West Coast Eagles’ constant thrashings are the real sign that nothing has changed despite talk of improvement

West Coast spend a lot of time talking about the future and a lot of time celebrating the past, but right now the only thing that really matters is fixing the present. Sunday’s 101-point loss to St Kilda eroded all of the faith that the club had built up during wins over Port Adelaide and North Melbourne because it happened just 22 days after a 128-point loss to Sydney. And the Swans loss was five games after a 94-point defeat, which occurred two games after an 83-point mauling. Coach Andrew McQualter made it clear at the start of the season that the club would be looking at percentage as an indicator of improvement during 2026. Clearly there is a long way to go this year, but right now West Coast’s percentage is 55.8. They finished last year with a percentage of 60.1. West Coast keep telling us they are on the right path. But these losses keep happening. The Eagles have a winnable home game against a Richmond team that is 0-7 on Saturday. That match has come at the perfect time, but don’t get sucked in to thinking everything is good again if West Coast win. Too many people have made that mistake whenever victories have occurred. This week we will hear a lot about the success the Eagles have experienced during their history given they are celebrating 40 years in the AFL and the club’s first game was against the Tigers. But constantly looking into the rearview mirror is producing too many car crashes. There’s no doubt that this West Coast team is young. They’ve committed to picking the youngsters as part of this re-build and there were 10 players on the field against the Saints who are yet to play 20 games. There is a widespread belief that they will become really good players. But time doesn’t wait for anybody. Reuben Ginbey has become a bloody good player yet he’s won only nine of his 70 AFL games. He’s also lost nine games by over 90 points, including six by triple figures. What is that teaching him? What are these losses teaching Harley Reid, Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler and Josh Lindsay? You can guarantee that when other clubs come knocking with contract offers, they will be talking about more than money. They will be selling hope. Dion Prestia won more games in his first two seasons at Richmond than he did in six years on the Gold Coast. And he went on to win three flags. Players will be asked whether they want to stay in Perth and hope the Eagles can rise up the ladder or move to clubs that are on an obvious path to success. What are these losses telling potential recruits such as Chad Warner and Mitch Georgiades? Since the start of 2022, the Eagles have lost more games by 100 points than the other 17 teams combined. Triple-figure defeats should feel like a disaster. The problem for West Coast is these 100-point smashings now feel normal. That’s the real disaster.