The WAFL Eagles wrapped up their 2024 campaign on Saturday, falling to East Fremantle by 60 points at Mineral Resources Park.
Coach Kyal Horsley said despite the result, he was still pleased with team’s effort against the Sharks.
“While it wasn’t the result we were after, I was still proud of the groups intent and effort,” Horsley said.
“We played a strong outfit in East Fremantle, who were looking to secure a place in finals, and I felt we took it up to them in the first half.
“Even as the game slipped away, our players kept applying themselves until the final siren.”
Top Performers:
Josh Burke
Competed hard all game down back, his ability to win repeated contest either on-on-one, or sometimes one-on-two, were critical and his work rate in all areas of the game stood out.
Zane Trew
Has been a standout at WAFL level all year and this was no different. He led the way inside with nine clearances, 15 contest possessions, six inside 50’s and a goal.
Trey Ruscoe
Has led the team well all year in the absence of captain Jackson Nelson and this game was no different. His impact went well beyond his stats and all the little things he does for the team off ball don’t go unnoticed internally.
AFL Listed Players:
Jai Culley
Jai played with real physicality and set the standard inside, laying 10 tackles and having 12 contest possessions, while also showing his class on the outside with ball in hand, creating two goal assists from his six inside 50s.
Archer Reid
It was pleasing to see Archer finish the year well, he controlled the air with the most contested marks (four) on a day where the conditions weren’t great for pack marking. He got some reward on the scoreboard with a goal and played with a real intent in all areas of the game.
Harry Barnett
Harry’s second game down back and he played with a real presence He took four intercept marks, to go with five spoils, which showed his ability to win or half his contests, and he gave us drive out of the back half with 14 disposals at 90% efficiency.
Matthew Flynn
Nice finish to the year for Matt, his leadership and the way he drove his younger teammates to finish the year well was crucial, and he also ended the game with 27 hit outs and five clearances and his influence around the ground was noticeable with 16 possessions, 12 of which were contested.
Coby Burgiel
Great to see Coby get the opportunity to finish the year playing football, he worked hard in rehab to get his body right for the final two games after suffering an injury late in the year and showed his class up forward this week with ball in hand.
Jordyn Baker
Well-rounded performance from Jordyn, he played a crucial role defensively and gave strong bounce for us offensively all game. It was a nice way to finish a year in which he has grown his game consistently.
Coen Livingstone
Coen has done an outstanding job in his first year to play all 18 games as a key position player. Not the finish statistically he was hoping for, but his competitiveness and ability to half his contest in the air and impact at ground level was on show.