West Coast's much-improved 2026 season has continued, and while the Eagles aren't soaring back up the ladder just yet, the club has found another diamond in the mid-season draft rough.
Oliver Francou, son of former Port Adelaide player Josh, made his debut for the club against Adelaide on Friday night and brought his contested style of football to the fore.
Having gone pick three in the 2026 mid-season draft, Francou looked settled at AFL level as he collected 18 disposals, 11 contested possessions, nine tackles and four clearances.
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said in the post-game press conference that, excitingly for Eagles fans, Francou has a lot of development left as a footballer.
"We got what we thought we would get; 11 contested, nine tackles, really competitive," McQualter said.
"He's going to learn a lot. He is still so raw in his game. He hasn't played a heap of footy over the last couple of years, but we believed we got a really good player when we drafted Ollie, and I thought it was a great start to his AFL career.
"We trusted him in (centre stoppage). That's why we played him. We have seen enough evidence this year that we think he is strong in that space."
Francou's immediate success in his debut follows fellow 2026 mid-season draftee and housemate Marcus Herbert's impressive start to life in the AFL.
Herbert produced another strong performance in just his third game, collecting 19 disposals, six marks and four intercepts off half-back.
While the younger Eagles stood up, veteran Elliot Yeo had a forgettable night at Optus Stadium.
The 32-year-old struggled to impact the match despite playing 78 per cent of the game time and spending time through the midfield.
However, McQualter said he wasn't concerned about Yeo, who finished with seven disposals and two tackles.
"Sometimes that happens," he said.
"Yeoy' has been a very good player for a long period of time. He had a down night tonight, but he's a competitive person, and we'll find a way to get him to bounce back and recapture his best form.
"(His role) was not too dissimilar to how he's played for most of the year, to be fair, but we didn't get as much territory in this game.
"Our entries up to three-quarter time (26-49) were not enough … so we just need to keep finding the best way to maximise 'Yeoy' and his strengths."
