Liam Duggan believes a fitter and more healthy West Coast squad can shock their rivals and shoot up the AFL ladder this season.
In the annual ballot of membership captains, no rival skipper picked the Eagles to succeed in the top-eight in 2023.
The dire predictions got here on the again of a horror marketing campaign for Adam Simpson’s males, when accidents and sickness took their toll throughout a two-win season.
“We always aim to play finals as quickly as possible and our goal will be no different this year,” Eagles defender Duggan informed AAP.
“It’s probably no surprise that we’re not in anyone’s predictions but it’s also a nice place to be as the underdogs and we can only go and prove them wrong.
“There’s a few nice examples – like what Collingwood did final yr – and there is a area within the sport for that now.
“There’s no such thing as a long build back up to the top. You’ve just got to compete straight away again.
“I really feel like, with our squad wholesome once more, we’re positively within the combine.”
Duggan said West Coast are far fitter entering their round-one clash with North Melbourne on Saturday than they were at the same stage last year.
He has been buoyed by his teammates’ drive to want to improve across the board and said game plan tweaks with a greater focus on transition would bring the Eagles up to speed.
But he conceded there were some alarm bells in the pre-season defeat to Adelaide.
“They gave us a bit of little bit of a lesson across the footy with their contest and the way clear they had been popping out of these stress moments,” Duggan stated.
“They made us replicate a bit of bit about how we’re stepping into that space.
“But we’ve got the legs now to keep up with the game and putting that all together now is the challenge.”
One shining mild from the loss to the Crows was No.9 draft decide Reuben Ginbey, whose clear fingers and toughness within the contest have put him on the verge of a round-one debut.
“I’m mindful of pumping him up too much because I don’t want there to be too much smoke around him but he’s a really impressive player,” Duggan stated.
“He seems to have a lot of the game already figured out and obviously he’ll continue to learn, but he’s a good kid and he’s willing to do that.
“He might in all probability educate me a factor or two however he nonetheless asks the questions.
“He’s an exciting prospect for us and I’m sure we’ll see him early on in the year.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
