West Coast premiership coach John Worsfold bullish over Eagles’ rebuild as he targets 2027 AFL wildcard

John Worsfold knows a thing or two about rebuilds, so when the AFL great says West Coast could be contending for finals by as early as 2027, it’s important to hear him out. The Eagles are not only coming off a wooden spoon campaign, but also a horror season which yielded just one measly win - the worst return in the club’s proud history. But arguments to suggest 2025 was rock bottom for West Coast are off the mark. That rock bottom actually occurred in 2023, when the club posted three wins but lost five games by 100 points or more, including a 171-point shellacking at the hands of Sydney at the SCG to finish with a percentage of 53. West Coast’s dire shortage of young talent back then was shocking. But after hitting the draft hard three years in a row, West Coast now boast a glut of young talent that will form the core of the club’s next premiership window. The No.1 draft pick from the 2023 national draft - Harley Reid - needs no introduction, and the return of veteran Elliot Yeo from injury means the Batman and Robin duo are back together. Reuben Ginbey and Brady Hough are already established stars, while big man Archer Reid and midfielder Elijah Hewett have shown plenty of promise. Perhaps the most exciting of the lot is emerging key forward Jobe Shanahan, who has fondly been dubbed ‘Shanahands’ for his vice-like grip while marking on the lead. The jury is still out on first-round draft pick Bo Allan, whose first season was ruined by illness and injury, as well as the likes of Jack Williams, Jacob Newton, Tyrell Dewar, Hamish Davis, Tom Gross, Clay Hall and Noah Long among others. Some of them will become busts, others stars. But it’s the weight of numbers of emerging talent at West Coast - the youngest and least experienced list in the AFL - that is cause for excitement. And the best part about it is their draft haul from November is set to be the best yet of their rebuild. No.1 draft pick Willem Duursma is being talked up as an A-grade midfielder. No.4 pick Cooper Duff-Tytler is in the mould of Fremantle star Luke Jackson. And pick No.19 Josh Lindsay, a smooth-moving defender who is capable of going into the midfield, looks like an absolute steal as West Coast’s final first-round pick of last year. Add in the arrival of mature talent Liam Baker, Jack Graham, Deven Robertson, Harry Schoenberg, Tylar Young and Lions premiership winner Brandon Starcevich over the past two summers, and West Coast’s blend of youth and experience is finally starting to take shape. Worsfold captained West Coast to the 1992 and 1994 flags before coaching the club to the 2006 premiership. As coach, he also oversaw the club’s four-win campaign in 2008 and four-win wooden spoon campaign in 2010. By 2011, the premiership window had unexpectedly burst wide open as West Coast surged to the preliminary final. Worsfold, now in his second season as West Coast’s head of football, is wise enough not to tip such a big jump just yet for the current crop of young Eagles. But with the AFL introducing a Wildcard Finals Round from this season, Worsfold feels his team could potentially be in the mix by next year. “It is a guess, but using my experience over a long time, I feel like we could be in that competitive, fighting for a spot in the finals next year, which means you can finish 10th,” Worsfold told AAP. “We could be in the hunt to be around that mark, which means you’ve got to be winning 10, 11 games. That’s a strong ambition for us.” West Coast have won just 11 of their 91 games across the past four years. The dire run meant the club went cap in hand to the AFL and was controversially handed draft concessions at the end of last season. So how has that dire period been viewed by Worsfold, the club’s greatest ever icon? “It hurt, absolutely. And I know that my old mates, we all talk, and they hurt still,” Worsfold says. “But some of the feedback we got last year, was that people feel like some of those things have been addressed. They’re noticeable. “Attitude, culture, feel - that sort of thing. “Ultimately, people still want it to relate to wins. That’s what our fans want. “But the guys I know that are very invested in where the club’s at are saying we can see where it’s going.” By that, Worsfold means there is a clear plan. That was distinctly different a few years ago when West Coast were reluctant to even utter the word ‘rebuild’. “We feel like the plan has been articulated now,” Worsfold says. “Before, I think that people felt like it was just, ‘let’s spin a story to keep everyone off our backs these next six months’. “I feel like people know there’s a longer-term plan and vision now to get back.” Coach Andrew ‘Mini’ McQualter, now in his second season, is a central figure in that plan. McQualter, Worsfold and other key members of the club’s hierarchy have been reluctant to put a figure on how many wins would be a pass mark for this season, and injuries mean they are expected to cop a hammering against Gold Coast on Sunday. But five wins and a decent improvement on last year’s percentage of 60.1 would be a big step forward, possibly setting the stage for a Wildcard crack in 2027.