West Coast father-son draftee Jake Waterman says he is determined to make a name for himself at the Eagles.

The son of club great Chris and younger brother of former squad member Alec said although he was proud to continue the Waterman legacy at the club, he wanted to forge his own identity in the Eagles’ nest.

On carrying the family’s name, he said: “That’s been thrown round a fair bit but I’ve brushed that off as I’ve got older and learned to deal with it. As I was a young kid it sort of plagued me, but now I’m past that and I’m just trying to make a name for myself.”  

The talented half-forward described his draft experience as “a long day” given he was selected with the ballot’s last pick, No.77.

While some hopefuls might have got nervy as the drafts edged towards it conclusion, Waterman said he always had faith the Eagles would pick him.

“As I sort of slipped on late in the draft there was probably a high chance of me ending up at the Eagles with the bidding and what not,” he said.

“I was probably thinking I was going to go a bit earlier, but I am just happy with the result and happy I’m here.

“I’ll hold high expectations on myself, just like any other player. The tag, 77, I will try to make myself more valuable than that.”

Unlike interstate draftees Daniel Venables and Willie Rioli, Waterman and fellow West Australian Josh Rotham had the privilege of training with West Coast by virtue of their selection in the NAB AFL Academy earlier this year.

Waterman said that two-week training block at Domain Stadium was among the most enjoyable periods of his young career and confirmed his desires to play top-flight football.

“That was amazing,” he said.

“That was the best experience I’ve had in my junior footy, just being around the club. That two weeks I was here was the quickest two weeks of my life. I just had so much fun and just loved it.

“It just opened my eyes to what I actually wanted to do in my career. It just motivated me to just put my foot down a bit more and get there.”

The confident 18-year-old believed he had a reasonable tank but admitted he had plenty of skills to brush up on if he wanted to realise his dream of debuting for the West Coast Eagles.

“As a third tall forward I think my endurance base is already as a good enough level, but I think I want to be elite at that level,” Waterman said.

“Also with my marking, I’ve just got to keep working on my strengths. My marking is probably my biggest strength and I want to make that elite as well. I think my clean hands could do with a fair bit of work, but I’m just going to work on everything.”