West Coast’s determination to retain the majority of their older gamers as an alternative of attacking the draft with a big rebuild has been praised by former star David Wirrpanda, who believes younger gamers don’t develop as rapidly with out skilled stars round them.
The Eagles completed in seventeenth final season after some horrible losses. Injury and COVID impacted their season, however they have been additionally uncompetitive when key gamers returned.
While some golf equipment have traded or delisted older gamers and targeted on youth, the Eagles are enjoying six males over 30 each week and Nic Naitanui will make improve their common age additional when he returns from damage.
Wirrpanda mentioned there was no level blooding children resembling Reuben Ginbey, Campbell Chesser, Noah Long and Elijah Hewett with out the precise mentors to information them.
“You can’t buy experience and that’s what they need,” Wirrpanda mentioned of the youthful gamers.
“Going back to when I was a young bloke, the Bluey McKennas and Wooshas of this world were my mentors. They fast tracked my career. You’ve got to retain experience. That’s an important part of it all.”
West Coast will enter the derby with an fringe of greater than 900 video games price of expertise over Fremantle regardless of having three gamers who’re every enjoying their third video games.
The Eagles have adopted a special technique to North Melbourne and Hawthorn who’ve each targeted on constructing by means of the draft after buying and selling out older gamers.
Former West Coast captain Darren Glass labored because the membership’s checklist supervisor for one season till COVID pressured soccer division’s to slash budgets and re-shuffle positions. No longer concerned in soccer, Glass mentioned there was no excellent technique to rebuild, however he felt profitable was the best technique to educate younger gamers concerning the AFL.
“Both models can work. Geelong and Richmond have gone with a different model. I don’t think anyone deliberately wants to bottom out. A winning culture is a good culture,” he mentioned.
“There’s a draft there for a motive if they’ve to return to it. There’s loads of possibilities to carry expertise in. I feel they’d reasonably be profitable.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
