West Coast chief executive Don Pyke has revealed how the club will use the extra four rookie spots gifted to them as part of an AFL assistance package.
The Eagles were handed special assistance by the league after only 11 wins in the past four seasons, receiving an end-of-first-round selection this year’s draft (currently pick 19) as well as four additional rookie list spots for the next three seasons.
It means the club will have a strong hand in this year’s draft with picks 1, 15, 18 and 19 as well as Pick 2, which is expected to come for losing co-captain Oscar Allen a a free agent to Brisbane.
But the extra rookie spots open up a range of options for the Eagles, who are once again turning over a significant portion of their list.
Pyke — who was instrumental in putting the submission to the AFL for the assistance — said they would target both recycled midfielders from other clubs as well as the best out of the state leagues to bolster their squad.
“It’s the ability to bring in those mid-range guys who are good AFL footballers who may have found themselves either off the list or they might be good WAFL, VFL players that we know have got potential to play AFL footy, but they’re going to bolster our squad and put pressure on the spots, and that’s really important,” Pyke told SEN.
“The midfield is an area there where we would target those sorts of guys. There’s a number of guys out there we believe will give us some real opportunity to bring in who have AFL experience, know what the level is, have good training habits and will really add to the group from a cultural viewpoint.
“But also give us depth. The best teams as you see every year, the sides who make the finals there’s two or three hard luck stories of guys who could easily be in the team but there’s pressure on for spot. And those pressure on for spots, people have to perform or they find themselves out of the team.
“We want to build that environment where there is pressure on for spots and it’s real pressure and that creates a really good environment for our players to strive to keep playing well but to win games of footy.”
West Coast have already been linked to several players who they can use the extra picks on.
Former Gold Coast and Brisbane midfielder Tom Berry has had interest from the club after he was delisted by the Suns following 43 games in seven years at both Queensland clubs.
Mature-age Frankston midfielder Tom Blamires is also on their radar after the 23-year-old won the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal for the best young player in the VFL.
Camera IconEast Fremantle star Milan Murdock has been on the Eagles’ radar before. Credit: Blake Parry/TheWest
Blamires averaged 24 disposals and four tackles in 21 games for the Dolphins to gain interest from the Eagles.
West Coast have also previously held interest in East Fremantle midfielder Milan Murdock, with the three-time Simpson medallist understood to have impressed coach Andrew McQualter.
The Eagles can also use the list spots to recruit any of their Next Generation Academy prospects in Wes Walley, Tylah Williams and Koby Evans as well as father-son gun Charlie Banfield should they not be bid on through the draft.