West Coast veteran Jack Redden admits senior players may be forced to spend more time in the WAFL next season if the team fails to climb the ladder quickly.
The Eagles finished the season in 17th place with just two wins, a save rate of 59.8 and a last-round defeat to Geelong of 85 points. Nine of their losses were by over 50 points and included two losses by over 100 points.
As COVID-19 impacted the West Coast start of the season and injuries to key players were also a factor, Redden said no one could avoid the reality that they’ve had “a pretty terrible year.”
Question marks now hang over how the Eagles will rebuild their roster as nine players are over 30. Josh Kennedy has already retired, but coaches face tough decisions about other big names.
Redden is one of the over 30s and has a contract for next season. But Redden said the veterans would all be under pressure if they didn’t perform.
“I’m stuck and can’t wait to continue. It’s about being at the AFL level or helping young kids develop, ”Redden said.
“Whether it’s WAFL or AFL, I’ll raise my hand. Oddly, I enjoyed this year in several ways. It was tough at times, but it’s great to work with young people and to be a leader in between. Earth.
“The reality is that to win another premiership, we have to get the games into young talent and make them grow. If the older players play hard with our feet we will support them, but if not, I think we will try to play with the young ones.
The West Coast will enter the draft with the second selection and three top 30 picks.
Redden said being forced to play with youngsters all season accelerated their development and he expects many of them to become key players in the squad next year.
“Brady Hough has shown great signs. He’s pretty skinny, but I think he’s going to become a strong and tough winger and midfielder, ”Redden said.
“Rhett Bazzo showed excellent signals as a midfielder while reading footy. Can’t wait to see Campbell Chesser. He is a great athlete and unfortunately this year it didn’t work out for him due to an injury.
“We have some good draft picks, so hopefully we can take out some young talent and make some progress.”