West Coast have signed East Fremantle star Milan Murdock for the 2026 season.
The dominant WAFL midfielder, who averaged 27.4 disposals and 8.7 tackles per game for the Sharks in 2025, joins the Eagles after forward Noah Long suffered a season-ending knee injury during the club's first pre-season hit out against Fremantle last week.
The cruel injury opened up a list spot at the Eagles, which was quickly snapped up by the 25-year-old.
Murdock was thrilled to finally have his AFL dream realised.
"Just over the moon, absolutely," Murdock said.
"It almost felt like the dream was close to being over. I was never going to give up anyway, but then ‘Mini' (Andrew McQualter) just called me on Wednesday.
"I was at work, and he just said, ‘Look, mate, it's your last day on the tools, you're going to be wearing the blue and gold this year'.
"I worked just extremely hard the last 15 years, so for this to happen, it's just a massive relief. Now the hard work really starts as well, so I'm just more eager than ever just to have a crack."
Murdock, a three-time club best-and-fairest winner at East Fremantle, is the second player from the state league club to be signed onto an AFL list during this year's Supplemental Selection Period, with forward Mitch Zadow earning a spot at Port Adelaide on Monday.
West Coast's Head of List Management and Recruiting, Matt Clarke, said the midfield bull had been on the club's radar for "several years", as the Eagles look to bolster their engine room depth around young guns Harley Reid and Tom McCarthy.
"We have been tracking Milan closely for several years now, and we're thrilled to offer him a spot on our list for the 2026 season," Clarke said.
"Milan is a fiercely determined footballer who has shown outstanding resilience to overcome setbacks and keep performing at an elite standard to continue knocking on the door for an AFL opportunity.
"While we are incredibly disappointed for Noah that his season is over, the silver lining is that Milan gets a chance on our AFL list, and we know he will give it everything he has got."
The Eagles will play the Power at Mineral Resources Park this Sunday, with first bounce scheduled for 3:10pm (AWST).
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