cousins having already won the Brownlow Medal, highlighted the quality of the West Coast midfield.
| 2006 AFL Home & Away Season | W | L | D | Total | % | ||||
| West Coast | 17 | 5 | 0 | 68 | 120.4 | ||||
| Minor Premiers | |||||||||
Despite promises to turn it around in 2006, the season looked set to start badly, with Cousins stripped of his captaincy, former All-Australian ruckman Michael Gardiner relegated to play at Claremont in the WAFL for continued indiscretions including drinking the night before a practise match and Ashley Sampi having some domestic trouble. Chris Judd was appointed to replace Cousins as expected, while Gardiner did make it back to the club to play a couple of games, before crashing his car whilst under the influence of alcohol[18] – which saw him made persona non grata at the club, and traded to St Kilda.
| 2006 AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
| West Coast | 12 | 13 | 85 |
| Sydney | 12 | 12 | 84 |
| Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground | Crowd: 97,431[8] | ||
Despite all this, the Eagles started the season in fairly good form, winning eleven of the opening twelve matches, including a couple of notable comebacks; particularly a club record recovery against Geelong from 54 points down in the third quarter. The Eagles then struggled for a few weeks, slipping off the pace, before good late season form enabled them to win the minor premiership at the end of the season over a slipping Adelaide Crows, the clubs third McClelland Trophy. In the 2006 finals, the Eagles were favourites in every game and lost the opening match at Subiaco to Sydney by 1 point, but came back strong to thrash the Bulldogs in the Semi Final, and come from behind against the Crows in the Preliminary Final to book a berth in the Grand Final, once again against the Swans. The Grand Final ended up with a mirror of the 2006 Qualifying Final result between these two teams, the Eagles winning one of the great Grand Finals of recent years by a solitary point. The first Grand Final decided by this margin since 1966.[19] Andrew Embley was awarded the Norm Smith medal for best on ground.
The Eagles 2007 pre-season was the most turbulent in the club's history, with midfielder Daniel Kerr charged with assault for two separate incidents, and former captain (and 2005 Brownlow Medallist) Ben Cousins suspended from the club indefinitely after continued breaches of team rules, most notably not turning up to training, leading to massive amounts of speculative reporting in the media. Despite this, the Eagles started the season in good form, winning their opening 6 matches, including another one point victory over the Sydney Swans. However the Eagles of 2007 were nowhere near as dominant as those of 2005 or 2006. Instead, the Eagles spent much of the year in the bottom part of the top four, even slipping out of the top four at times. At the end of the season, the Eagles finished third on the ladder, drawing an away final at Port Adelaide in the opening week of the finals.
The Eagles finals series was cruelled by injuries to key players, something that had been quite common in the latter half of the season, exacerbated by a hamstring injury to Ben Cousins when leading Port Adelaide in the first week. Ultimately West Coast crashed out of the finals in straight sets, losing to Port by three points in the opening week before losing to Collingwood by 19 points in a highly exciting final that went into extra time for only the second time since the extra time rule had been implemented.[20]
In a blow to the club, premiership captain Chris Judd declared his intention to move back to his home city of Melbourne for the 2008 season, prompting much speculation over his final destination.[21]
Capping off an annus horribilis for the club, former Eagles champion Chris Mainwaring died on 1 October 2007, at his home, and his death was widely reported to be the result of drug-taking.[22][23] This became a major issue in the media, when it was revealed that Cousins had visited Mainwaring at his home the same night, just prior to his death. Cousins volunteered for a drug test following the event.[24] This – on top of Cousins' banishment, Chris Judd's departure and a string of minor incidents (such as Michael Braun's Western Derby speech stunt and the Adam Selwood incident involving Des Headland, all in the Western Derby) – contributed to an impression that 2007 was a disaster for the Eagles, despite a relatively successful year on the field. The horror season continued for West Coast Eagles when Ben Cousins was sacked by the club on the 17 October 2007 after being arrested for drug possession and other offences the previous day.[25]
These years saw the Eagles miss the finals three years in a row for the first time. At the end of the 2009 season, the Eagles won 4 out of their last 5 matches, including beating premiership contenders Western Bulldogs and ending their 20 loss streak for away matches and their 18 loss streak away from Paterson Stadium. Their 2010 season looked set to get better after a promising end to the 2009 season. However, the Eagles went downhill again and culminated in them 'winning' the 2010 wooden spoon, the first in the club's history, after winning only four games for the season.
The 2011 season started on a bright note for the West Coast Eagles with the club registering two wins to start the season: a narrow four-point victory over North Melbourne in the opening round of the season, and ending a 9-game losing streak at AAMI Stadium against Port Adelaide by 18 points in round 2. Their undefeated start to the season however came to a shuddering halt with a narrow 13-point defeat to their 2005/2006 Grand Final nemesis, the Sydney Swans, at home. This remained their only loss at home for the season.
They did, however, bounce back in the following two rounds; narrowly losing to one of the premiership favourites Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium in Tasmania and comfortably beating Melbourne at home by 9 goals. Round 7 saw the Eagles lose to a young Essendon outfit at Etihad Stadium by 16 points, after leading for majority of the match and Daniel Kerr picking up 28 disposals and a goal. The round 8 derby proved somewhat of an easy challenge as the Eagles overcame their cross-town rivals Fremantle by 33 points, despite missing stars Daniel Kerr and Andrew Embley due to injuries in the warm-up. Matthew Priddis won the Ross Glendinning Medal for best-on-ground in the derby. Round 9 saw the West Coast Eagles cruise to a 123 point win against the Western Bulldogs with a 10 goal to none final quarter. Josh Kennedy kicked 10 goals and Luke Shuey kicked 5 goals for the game.
It was announced on 12 April that West Coast would be dropping Hungry Jacks as a sponsor, ending a 25 year partnership. West Coast will form a new partnership with Bankwest,[26] which, ironically, were the former sponsors of cross town rivals Fremantle.
In round 14, the Eagles comfortably beat Carlton at Etihad Stadium by 36 points. In this match, Nic Naitanui took one of the marks of the year and this was the first game that the Eagles had beaten Carlton since former Eagles and current Carlton skipper Chris Judd left the Eagles at the end of the 2007.
Round 16 saw the Eagles defeat the ladder leaders Geelong in a thrilling 96–88 match, which had only been defeated in one game the whole season coming the week prior to Essendon. This created an excellent opportunity for the team to push into the top 4 sides on the AFL Ladder and secure a home final. It was their first win over the Cats since Round 10, 2006 and first at home since Round 2, 2005. At season's end, the West Coast Eagles eclipsed Carlton on the ladder taking the much valued 4th position and securing a double chance in the finals.
West Coast then entered its first finals campaign in four years, but lost its Qualifying Final against the defending premiers Collingwood. Granted a home final for finishing fourth at the end of the season, they then met Carlton in the second semi-final, and won a thriller by less than one goal after a late Carlton fightback stalled with only seconds remaining in the match. The Eagles' season of improvement then finished on a disappointing note losing convincingly to the eventual premiers Geelong whom they had beaten in Round 16 of the season.
The Eagles' jump from 16th to fourth is currently the equal most amount of spots gained over one season; thus, the Eagles became the first team since the Brisbane Lions of 1998-1999 to reach a preliminary final twelve months after winning a wooden spoon.
1992, 1994, 2006
1991, 1994, 2006
Note: The Chris Mainwaring Best Clubman Award was created in 2007, after his death. Ashley Hansen won the inaugural award.
Players who have played 150 games for the club are automatically inducted as life members of the club. Other players, administrators and coaches that have made an outstanding contribution to the club have also been inducted. No life members were inducted in 2001 or 2010. The following players, coaches and administrators are life members of the club:
| Year of induction | Inductees |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Michael Brennan, Dwayne Lamb, Chris Lewis, Chris Mainwaring, John Worsfold (all players) |
| 1995 | David Hart, Guy McKenna (both players) |
| 1996 | Hank Gloede (property manager), Dean Kemp (player), Bill Sutherland (head trainer) |
| 1997 | Mick Malthouse (coach), Peter Matera, Peter Sumich, Chris Waterman (all players) |
| 1998 | Brett Heady, Glen Jakovich, Ashley McIntosh |
| 1999 | Murray McHenry (chairman) |
| 2000 | Drew Banfield, Mitchell White (both players) |
| 2002 | Ross Nicholas (marketing manager), Brian Edwards (manager), Ken Fitch, Rod Moore (both team doctors) |
| 2003 | Ben Cousins, Don Pyke (both players), Robert Wiley (player and coach) |
| 2004 | Karl Langdon, Phil Matera (both players), Trevor Nisbett (CEO) |
| 2005 | Michael Braun, Tony Evans, Peter Wilson (all players) |
| 2006 | Craig Turley, Ryan Turnbull, David Wirrpanda (all players), David Jones (board member) |
| 2007 | Chad Fletcher, Rowan Jones (both players, Brian Dawson (coach), Anna Durante (secretary), Tim Gepp (match committee chairman) |
| 2008 | Dean Cox, Andrew Embley, Darren Glass, Daniel Kerr, Phil Scott (all players) |
| 2009 | Dalton Gooding (chairman), Nigel Satterley (board member), Adam Hunter, Quinten Lynch (both players) |
| 2010 | Jeff Newman |
| 2011 | Adam Selwood (player), Richard Godfrey (Chief Operating Officer), Glenn Stewart (High Performance Manager) |
Source:[27]
In 1996 as part of the AFL's centenary celebrations, and the club's 10 year celebrations, the Eagles named a team of the decade.
| Backs: | David Hart | Michael Brennan | Ashley McIntosh |
| Half Backs: | Guy McKenna | Glen Jakovich | John Worsfold |
| Centres: | Peter Matera | Dean Kemp | Chris Mainwaring |
| Half Forwards: | Brett Heady | Mitchell White | Craig Turley |
| Forwards: | Chris Lewis | Peter Sumich | Tony Evans |
| Ruck: | Ryan Turnbull | Don Pyke | Dwayne Lamb |
| Interchange: | Chris Waterman | Steve Malaxos | Peter Wilson |
In 2006 the West Coast Eagles named a greatest team of the past twenty years as part of the club's twentieth anniversary celebrations:
| Backs: | David Wirrpanda | Ashley McIntosh | Michael Brennan |
| Half Backs: | Guy McKenna | Glen Jakovich | John Worsfold (Captain) |
| Centres: | Peter Matera | Dean Kemp | Chris Mainwaring |
| Half Forwards: | Brett Heady | Mitchell White | Chris Lewis |
| Forwards: | Phillip Matera | Peter Sumich | Tony Evans |
| Ruck: | Dean Cox | Chris Judd | Ben Cousins |
| Interchange: | Chris Waterman | Drew Banfield | Don Pyke |
| Dwayne Lamb | |||
| Coach: | Michael Malthouse |
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996:
The Brownlow Medal is awarded to the best player in the competition during the home-and-away season as voted by the umpires:
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is awarded to the best player in the competition as voted by the AFL Players Association:
The Best Captain Award is awarded to the best captain as voted by the AFL Players Association:
The Best First-Year Player Award is awarded to the best first-year player as voted by the AFL Players Association:
The Norm Smith Medal is awarded to the player judged best-on-ground in the AFL Grand Final:
The Coleman Medal is awarded to the player who kicks the most goals in the AFL competition during the home-and-away season:
The AFL Rising Star is awarded to the best rookie player in the competition during a particular season:
The Goal of the Year is awarded to the player judged to have kicked the best goal during a particular season:
The Mark of the Year is awarded to the player judged to have taken the best mark during a particular season:
The Sandover Medal is awarded to the best player in the West Australian Football League:
The All-Australian team is a representative team consisting of the best players during a particular season. Prior to 1991 it was awarded to the best players in each interstate football carnival.[28]
| Year | Eagles players selected |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Phil Narkle |
| 1988 | Steve Malaxos |
| 1991 | Guy McKenna, Chris Mainwaring, Peter Matera, Craig Turley |
| 1992 | Dean Kemp |
| 1993 | Peter Matera, Guy McKenna |
| 1994 | Peter Matera, Guy McKenna, David Hart, Glen Jakovich |
| 1995 | Glen Jakovich |
| 1996 | Peter Matera, Chris Mainwaring, Mitchell White |
| 1997 | Peter Matera, Fraser Gehrig |
| 1998 | Ben Cousins, Ashley McIntosh |
| 1999 | Ben Cousins |
| 2001 | Ben Cousins |
| 2002 | Ben Cousins |
| 2003 | Michael Gardiner, Phil Matera |
| 2004 | Chad Fletcher, Chris Judd |
| 2005 | Ben Cousins, Dean Cox, David Wirrpanda |
| 2006 | Ben Cousins, Chris Judd, Dean Cox, Darren Glass |
| 2007 | Dean Cox, Darren Glass, Daniel Kerr |
| 2008 | Dean Cox |
| 2010 | Mark LeCras |
| 2011 | Dean Cox, Darren Glass |
Prior to 1991 the VFL Team of the Year was announced each year, consisting of the best players during that season in the Victorian Football League.[28]
| Year | Eagles players selected |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Ross Glendinning |
| 1988 | John Worsfold |
| 1989 | Guy McKenna |
| 1990 | John Worsfold, Chris Lewis |
Most games: 276 – Glen Jakovich Most goals: 514 – Peter Sumich Highest score: 29.18 (192) vs. Brisbane Bears, 1988, at the WACA Ground Lowest score: 1.12 (18) vs. Essendon, 1989, at Windy Hill Greatest winning margin: 135 points vs. Adelaide, 1995, at Subiaco Oval Greatest losing margin: 142 points vs. Essendon, 1989, at Windy Hill
The West Coast Eagles have been owned in full by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC) since 1989. It was originally owned by Indian Pacific Limited, a publicly listed company that was delisted from the Australian Stock Exchange in 1990 after 75% of the shares were bought out by the WAFC.[29] The last minority shareholders were bought out in 2000. West Coast pay approximately $3 million in rent to the WAFC for the use of Subiaco Oval, and 50–70% of overall profits.[30] In 2011, it was reported that the AFL lobbied to take over the ownership of both the Eagles and the Fremantle Football Club from the WAFC.[31]
The Eagles membership has generally been limited by the seating capacity of Subiaco Oval.
| Year | Members | Finishing position | Average crowd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 37,496 | 7th | 34,473 |
| 1999 | 36,212 | 5th | 30,777 |
| 2000 | 38,868 | 13th | 33,191 |
| 2001 | 38,649 | 14th | 32,674 |
| 2002 | 34,880 | 8th | 35,928 |
| 2003 | 36,234 | 7th | 38,084 |
| 2004 | 40,792 | 7th | 39,037 |
| 2005 | 42,406 | 2nd | 40,243 |
| 2006 | 44,138[32] | 1st | 40,506 |
| 2007 | 45,949[33] | 3rd | 40,791 |
| 2008 | 44,863[34] | 15th | 34,452[35] |
| 2009 | 43,927[36] | 11th | 36,377 |
| 2010 | 44,160 | 16th | 34,931 |
| 2011 | 54,745[37] | 4th | 37,436 |
We're the Eagles is the official anthem of the West Coast Eagles.
It was written in the 1980s by Kevin Peek in collaboration with his studio team at the time, Trevor Spencer and Boyd Wilson. Recorded at Kevin's studio in Rolleystone,engineered by Ric Curtin and sung by Perth musician and session singer Boyd Wilson with other local Perth singers joining the chorus
West Coast's mascot is Rick "the Rock" Eagle, named after the Daddy Cool hit song that is played at home games, "Eagle Rock".
As of 19th November 2010:
The West Coast Eagles have played the Fremantle Dockers in the Western Derby twice a year since the Dockers' inception into the AFL in 1995. Currently, 32 derbies have been played with the Eagles winning eighteen and the Dockers fourteen. West Coast won thirteen of the first fifteen, including the first nine consecutively, while the Dockers won seven consecutive games between August 2007 and May 2010.
After an Essendon come-from-behind win in 1993, Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy famously waved his jacket around his head. Whenever the two clubs meet now fans of the winning team wave jackets, scarves and other paraphernalia above their heads. The rivalry has increased as a result of the clubs sharing close ladder positions in recent years.[38]
In recent seasons West Coast have had the wood on Essendon, only losing to the Bombers three times since 2004.
The Eagles have developed arguably their second-most famous modern rivalry (after the Derby) against the Sydney Swans. Six consecutive games between the two teams (from the 2005 Qualifying Final to Round 1 of 2007) were each been decided by less than a goal, resulting in two wins to Sydney and 4 to West Coast (including a Grand Final win each). The difference in aggregate across the six games was three points and the sum of the margins was thirteen points.
In 2005, Sydney lost the Qualifying Final to the Eagles by four points, only to later win the Grand Final by four points against the Eagles. In 2006, the Eagles lost the Qualifying Final to Sydney by one point, only to later win the Grand Final by one point against the Swans, claiming their third premiership.
This trend was broken when the teams clashed again in Round 16, 2007. The Eagles won the game 112–100, a margin almost as high as the combined total margins of the previous 6 contests between the two teams. Since then the Swans have had the upper hand over the Eagles, winning all of their games since 2008.[39]
West Coast's rivalry with Geelong began after the Eagles won their first premiership against the heavily favoured Geelong in 1992, as well as their second in 1994. Although the rivalry has dimmed in recent years, it was revived after the Eagles won an amazing come-from-behind win in their premiership year of 2006, coming back from 54 points down in the third quarter. In 2008, the Eagles suffered its worst defeat in almost two decades, and its worst ever defeat at home, when they lost by 135 points at Subiaco Oval.
In Round 16, 2011, West Coast caused an upset when they defeated the then-top-of-the-ladder Cats by eight points, for its first win over the side since Round 10, 2006.
| Preceded by Hawthorn Essendon Sydney |
AFL Premiers 1992 1994 2006 |
Succeeded by Essendon Carlton Geelong |
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