The West Coast Eagles are prepared to compete for every game in spite of their 1 - 10 record so far this season, the equal worst start in the club's history.
Despite the lacklustre opening months, the Eagles are still looking to prepare themselves to go into games with a winning mentality and a strive to be competitive. After losing the last seven games, often ending in blowouts, the club's desire to get back to winning ways could be a pipe dream.
Coach Adam Simpson on Tuesday reiterated the necessity for his players to be consistent and establish a playing style to ensure future success, but still aim to win the game at hand.
"We go into it to win," Simpson said.
"We’ve got to keep learning a style that we want to one day be successful with and changing things every week just to mitigate the losses, I don’t know if that’s the best way to develop."
"I do know that losing by 100 points every week doesn't help either, so finding that balance is important".
The Eagles have been decimated by injuries and outs due to health and safety protocols throughout the season. With a contingent of players to still not being available till Round 14 after West Coast have a bye in Round 13, the club will have a tough test against the Crows in Adelaide on Saturday afternoon without a fully healthy squad again.
See Also: AFL Injuries and Suspensions ahead of Round 12
West Coast will look towards their younger players after conceding to rebuild mode this season with the likes of Brady Hough set to get more game time in the coming rounds after performing well against the Bulldogs on the weekend.
"There’s some kids playing at WAFL level and they’re probably a week or two away. As soon as we get them to the point where they can get in and playing, we’ll work on getting those kids in as well," Simpson said.
"We’d love to keep him in the side for most of the year, and at the moment we haven’t got a lot of selection issues, in terms of not having many people to select, so it’s a no brainer.
"But there will be a point where we will have to make calls between a more established player and a younger player, and that’s the direction we need to take."
The Eagles are looking to use their number 1 pick in tonight's AFL midseason draft to help boost their desires to compete this year. They are set to open proceedings given their position at the bottom of the AFL ladder after 11 rounds.
See more: Indicative Mid-Season Draft Order
The Eagles will hope to get back to winning ways as they clash against the Crows in Adelaide on Saturday at 1:45 AEDT.
