That’s the question you ask of any premiership club. It would be the 3rd time since the turn of the century but the Eagles are a big chance. Here’s why...

Champion Data’s list ratings ahead of the 2019 season put the Eagles down as the 12th-most talented side. We’re sure Eagles fans were glad to see that. No Victorian bias whatsoever.

Can you believe the West Coast Eagles have been rated as the 12th most talented side for the 2019 season?

But those ratings are based on a large sample size, and West Coast clearly improved late in the year in 2018. For example, they went from 18th in the AFL for ground-ball gets in the home and away season, to winning that count in all three finals.

Players Stepping Up

Two specific players really stood out late last year. Jack Redden was one of them, and Dom Sheed the other. Sheed stepped up in Andrew Gaff’s post-suspension absence.

Dom Sheed stood up late last year in the absence of Andrew Gaff.

Redden and Sheed are rated average and below average in the 2019 AFL Prospectus—based on two years of combined performance. They are clearly not in those groupings based on their finals play though.

And if we assume players who stepped up in the 2018 finals will continue to do so in 2019, the Eagles are just going to get better and better.

Some Golden Wings on Young Eagles

The Eagles blooded four players aged 21 or younger in the Grand Final. A ballsy move. The young eagles included  Tom Cole, Liam Duggan, Liam Ryan and 19-year-old Daniel Venables. In contrast the Magpies unleashed two birds (Brayden Sier and Jaidyn Stephenson).

This wasn’t a case of an old side having one last hurrah with its current strong core though. The eagles are still a young group in many ways. Elite defenders Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass are 26 and 23 respectively. Andrew Gaff and Elliot Yeo are 26 and 25. Premiership hero Dom Sheed is 23.

That suggests there is still enormous potential for growth.

Then there’s the next group. 20-year-old Oscar Allen kicked three goals in the first JLT game this year. Rising Star nominee Jake Waterman is 20. Jack Petrucelle, 19, could play in Round 1, and top 2018 draftee Jarrod Brander, 20, put on a beefy six kilograms over the summer.

Even if this young crop of Eagles don;t establish themselves as stars, there’s clearly enough talent to plug any leaks in 2019. And beyond 2019 for that matter.

Winning When it Counts

West Coast may not have been the best team in the 2018 home and away season, but they were the best team against top opposition.

The Eagles went 5-0 against the rest of the top four last year; 4-1 if you replace Hawthorn with preliminary finalists Melbourne, who the Eagles gave a proper football lesson to in September.

But the Richmond game in Round 9 was when West Coast made the entire footy world—especially the experts on the East Coast—stand up and take notice. A 47-point drubbing of the reigning premiers from 2017 cannot be fully explained away by home ground advantage.

The Intercept

The key to success in today’s AFL is generally forward half intercepts. If you can’t pressure the Eagles because they’re kicking it over your head or chipping it around constantly, you can’t generate those turnovers and scores.

Melbourne averaged 35 points from forward half intercepts in 2018. They scored 11 points from them in the preliminary final.

Collingwood averaged 32 points from forward half intercepts in 2018. They scored 13 points from them in the Grand Final.

Adam Simpson and his coaching staff found a way to counter footy’s most popular tactic in 2018. If the status quo remains in 2019, they’ll still possess the key to success.

A Rapid Pace

Footy is ever changing. Every club would have spent the off-season knowing how West Coast won the 2018 flag. And they probably spent the summer trying to figure out how to stop it.

Heading into the 2018 season, you would’ve thought key forwards were dead and every player in the forward 50 had to be a whippet. All because Richmond won the flag with Jack Riewoldt and a mosquito fleet of forwards.

But it turns out when you’ve got big powerful men like Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling, well, you can still win you a premiership.

Back to the big question. Well, they won it in 2018 didn’t they. Seems rather obvious. They were actually better than the other top sides in 2018.

Jeremy McGovern celebrates a win on the final siren during the 2018 Toyota AFL Grand Final.

It’s unlikely what worked perfectly one year though will work perfectly the next given the constant state of flux of AFL. Richmond going after Tom Lynch shows there’s still space in that forward line for another tall, for example.

The most likely 2019 premier isn’t any specific team, but whichever side masters a brand new tactic, or figures out how to stop it, is a likely premier.

Jack Darling was an intimating force up forward for the West Coast Eagles.

Can the Eagles Go Back-to-Back?

That’s a fact.

The Eagles could be mediocre in the home and away season. But watch out come finals time.

They’ll be a big chance to take the cup west again with their young crop Eagles supporting two warriors up forward.

Never Miss Another Big Game Again

We can’t wait for the round 1 action so bring it on! There’s a good mix of blockbuster games and some old-fashioned suburban wrestles.

And don’t forget the premiership replay happening in Round 3 when the Eagles take on the Pies.

Remember, if you miss any tickets for this year’s AFL fixture then be sure to check out The Ticket Merchant website for a full range of premium and discounted tickets selling the entirety of the AFL season.