Oz Footy List Manager now takes a look at West Coast.
List:
West Coast seems innately a tall team, maybe because of the dry conditions in Western Australia. Yet, when they won their premierships in 1992, 1994. 2006, and 2018, they weren’t so tall. We know West Coast are rebuilding, but there is concern in their list that they have 17 developing and junior-aged players that are 190cm or taller. However, credit to them for packing out each height range of their junior players.
The knock is the big gap in their developing (22-24yo) smaller-mediums (181-185cm), taller mediums (186-189cm) and mobile talls (190-194cms), although this should rectify itself over the next 2-3 years.
As well as their trading (Owies, Graham & Baker), their drafting (Bo Allan, Davis, Champion, Shanahan, Grego & Gross) all look good. To me, Gross is the one to watch as a talented & skilled Oakleigh Chargers midfielder.
With continued strong drafting, one can see a Westcoast premiership window in about 4 to 5 years.
Select 22:
As said, it is too easy to select an overly tall West Coast team because of the height bias on their list. Jamieson looked very good in his 4 games last season, but it is absurd to have two 200cm players – Jamieson & Harry Edwards – on the back line.
Up forward, hopefully, Oscar Allen gets in a full season. Owies & Baker should boost their overall goal-kicking. Young Bo Allan is talented enough to grab a wing spot. Basil Williams is better at centre clearances and is almost on par with Flynn in knock-outs, so I would have these two changing in the ruck, with Jack Williams playing as a third tall forward.
No doubt, there will be injuries to their twilight midfielders, and that is where Graham and the junior midfielders will get opportunity.
B: Duggan, Edwards, Cole
HB: Ginbey, McGovern, Hough
C: B.Allan, H.Reid, Kelly
HF: Owies, Waterman, Petroccelle
F: J.Williams, O.Allen, Ryan
R: B.Williams, Yeo, Baker
I: Sheed, Dewar, Flynn, Chesser
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About
It was 25 years ago that I began developing a model for analysing footy squad lists for the purpose of improving those lists into a premiership window. Since then, the model has been used to successfully predict premiership clubs and to improve either lop-sided or underdeveloped lists into premiership lists. Indeed, the model was used for an article that I had published as a double page spread in The Age 2005 Pre-Season magazine. Over the 25 years, I have analysed the annual lists of one particular club but have used it for other clubs upon request. It has always been on my bucket list to display the lists of all the clubs, using the model, which I've done since 2021 on my website - OzFootyListManager.com
Interesting that you refer to our recruiting as tall. I had thought the opposite – Long & Chesser. Maybe the talls are all still in development and I’ve not paid attention to them in the WAFL. I see us as bottom 4 again this year. 6 wins would be an achievement. Yeo is injury prone, so there is little midfield support for Kelly and Reid. Petruccelle is no chance of getting a game – tried and failed multiple times. Sheed is gone for the year with an ACL. The rest of your best team looks about right if you add in Jack Graham for them.
Flynn needs to stand up in the ruck (also been injury prone). Bailey Williams seems too small to lead the ruck and too clumsy to play as a forward. Jamieson is an athlete not a footballer – still very raw and lacking skills after a couple of years development. Might be ok with more time.
On the positive side I think Jack Williams will be a real talent as a forward, and may be able to pinch hit in ruck when he fills out. Good foil for Oscar Allen and Waterman up front. Elijah Hewett has potential as a midfielder after a year off with foot stress fractures.
I am happy with McQualter as coach and a new faster game plan. 2027 will be when we start to contend for finals again – so the club has set a positive direction. Appreciate your insights.
Thanks for you comments Peter B. If you look at the Westcoast list, it has 12 juniors, a quarter of your list, 190cm or over that are 21yo or younger. So, we can agree that it is that age group because Westcoast are in rebuild mode. However, there are only 10 juniors less than 190cm. So, you’ve got more juniors above 190cm than less than 190cm. Yet midfielders generally come from the latter group. I think this is because the Westcoast list still has a few twilight midfielders on its list, and the mature players that have been brought in – Graham, Owies, Baker. A list management is dynamic and in coming years, I can see more junior mediums being added to the list.
On McQualter, he’s a good coach and will hopefully do a good job there. The key will be to get good specialist coaches and football managers around him.
For both the Tiges and Eagles, a few years of patience will be needed.