West Coast youngster Clay Hall says the Eagles are full of energy and treating Saturday’s home clash against Richmond like any other opportunity to chase four points.
Hall, who has worked his way back into the AFL side following a strong patch of form in the WAFL, spoke to the media on Friday morning with a composed and optimistic mindset.
The Eagles are aiming for their second win of the season but are preparing for a difficult challenge against the Tigers, who won their fourth match for 2025 last round against Essendon.
“There’s 18 teams in this competition and Richmond are just another one of those teams,” Hall said.
“We’ll treat them like any other team and still go out there trying to get a win.”
Hall reflected on his early season games against GWS and Carlton, noting he wasn’t quite at his best and welcomed the opportunity to return to the WAFL to rebuild his form and confidence.
The emerging midfielder has been in strong form recently, earning a Rising Star nomination after the round 16 clash against Collingwood when he gathered a career-best 22 disposals.
Hall has maintained his form since, with 18 and 21-disposal performances in the ensuing matches against the Giants and Power.
“I probably wasn’t at my best footy when I played at the start of the year, so to go back (to the WAFL) for six weeks and really just dial in on my strengths and try to find some form and consistency, I was really happy with that,” Hall said.
The 20-year-old is now finding his rhythm within West Coast’s youthful midfield group, which continues to grow in confidence in the absence of senior leaders like Elliot Yeo and with Tim Kelly moving into a more flexible role.
“I love it. Harley Reid, Elijah Hewett, Brady Hough, they’re some of my best mates around the club,” Hall said.
“We’re really starting to get to know each other better, and it’s awesome to play alongside them.”
With Tim Kelly a chance to spend more time in the midfield this week, Hall is looking forward to the opportunity to partner with one of his key mentors.
“Tim’s been great for me this year,” he said.
“He’s one of the few senior players rolling through the midfield. I haven’t played much midfield time with ‘TK’, but if he is playing there it would be awesome for me.”
While the Eagles haven’t tasted victory since round 10, Hall says morale remains high, but a second win would still mean plenty to the playing group, particularly under new coach Andrew McQualter.
“It would definitely boost the morale, even though it’s quite high at the moment,” Hall said.
“It would be great just to get another win for ‘Mini’. It would be my first under him, so I would be very happy with that.”
Hall acknowledged the challenge posed by Richmond’s more mature midfield, including Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper, but said it’s no different to the weekly tests faced by the developing group.
“A lot of midfields around the competition consist of seniority, so Richmond are no different to that,” Hall said.
“We’re a bit of a younger midfield but I think it’s a great challenge.”
