The frustration and anguish was clear on Jake Waterman's face as his simple set shot smashed into the right goal-post in the dying stages of Saturday's West Coast-North Melbourne thriller.
It was the Eagles' second consecutive loss by a goal or less and while frustrating for the club, the personal despair from Waterman was clear as he struggles to overcome his goal kicking woes in 2026.
After missing the shot with a minute remaining in the match, the Roos held on to win by a point. North Melbourne skipper Nick Larkey went to console Waterman after the final siren, but it was clear the West Coast key forward was seeing red and didn't want any sympathy coming his way.
Eagles fans' frustrations with their veteran forward are understandable, given Waterman has booted a league-high 37 behinds this season as his struggles continue with his set shot routine.
But before supporters get too boisterous in their criticism of the 28-year-old, the club would be far worse off without their gun forward in the side.
Waterman, despite his issues in front of the big sticks has still kicked 31 goals in 2026 and sits 10th in the Coleman Medal playing for a side that is stuck down the bottom of the ladder.
He also leads the league in total score involvements, ahead of the likes of Sydney's Chad Warner, St Kilda's Max Hall, Geelong's Bailey Smith and Fremantle's Luke Jackson as his forward nous has been on display.
The 192cm key forward has also been pivotal in the Eagles' revitalised culture and atmosphere this season as the club moves past its one-win 2025 effort to secure four wins in the first half of 2026.
Waterman's failure in front of goal when it mattered against North Melbourne was heartbreaking for fans, but what he has given to the club this season should not be forgotten.
And although he obviously has troubles with his set shot kicking, in his past two seasons, Waterman has been a dead-straight shooter in attack kicking 53.23 in 2024 and 17.9 in 2025. So his problems can be fixed.
Waterman's fight and competitive edge has been the best the club has had during the lowest point in its history.
So while it can be universally agreed Waterman owes the club one after Saturday's costly miss, the man who had to fight tooth and nail to earn contract after contract while stuck behind former West Coast stars Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling, will be paying short odds to have paid back that debt and more by season's end.
