Thud: West Coast Eagles 2008

2005: 19-6 (2nd)
2006: 20-6 (1st)
2007: 15-9 (5th)
2006: 4-18 (15th)

Terminal velocity: the constant maximum velocity reached by a body falling through the atmosphere under the attraction of gravity.
Terminal velocity: the West Coast Eagles 2008.

The Eagles were truly brought back to Earth this year, and then some. Has there ever been a quicker more violent fall from grace? Including the two lost finals last year the Eagles, the same unit that finished top three after the home and away season back-to-back-to-back, is currently on a 4-20 run. That said it's not exactly the same unit. Has a team ever fallen as hard as the Eagles? Well, has a team ever lost 2 of the 50 greatest players of all time in the same off-season without receiving any immediate compensation? I doubt it. Everyone knew the losses of superstars Ben Cousins and Chris Judd would hurt. Nobody knew how much. To succeed without Cousins and Judd, the Eagles midfield would have to pick up the slack. They didn't. Daniel Kerr fell on his face, struggling when he actually managed to take the field. He's not a number one midfielder. Leaders Tyson Stenglein and Andrew Embley fell on hard times. Michael Braun hustled but was noticeably in his twilight. Matthew Rosa couldn't stay fit. Chris Masten didn't have an impact. Chad Fletcher is a shadow of his former self. Of the West Coast midfield only Matthew Priddis and Adam Selwood could claim to have solid seasons.

What was thought to be a solid midfield was terrible all year. The loss of Judd and Cousins meant that the depth chart of the midfield was altered dramatically. Instead of being the #3, #4 and #5 in the guts, Daniel Kerr, Matthew Priddis and Michael Braun were now #1 , #2, #3. Guys that love to run free like Embley and Rosa were able to be kept in closer check, with opposing teams not having to worry about Cousins and Judd. It's a pity the Eagles midfield couldn't lift as Dean Cox continued his great work in the ruck, re-asserting his position at the game's elite ruckman.

Trading the best player in the game you'd expect a handsome return. The Eagles weren't in the ideal bargaining position with Judd out of contract. They managed to get the #3 pick (Chris Masten), Josh Kennedy and the #20 pick (Tony Notte). Combined the three played 17 games for the season. Which highlights the Eagles other big problem for the season - injuries. Injuries last year were the difference between the Eagles bowing out in straight sets and playing off in a grand final. Last year Judd (groin), Kerr (thumb), Cousins (hamstring) were all casualties. This year the Eagles found themselves without Daniel Kerr (knee), Beau Waters (arm), Adam Hunter (shoulder), Josh Kennedy (shoulder), Matt Rosa (fibula), Masten (osteitis pubis) and Brent Staker (various) all missed significant time. I'm not sure how much it would have mattered, but we never really got to see the Eagles at full strength all year.

The Eagles shortcoming in the 05-06-07 seasons was its impotent forward line. It didn't really matter though with the insane amount of delivery it was getting. Hansen, Lynch and LeCras was all you needed to kick a winning score when you had Cousins and Judd putting it in the forward 50. But the Eagles lost about 200 Inside 50s and 50 goals a year straight away from the Cousins-Judd tandem and couldn't make it up. The perenially underrated Eagles back six looked weak this year as well. Hunter, Waters and Jones all missed a lot of time, and Darren Glass looked surprisingly vulnerable all year.

The major problem with West Coast this year was the culture. There were worries about the clubs drug culture during the 2005-07 span. At least it didn't affect their footy. The 2008 West Coast Eagles were victim of a losing culture. Players didn't play hard and the coach publicly threw in the towel just five or six rounds into the season. The team at times looked like it wanted to be elsewhere. The loss at home to Geelong was the most disgraceful team performance in any sport I have ever seen. In a period from 2002-2007 the Eagles lost four games by ten goals or more. This year they lost eight matches by that margin or more. They were lazy, uninterested and basically pathetic.

The Eagles of '08 showed that they could play when they wanted to. They had wins over quality opposition Brisbane, Adelaide and St. Kilda. Michael Braun inspired them to a fantastic victory over Essendon late in the season. They pushed the Kangaroos and Sydney to the wire, losing both matches by a combined 11 points. I remember watching the Sydney match, where Jude Bolton stole victory with a minute to go, and being impressed by the Eagles hustle. They weren't clean by any means, but hustle will win matches. Or take you close anyway. Unfortunately that West Coast team didn't show up very often.

The future though is surprisingly bright for the Eagles. The youth is promising. Masten will be a player, Ben McKinley is a super talent, Brad Ebert has already made an impact, and Josh Kennedy obviously has a heap of potential. Beau Wilkes, Eric Mackenzie and Will Schofield were all given time as key defenders and will continue to develop. What has West Coast in a better position than say Melbourne is that it still has a very solid middle-core. The two stars in the team Dean Cox (27) and Daniel Kerr (25) still have some very good footy in front of them. Mainstays Andrew Embley (27), Tyson Stenglein (28), Adam Hunter (27) and Darren Glass (27) will all continue to contribute for the next few years. You could do much worse than a veteran core of Cox, Kerr, Embley, Stenglein, Hunter and Glass. Add to this the midfield trio of Matt Priddis (23), Matt Rosa (21) and Adam Selwood (24) and it's hard to be too down on the Eagles' future. The Eagles hit the ground with a resounding thud, but as gravity (and football) states the faster you hit rock bottom the quicker you rise up again.

2008
Best player: Dean Cox. No contest really. Cox is the number one ruckman in the league, and is so mobile he's virtually a sixth midfielder. Still one of the ten most valuable players in the league.
Best match: Round 19, West Coast 17.11 113 def. Essendon 16.7 103 (Subiaco)
Not the Eagles best performance of the season by any means, but they displayed the future and it looked pretty good. Michael Braun inspirational.
Worst match: Round 13, West Coast 5.17 47 def. by Geelong 28.14 182 (Subiaco)
Disgraceful.
Key players: Dean Cox, Daniel Kerr, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa, Adam Selwood, Quinten Lynch
Needs to lift: Daniel Kerr, Brent Staker. Kerr is the key to the team, if he fires the rest of the midfield will follow. Staker needs to capitalise on his unreal talent.
2009 forecast: In the lower rungs you'd suspect. But the thing is with more focus the Eagles could bounce back very quickly, they still have the list. As amazing as it may sound, finals is not out of reach. Still though - bottom 4.

2008 Grade: F