West Coast Eagles give biggest clue yet to where No.1 draftee Willem Duursma will start his AFL career

No.1 draftee Willem Duursma looks set to start AFL life on the wing at West Coast after impressing as an outside midfielder in match simulation on Friday morning. However, it wasn’t all good news for the Eagles with reigning club champion Liam Baker lasting only seven minutes into the 18 v 18 drill before leaving the field with what looked to be a leg injury. Duursma appearing to be in a four-way battle for the two vacant wing positions, with second-year midfielders Bo Allan, Hamish Davis as well as Clay Hall all in the mix. The 18-year-old played a variety of positions in his draft year including being named at centre-half-back in the Under-18 All-Australian team and is viewed long-term as a midfielder because of his similar attributes to Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli. Duursma’s athleticism stood out and he kicked a fantastic running goal in the second 20 minutes of match simulation after working forward from a stoppage at Mineral Resources Park. Fellow 2025 first-round draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler continues to play a standalone forward despite being drafted as a ruckman as the Eagles look to build him into a promising career at the top level. Unfortunately, 2025 John Worsfold medallist Baker looks to have picked up an injury for the second time this pre-season after coming from the ground early in the session at Mineral Resources Park. Baker — who was playing across half-back — pulled up abruptly and was immediately taken out of drills, before joining premiership defender Tom Cole (finger) in running laps. The 27-year-old was on light duties late last year because of hamstring awareness and looked to be troubled once again less than a month from AFL Origin when he is expected to line up for WA against Victoria. Last year’s mid-season draftees Tom McCarthy and Jacob Newton are set to be part of a new-look midfield for West Coast in 2026, albeit in different roles. McCarthy was a revelation after being plucked from Richmond’s VFL side last year, impressing at half-back before transitioning into a midfield role to finish the season. The 25-year-old’s running capacity and composure in traffic has made him a standout in match simulation, putting pressure on several more experienced teammates, including Tim Kelly. Newton played the final two games of last season as a small forward and while he started out of the goalsquare, he was part of a rotation with superstar Harley Reid that could be part of a new role for the 19-year-old. Premiership star Elliot Yeo didn’t take part in the match simulation as he continues to be eased back into full training after missing all of last year with an ankle injury. Several other Eagles are also still on the sidelines, including Cole, ruckman Harry Barnett (knee) and draftee Sam Allen (knee). Midfielder Jack Hutchinson was on the sidelines in a moonboot after ankle surgery, while rookie Fred Rodriguez is on a mobility scooter because of a stress related injury in his foot.