Despite a one-win 2025 campaign, there are obvious green shoots within West Coast's system as the club continues to develop its young core.
The off-season saw the Eagles add further premiership experience to their list to aid their emerging ranks while also attacking the draft aggressively once more.
The club is still searching for the right balance of youth and experience, with 2026 set to see the second edition of Andrew McQualter's men in action.
With plenty of names to get excited for and several spots in the lineup up for grabs, let's take a look at how West Coast could take shape in 2026.
Forwards
All-Australian Jake Waterman will spearhead McQualter's front third after Oscar Allen departed for Brisbane in the off-season.
Who supports Waterman will be a big watch, with Archer Reid, Jobe Shanahan and Jack Williams each having their moments last year.
Shanahan was the most exciting of the trio, while Reid has shown some promise as a strong-marking target who adds some height to the smaller-framed Waterman-Shanahan pairing.
Top five pick Cooper Duff-Tytler could also come into consideration, but may need some time to develop his craft and add some size before being injected into the action.
At ground level, Tyler Brockman and Matthew Owies will be keen to take the mantle as the club's best small forward, with veteran Jamie Cripps still leading the way after taking out the goalkicking title in 2025.
Noah Long will be hoping for more minutes as youngsters Tom Gross, Hamish Davis, Malakai Champion and Tylah Williams also seek to impress.
