2023 West Coast Eagles season explained

Club:West Coast Eagles
Regularseason Result:Finished 18th (last)
Prevseason:2022
Highest Attendance:47,940 vs. (round 7)
Lowest Attendance:36,219 vs. (round 9)
Leading Goalscorer:Oscar Allen
Club B&Amp;F:Best and Fairest
Regularseason Comp:AFL season
Season:2023
Home Ground:Optus Stadium
Captain:Luke Shuey(4th season)
Coach:Adam Simpson(10th season)

The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2023 season was their 37th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their tenth season with Adam Simpson as coach, and their fourth and final season with Luke Shuey as captain.They ended the season with 3 wins and 20 losses, a percentage of 53.0%, and placed 18th (last) to “win” the wooden spoon.

Background

The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). They ended the 2022 home-and-away season seventeenth, or second last, on the ladder, with only two wins and twenty losses, their worst result ever. They only narrowly avoided winning the wooden spoon because 's percentage was worse.[1]

Prior to the start of the 2023 season, West Coast were widely expected to fare similarly to 2022. Out of a group of ten AFL.com.au journalists, all predicted that West Coast would finish the season 13th on the ladder or worse, with four predicting they would finish 16th. None of the journalists predicted that West Coast would finish last however.[2] Fox Sports used a Pythagorean expectation formula to predict that West Coast would finish the season 17th.[3] A group of Western Australia-based people from Nine Entertainment was more optimistic though, predicting West Coast would finish 12th, saying that they were unlucky with injuries in 2022, and that an influx of young players would help them be more competitive.[4]

Luke Shuey was voted in as captain for the fourth consecutive season. Jeremy McGovern remained a vice-captain and was joined by Tom Barrass, who replaced Nic Naitanui who declined to continue as part of the leadership group.[5] [6] Adam Simpson remained as coach for his tenth season. The assistant coaches are Matthew Knights (midfield), Jarrad Schofield (strategy and stoppages), Daniel Pratt (backs) and Luke Webster (forwards). The development coaches are Jacob Brennan (development coordinator), Mark Nicoski (forwards) and Kyal Horsley (midfield).[7]

Jayden Hunt joined West Coast as an unrestricted free agent on the first day of the 2022 trade period. He had previously played 114 games for .

Playing list

Changes

Josh Kennedy retired at the end of the 2022 season, as was widely expected. Jack Redden also retired at the end of the season, albeit unexpectedly.

Removals from playing list
PlayerReasonGames
Retired293 (271 at West Coast)[8] [9]
Retired263 (234 at West Coast)[10] [11]

Statistics

Playing list and statistics (as of round 9)[14]
PlayerGamesGoalsBehindsKicksHandballsDisposalsMarksTacklesNotes/Milestone(s)
1 3 4 1 30 9 39 15 11
2 8 10 8 78 35 113 46 18
3 9 0 2 94 101 195 32 31
4 5 1 1 54 69 123 20 16
5 9 4 3 116 52 168 43 22
6 2 0 0 18 6 24 5 3
7 9 1 1 45 80 125 11 70
8 3 0 2 11 14 25 5 1
10 6 2 0 48 28 76 21 18
11 9 5 3 110 151 261 31 47
12 9 24 11 71 28 99 50 16
13 4 1 2 37 36 73 7 17
14 9 0 0 137 57 194 61 27
15 3 4 5 15 20 35 12 5
16 6 0 0 38 41 79 16 20
18 3 0 2 15 8 23 8 7
19 3 0 0 16 8 24 6 7
20 3 0 0 36 17 53 22 1
21 6 4 1 33 26 59 8 18
23 8 1 0 96 47 143 31 17
24 5 2 3 31 29 60 10 24
25 6 0 0 89 37 126 23 11
26 2 0 0 5 13 18 1 5
27 9 10 12 54 30 84 34 21
28 4 0 0 32 32 64 19 10
29 4 0 0 28 22 50 13 6
31 9 2 2 104 69 173 31 22
32 9 1 0 49 64 113 10 28
33 2 0 0 3 6 9 2 0
35 6 0 0 41 9 50 24 7
36 6 3 3 29 39 68 12 12
37 9 0 0 74 42 116 57 4
39 6 1 2 38 52 90 19 18
40 2 0 0 5 3 8 3 1
42 1 0 0 4 2 6 3 1
44 5 2 2 23 36 59 10 13
49 5 5 2 14 28 42 8 15

Season summary

In the 2023 AFL season, each team played 23 games and had a mid-season bye. West Coast played,,,,, and twice, and all the other teams once. Only one game was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue of the grand final, against Richmond. There were three games at Adelaide Oval as a result of the Gather Round, where West Coast played in Adelaide. Other venues included four games at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, one game at The Gabba in Brisbane, one game at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and one game against at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania.

Results

Regular season results[15]
RoundDayDateResultScoreOpponentScoreGroundAttendanceMargin
1Saturday121082121587Marvel StadiumA21,274-5[16]
2Sunday1416100111581Optus StadiumH44,649+19[17]
3Sunday913671612108Optus StadiumA56,090-41[18]
4Sunday99631912126Optus StadiumH42,458-63[19]
5Sunday1311892110136Adelaide OvalN30,120-47[20]
6Saturday109691613109Adelaide OvalA31,638-40[21]
7Sunday68442314152Optus StadiumH47,940-108[22]
8Saturday810581514104Melbourne Cricket GroundA28,293-46[23]
9Friday67431617113Optus StadiumH36,219-70[24]
10Sunday42262210142University of Tasmania StadiumA-116
11Saturday61046141296Optus StadiumH-50
12Saturday89571812120Optus StadiumH-63
13Saturday84522712174Adelaide OvalA-122
14Bye
15Saturday54343119205Sydney Cricket GroundA-171
16Sunday12577121385Optus StadiumH-8
17Saturday55351620116data-sort-value="Gabba" The GabbaA-81
18Sunday81260141498Optus StadiumH-38
19Saturday109692114140Marvel StadiumA-71
20Sunday10127210767Optus StadiumH+5
21Saturday11672101373Marvel StadiumA-1
22Saturday49332014134Optus StadiumH-101
23Sunday14892121385Marvel StadiumA+7
24Saturday126781721123Optus StadiumH-45
H
Home game
scope=rowAAway game
scope=rowNNeutral game

Ladder

WAFL team

Robert Wiley was West Coast's WAFL coach.[7]

Awards

Reuben Ginbey was nominated for the Rising Star award in round three, making him the first Rising Star nomination from West Coast since Oscar Allen in round 21, 2019. Jai Culley was nominated for the Rising Star award in round six.

Awards received by West Coast players
AwardAwarded byPlayerResult
Rising StarAustralian Football LeagueReuben Ginbey (round 3)[25] [26]
Jai Culley (round 6)[27] [28]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mottram . Seb . West Coast's season review: highlight, lowlight, off-season needs and overall grade . SEN . 27 March 2023 . 23 August 2022.
  2. Web site: Crystal Ball: Our predictions for the 2023 AFL season are in . AFL.com.au . 27 March 2023 . 14 March 2023.
  3. Web site: Laughton . Max . Moneyball theory reveals which AFL teams will rise and fall in the 2023 season . Fox Sports . 27 March 2023 . 7 February 2023.
  4. Web site: Sweeney . Paddy . AFL predictions: Freo in the top four and West Coast looking at a long season . WAtoday . 27 March 2023 . 13 March 2023.
  5. Web site: Woodcock . Mitchell . Luke Shuey to return as West Coast Eagles captain for fourth successive season . PerthNow . 27 March 2023 . 31 January 2023.
  6. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Gun ruckman steps aside as Shuey takes reins at Eagles again . AFL.com.au . 27 March 2023 . 31 January 2023.
  7. Web site: Coaches (AFL) . West Coast Eagles . 27 March 2023.
  8. Web site: McNeill . Heather . Pierik . Jon . West Coast legend Josh Kennedy to retire at the weekend . The Age . 27 March 2023 . 2 August 2022.
  9. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Running on empty: Knee injury forces Eagles champion into retirement . AFL.com.au . 27 March 2023 . 2 August 2022.
  10. Web site: Quartermaine . Braden . West Coast Eagles veteran Jack Redden announces retirement . The West Australian . 27 March 2023 . 30 September 2022 . subscription.
  11. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Shock retirement: Premiership Eagle calls time after 14 seasons . AFL.com.au . 27 March 2023 . 30 September 2022.
  12. Web site: Rogers . Samantha . AFL Trades 2022: West Coast swoop on speedy Melbourne free agent Jayden Hunt . PerthNow . 27 March 2023 . 3 October 2022.
  13. Web site: Gabelich . Josh . Go west: Demon joins Eagles as unrestricted free agent . AFL.com.au . 27 March 2023 . 3 October 2022.
  14. Web site: 2023 Player Stats . AFL Tables . 16 May 2023.
  15. Web site: 2023 Season Scores and Results . AFL Tables . 13 May 2023.
  16. Web site: Welsh . Sophie . Roos hold off late Eagles surge to start Clarko era in style . AFL.com.au . Australian Associated Press . 27 March 2023 . 18 March 2023.
  17. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Best in the west? Eagles down Giants ahead of Western Derby . AFL.com.au . 27 March 2023 . 26 March 2023.
  18. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Demolition Derby: Dockers, injuries too much for decimated Eagles . AFL.com.au . 2 April 2023 . 2 April 2023.
  19. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Clinical Demons get job done against depleted Eagles . AFL.com.au . 9 April 2023 . 9 April 2023.
  20. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Classy Cats in cruise control to overcome depleted Eagles . AFL.com.au . 18 April 2023 . 16 April 2023.
  21. Web site: Welsh . Sophie . Eagles overpowered as Port puts on a clinic . AFL.com.au . Australian Associated Press . 22 April 2023 . 22 April 2023.
  22. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Blues cruise: King Charles bags nine as Carlton crushes Eagles . AFL.com.au . 1 May 2023 . 30 April 2023.
  23. Web site: Kalinic . Dejan . Tiger charge sets up much-needed win over Eagles . AFL.com.au . 13 May 2023 . 7 May 2023.
  24. Web site: Schmook . Nathan . Red-hot Suns coast past depleted Eagles . AFL.com.au . 13 May 2023 . 12 May 2023.
  25. Web site: Woodcock . Mitchell . West Coast Eagles teenager Reuben Ginbey named round three rising star nominee after western derby outing . The West Australian . 4 April 2023 . 3 April 2023 . subscription.
  26. Web site: Bourke . Ed . West Coast midfielder Reuben Ginbey earns Rising Star nomination . News.com.au . 4 April 2023 . 3 April 2023.
  27. Web site: Woodcock . Mitchell . Jai Culley earns Rising Star nomination for second West Coast Eagles nod this month . PerthNow . 26 April 2023 . 26 April 2023.
  28. Web site: Jai time: Eagle earns Rising Star nomination after four-goal haul . AFL.com.au . 26 April 2023 . 26 April 2023.

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