Roger That: Expectations to rise ahead of Daisy Pearce’s next season in charge of West Coast Eagles

Daisy Pearce’s first season as West Coast coach is in the books. Her appointment brought immediate credibility to the club and instant results, with the much-hyped Eagles winning their first game. Then came a club record-equalling second win, then a record-breaking third win and then a fourth. Six games in, it was already West Coast’s best season and for the first time in club history, a finals berth appeared a possibility. Having already been humbled by reigning premiers Brisbane in a 45-point loss earlier in the season, a 66-point flogging by flag contenders Hawthorn - registering just a one-digit score - brought the side back to Earth with an almighty thud. That defeat was one of five losses to end West Coast’s season, one that started with so much promise at 4-2 but finished with an underwhelming record of 7-4. Players, coaches, staff and long-suffering supporters will be delighted with the progress and proud of the strides made in 2024, but should not be satisfied. While so many boxes have been ticked this year; most wins in a season, consecutive victories, defeats of opposition clubs they hadn’t beaten before - there are still so many boxes left unchecked. The Eagles are yet to win a western derby, notch up defeats against some rival clubs, win more games than they lose and a maiden finals berth remains elusive. These are not unrealistic goals for a club in what will be its seventh season in the competition. Expectations already rose ahead of the 2024 season but will catapult next year in Pearce’s second campaign as coach. That is despite an expected tougher draw, more attention on stars like Ella Roberts and a higher benchmark for what success means. West Coast won’t be compared to their first five seasons, that was what 2024 was for. From now on, they will be compared to what they produced early in the first campaign of the Pearce era. All eyes will be on West Coast and Pearce next year to rewrite history with another best-ever season. But that chapter needs to have a much better ending.