Pass mark for West Coast in 2026

[tiger_tough]

4+ wins and a considerably better percentage IMO.

 

[THE_GUN]

4 wins and I think he should survive to coach in 2027 but 2 only would be asking a lot. I can't think of any coaches who have survived and been successful after 3 wins in their first two seasons. Maybe I'm wrong and there has been an example of that?

Eagles are coming from a long way back and 2025 will only be his 2nd year
everybody know its a 5 year rebuild from when he was appointed to even get to finals contention

 

[Grrr]

Don't think they should be measured in terms of wins, although obviously more than last year is a given. I think they should be measured in the improvement of their top young players like Reid and Shanahan, how good will Duursma be, and how well Young and Starcrevich sure up their backline. In other words light at the end of a pretty dark tunnel.

If they have some luck with injuries and start pushing sides and being generally competitive, then that is a pass. The wins will follow this yeqr or next.

 

[SSSSSS]

I would say they have to at minimum beat two of North/Tigers/Essendon at home. If they can snag another against the rest I'd say you'd be reasonably happy with that as an Eagles supporter.

I'm struggling to find a win away from home.

 

[Grrr]

I would say they have to at minimum beat two of North/Tigers/Essendon at home. If they can snag another against the rest I'd say you'd be reasonably happy with that as an Eagles supporter.

I'm struggling to find a win away from home.

It's not that linear. Bottom sides snag a wins over middle sides or even top sides if they are down on form, injuries etc.
Also sides that look okay can bottom out unexpectedly. Happens every year. It's about being competitive and progression.

 

[Seattle Mariners]

I'd say 5 wins would be the pass mark.

 

[Obeanie1]

I would say they have to at minimum beat two of North/Tigers/Essendon at home. If they can snag another against the rest I'd say you'd be reasonably happy with that as an Eagles supporter.

I'm struggling to find a win away from home.

Dude, when Judd was playing Eagles would find it hard to find a win away from home.

That narrative was pretty common even when the Eagles were competitive and playing finals. They just dominated at home.

Teams who fly West and drop away 5% mentally will get smacked by the kids and oldies having a good day playing at home in front of that home crowd.

That's how they will start learning how to win again.

 

[BarbieITFC]

I'm going to try and put my Freo bias to one side and be objective.

Richmond proved last year that a couple of freak wins can distort the reality of how a season has gone - so I think a pass mark based upon wins/losses is lacking in nuance. West Coast's five wins in 2024 also proves that point.

This is a club that has won 10 games in four seasons, and have the worst win/loss record over 90 games in AFL/VFL history - so if I was in their shoes I would want to judge the season based upon the signs of sustainable progress. I would suggest the following five metrics:

- Maximum of two smashings. Whilst they cut out the 100 point losses last year (an improvement on previous seasons) there were still 7 games where they lost by 10 goals or more. I think it's inevitable they will come up against a top six side on a couple of occasions who put them to the sword, but it can't be a regular occurrence.

- Break even against the sides around you. They have six games against Demons, Tigers, North and Bombers (who would appear to be the sides likely to be down the bottom with them) - they need to win at least 50% of these games. It's the only way a fourth spoon will be avoided.

- Don't lose any game at Optus by more than five goals. West Coast, on song with a near sell out crowd at Optus should be the hardest road trip in footy. The Eagles need to make progress towards Optus becoming a fortress again.

- Significantly reduce the number of games lost to Best 22 players through injury. It's been killing them for years now and it's the weakest excuse going. Sure, the nature of footy means some injuries are inevitable, but the number and nature of West Coast's injuries over multiple years shows a pattern that goes way beyond bad luck. Freo had this throughout the 2015-2020 period and a change in strength and conditioning team and the medical team saw us improve dramatically in this regard. I suspect Phil Merriman will prove to be the most impactful signing of this off season (and I worry about how his departure will impact Freo).

- Finally, and this is less tangible, give the fans something to smile/talk about that doesn't rhyme with Barley Feed. Whether that's some kids stepping up, a win after the siren, a 60 goal season from Waterman, a Derby victory (hopefully not) - but supporting your team needs to have some joy and that's been in short supply for too long. As a Freo fan, of course I love to see it, but I do have a grudging respect for the number of fans that show up week after week to watch the absolute crapfest that's been served up for the last 4.5 years - and against all odds I actually know a couple of decent West Coast fans (only a couple mind) and part of me wants them to experience some joy.

Obviously this last one is based upon the assumption that Freo win the flag this season so that joy can be quickly crushed by seeing the Purple Army parade the flag through the streets of Perth.

 

[aussierulesrules]

From what was our best side at the end of the year, we have the below

Brandon Starcevich replacing Tom Cole
Willem Duursma replacing Clay Hall
Jake Waterman replacing Liam Ryan
Tylar Young replacing Sandy Brock
Elliot Yeo replacing Tim Kelly
Hamish Davis replacing Matt Owies
Bo Allan replacing Campbell Chesser

Are you banking on an injury-free season?

Your whole post seems to be implying that you’re going to be at full strength this year, and as such, you’ll be significantly better, but what happens if you get even a normal amount of injuries?

That’s what really hurts young teams in particular. When you get injuries to best 22 (especially experienced, or top 5 types) and you’re replacing them with babies, who honestly aren’t ready yet.

Which is a large part of why you only won 1 game last season.

You’re still going to be super-vulnerable to injuries, which is why the predictions of up to 7 or even 8 wins are incredibly optimistic.

You’d almost certainly need an amazingly good injury run, including to injury-prone types, like Yeo and Starcevich.

So much of it comes down to Waterman though. Especially since you’ve lost your second highest goalkicker from last year (Ryan) and Allen, who played 12 games.

At the end of the day, Waterman and Allen did still play 20 games last year, and this year you only have one of them, so you’ll get a max of 23 games.

If he’s back up and firing and plays all year though, and Harley takes a big leap forward and likewise plays all year, then I think 4-5 wins would be very attainable.

I think an awful awful lot would need to go right to get more than that.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Are you banking on an injury-free season?

Your whole post seems to be implying that you’re going to be at full strength this year, and as such, you’ll be significantly better, but what happens if you get even a normal amount of injuries?

That’s what really hurts young teams in particular. When you get injuries to best 22 (especially experienced, or top 5 types) and you’re replacing them with babies, who honestly aren’t ready yet.

Which is a large part of why you only won 1 game last season.

You’re still going to be super-vulnerable to injuries, which is why the predictions of up to 7 or even 8 wins are incredibly optimistic.

You’d almost certainly need an amazingly good injury run, including to injury-prone types, like Yeo and Starcevich.

So much of it comes down to Waterman though. Especially since you’ve lost your second highest goalkicker from last year (Ryan) and Allen, who played 12 games.

At the end of the day, Waterman and Allen did still play 20 games last year, and this year you only have one of them, so you’ll get a max of 23 games.

If he’s back up and firing and plays all year though, and Harley takes a big leap forward and likewise plays all year, then I think 4-5 wins would be very attainable.

I think an awful awful lot would need to go right to get more than that.

I think the depth and top 30 can handle a injury or two but like most if we get 8+ injuries things will be rough. I dont think any team in the AFL is free of this rule for sure. Im pretty confident if Gold Coast get a injury to Ben King they will not win as many etc

 

[aussierulesrules]

I think the depth and top 30 can handle an injury or two but like most if we get 8+ injuries things will be rough. I dont think any team in the AFL is free of this rule for sure. Im pretty confident if Gold Coast get a injury to Ben King they will not win as many etc

Of course, but it depends where you’re at on the “premiership clock”. The teams that are in full rebuild mode aren’t as worried about having backup depth that can step in and play to a high standard immediately, as they’re looking to the future, so their depth will be mostly inexperienced kids, whereas the teams up the top tend to have more guys who have a few preseasons under their belt as backup. Because if they get injuries, they’ll need those guys to come in and not be a huge drop-off from the guy they’re replacing. Because they’re in ‘win now mode’.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

I can't see them winning many games. As in more than 5. Maybe two, three max. Is that a pass mark if they in 3? Pretty dire pass mark.

 

[Corkintheocean]

6 wins and a home % of 90+ would be palatable.

A road win against a side not named Richmond or North Melbourne would be nice.

As would a Reid coming of age game at home to roll a Top 8 side later in the season.

Duursma, CDT & Lindsay to each play 15+ matches.

Most importantly, be competitive enough to avoid a plethora of Sunday afternoon graveyard fixtures in 2027.

 

[Obeanie1]

Are you banking on an injury-free season?

Your whole post seems to be implying that you’re going to be at full strength this year, and as such, you’ll be significantly better, but what happens if you get even a normal amount of injuries?

That’s what really hurts young teams in particular. When you get injuries to best 22 (especially experienced, or top 5 types) and you’re replacing them with babies, who honestly aren’t ready yet.

Which is a large part of why you only won 1 game last season.

You’re still going to be super-vulnerable to injuries, which is why the predictions of up to 7 or even 8 wins are incredibly optimistic.

You’d almost certainly need an amazingly good injury run, including to injury-prone types, like Yeo and Starcevich.

So much of it comes down to Waterman though. Especially since you’ve lost your second highest goalkicker from last year (Ryan) and Allen, who played 12 games.

At the end of the day, Waterman and Allen did still play 20 games last year, and this year you only have one of them, so you’ll get a max of 23 games.

If he’s back up and firing and plays all year though, and Harley takes a big leap forward and likewise plays all year, then I think 4-5 wins would be very attainable.

I think an awful awful lot would need to go right to get more than that.

Re not replacing best 22 with babies.

That's why the Eagles used the additional 3 rookie spots bringing in 3 mature age mids.

Plus Starcervich.

Plus Young.

Hopefully we get Yeo back to add more maturity.

Waterman looks like he has recovered from the shoulder surgery.

That's 7 mature players the club has moving forward they got close to zero impact from last year.

Their depth is slowly improving. And the kids a year older.

 

[Scotland]

Flag or bust.

People need to relax on the "one win" thing. Lost to Richmond by 2, Essendon by 2 and North by 10 kicking 6.16. Anyone who thinks there is some huge gap between those objectively awful teams should look at the ladder from 2024.

As usual a lot will depend on who is available. Once upon a time we had McGovern and Barrass in the key posts. Then Hurn and Sheppard in support. Will Schofield

31

Will Schofield

Age

37

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.6

3star

K

6.5

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

1.8

4star

MG

154.0

2star

D

5.0

1star

K

2.5

1star

HB

2.5

2star

M

0.5

1star

T

1.5

2star

MG

70.5

1star

D

7.4

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

2.0

2star

M

3.2

4star

T

1.8

4star

was great in the 2018 GF but without a cruel injury to Sheppard he doesn't even play. Our best defender now isn't as good as any of those guys then, hence we are at the bottom.

I am tipping 3-6 wins, 65-70%. With the list profile we have I am not expecting any big jumps this year. Highly likely we start the year with 6 100 gamers and 10-15 <50 gamers, with up to 6-8 of those being <20 gamers. That's not the profile of a winning team. Might surprise a few teams along the way but if we beat a top team away I would expect us to lose at home the following week. What I really hope to see by the end of the year is something approaching a clear best 22 instead of each week being a different guy coming in that's played 5 games. H Reid, Long, Hewett should hopefully tick over the 50 game mark. Shanahan, Allan into the 20s and 30s. Duursma and CDT hopefully play plenty of footy. Etc. Once we have an established core of 50-150 gamers and the younger third of the 22 are mostly 30-40 gamers rather than 3-4 gamers we can reassess if we are still dogshit.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Flag or bust.

People need to relax on the "one win" thing. Lost to Richmond by 2, Essendon by 2 and North by 10 kicking 6.16. Anyone who thinks there is some huge gap between those objectively awful teams should look at the ladder from 2024.

As usual a lot will depend on who is available. Once upon a time we had McGovern and Barrass in the key posts. Then Hurn and Sheppard in support. Will Schofield was great in the 2018 GF but without a cruel injury to Sheppard he doesn't even play. Our best defender now isn't as good as any of those guys then, hence we are at the bottom.

I am tipping 3-6 wins, 65-70%. With the list profile we have I am not expecting any big jumps this year. Highly likely we start the year with 6 100 gamers and 10-15 <50 gamers, with up to 6-8 of those being <20 gamers. That's not the profile of a winning team. Might surprise a few teams along the way but if we beat a top team away I would expect us to lose at home the following week. What I really hope to see by the end of the year is something approaching a clear best 22 instead of each week being a different guy coming in that's played 5 games. H Reid, Long, Hewett should hopefully tick over the 50 game mark. Shanahan, Allan into the 20s and 30s. Duursma and CDT hopefully play plenty of footy. Etc. Once we have an established core of 50-150 gamers and the younger third of the 22 are mostly 30-40 gamers rather than 3-4 gamers we can reassess if we are still dogshit.

You still lost those games, close or not.

 

[Scotland]

You still lost those games, close or not.

And?

It has minimal bearing in our prospects this year. Had we won those 3 games we would have finished on 4 wins, level with Richmond and North and still last on %. Means SFA. Just as it did in 2024 when we won 5, North 4 and Richmond 2. The gap between the top sides is small and the gap between the bottom sides is small.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Re not replacing best 22 with babies.

That's why the Eagles used the additional 3 rookie spots bringing in 3 mature age mids.

That should help a lot then, that was a smart move.

Plus Starcervich.

Plus Young.

Hopefully we get Yeo back to add more maturity.

Waterman looks like he has recovered from the shoulder surgery.

That's 7 mature players the club has moving forward they got close to zero impact from last year.

It’s not quite that many though, because
A: you’re almost certainly going to get injuries to experienced guys this year as well (especially Yeo, who is about as likely to get through a full year as Hunter Clark or Dougal Howard are for us!), and
B: while you do bring in the 5 new guys who aren’t babies, you also lost Ryan (20 games), Hunt (15) and Allen (12). Plus McGovern, Chesser and Petrocelli (who played 12 between them), so you lost a decent chunk of experience as well.

So unless you have zero significant injuries to experienced guys, it’s really only about two extra experienced guys than you had last year.

Which is certainly better than nothing, but not as significant as if it was actually 7 more.

Their depth is slowly improving. And the kids a year older.

This, and potentially having Waterman fit and firing for the whole year, is where I think you should be banking on most of your improvement coming from.

The kids who were already there either having breakout years (especially Harley), or at a minimum, being more ready to contribute solidly, plus hopefully getting a good contribution from Duursma in particular, out of the latest draft crop.

Either way, there should be plenty to get excited about for the future.

 

[THE_GUN]

And?

It has minimal bearing in our prospects this year. Had we won those 3 games we would have finished on 4 wins, level with Richmond and North and still last on %. Means SFA. Just as it did in 2024 when we won 5, North 4 and Richmond 2. The gap between the top sides is small and the gap between the bottom sides is small.

Yep and if Richmond had won the close games would have finished on 9 wins
but didnt

Teams lose and win close games

 

[Snarls Barkley]

I don't think there is a specific win-loss record as a pass mark for teams like Eagles. Sure they could win four or five games but if they are getting smoked every loss like this season then I'm not convinced its a pass

Not sure how many times they lost by more than 5 goals and more than 8 goals this past season. I'd be happy if they were just more competitive

*I just picked those numbers at random. Think generally though if its less than 20 points or so its competitive. Anything more than 50 is a shellacking and I'd just like to see less shellacking's

 

[Obeanie1]

I don't think there is a specific win-loss record as a pass mark for teams like Eagles. Sure they could win four or five games but if they are getting smoked every loss like this season then I'm not convinced its a pass

Not sure how many times they lost by more than 5 goals and more than 8 goals this past season. I'd be happy if they were just more competitive

*I just picked those numbers at random. Think generally though if its less than 20 points or so its competitive. Anything more than 50 is a shellacking and I'd just like to see less shellacking's

The Eagles last season lost several games by less than a kick.

What you described they acheived in 2025. The 100 point floggings stopped and they started pushing teams late in games. They almost beat the Crows late 8n the season.

So 2025 we did see less shellackings than 2024 but less wins. Several losses by less than a kick but they were more competitive for longer.

Hopefully they can improve another 5 to 10% and turn those narrow losses into wins and they improve their percentage / competitiveness.

 

[Snarls Barkley]

The Eagles last season lost several games by less than a kick.

What you described they acheived in 2025. The 100 point floggings stopped and they started pushing teams late in games. They almost beat the Crows late 8n the season.

So 2025 we did see less shellackings than 2024 but less wins. Several losses by less than a kick but they were more competitive for longer.

Hopefully they can improve another 5 to 10% and turn those narrow losses into wins and they improve their percentage / competitiveness.

Forced me to look it up

2024: 5 wins, 4 losses by 15 points or less, 10 losses by 50 points or more
2025: 1 win, 4 losses by 10 points or less, 11 losses by 49 points or more

So not really. Mostly the same but swapped four of their wins for 20 to 50 point losses

2023 was the year they got beaten by 100+ five times

 

[Obeanie1]

Forced me to look it up

2024: 5 wins, 4 losses by 15 points or less, 10 losses by 50 points or more
2025: 1 win, 4 losses by 10 points or less, 11 losses by 49 points or more

So not really. Mostly the same but swapped four of their wins for 20 to 50 point losses

2023 was the year they got beaten by 100+ five times

Mate. We supporters who watch every game are happier with 2025 than the 2024 season.

2024 we looked pretty average.

2025 we looked like we were changing attitude and the way we play. Green shoots coming through. We turned a corner in 2025 that the stat's you are referring to don't show or explain that.

In 2025 we pushed teams for 3 quarters the previous season we were losing games in the first quarter getting flogged.

 

[Jirik13]

Pass mark for me is avoiding wooden spoon in 2026

It will not be easy as all teams improve and fans for every bottom 6 clubs in 2025 can make case for improvement as Eagles fans make here. Which clubs will Eagles get ahead in 2026 just by looking best 23 with no injuries?

 

[Obeanie1]

Pass mark for me is avoiding wooden spoon in 2026

It will not be easy as all teams improve and fans for every bottom 6 clubs in 2025 can make case for improvement as Eagles fans make here. Which clubs will Eagles get ahead in 2026 just by looking best 23 with no injuries?

The bottom 6 team who cops more injuries.

Let's not pretend injuries to key players isn't a factor in which team finishes last. It does because clubs rebuilding generally have fewer mature key players and less depth.