West Coast All-Australian Jake Waterman will make his long-awaited return to football on Saturday for Western Australia in the return of State of Origin.
Waterman missed the majority of the 2025 season through injury, and was ruled out after Round 11 with a long-term shoulder injury.
"It's been a while," Waterman said. "I've watched a lot of footy over the last year.
"It's funny the first game back will be on such a grand stage like this, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
"I think I've prepared myself as good as I can over the pre-season. It's been a bit of a gradual build, but I'm really confident in the body, especially because of the load of work I've been able to get in post-Christmas."
Waterman will follow in the footsteps of his father, Chris, in featuring in State of Origin.
Chris played for WA on four occasions in the 1990s, and captained the representative side in 1998.
The Eagle won't be the only one, with Collingwood star Nick Daicos continuing the legacy left by his father, Peter, in donning the Big V.
Western Bulldogs unicorn Sam Darcy is another, although his father and Footscray great, Luke, wore South Australian colours during his playing days.
"It's always been special to me and Dad," Waterman said.
"I'm getting to do what he did in playing for West Coast as well. This makes it even more special, with state pride on the line. It's something that he got to do.
"I'll look back on it one day, when it's all said and done, and go, 'yeah, it was pretty special I got to do that' and do what he did.
"And to be the first person, second generation in WA, to do the State of Origin, is something I'll carry for a long time."
