West Coast Eagles co-captain Charlie Thomas stood tall and led the way incredibly well this season, finishing Runner Up in the Club Champion awards, and also taking home the Best Club Person award for her efforts. 

The elite defender, who played her 50th game in the blue and gold this season, finished third in the League for intercept possessions, eighth in the League for Rebound 50s and was named in the AFLPA 22Under22 team for the second consecutive season.

Q: A history-making season, how did you see this season overall?

Season 2025 delivered plenty of positives. From our first finals appearance to significant progress in how we won games, closed them out strongly, and narrowed margins. These steps provide a solid foundation to build on heading into next season.

Q: Third in the league for intercept possessions, how did you see your season personally?

We played an exciting brand of footy this year which was really fun to be part of. In the backline we have so many strong players down and it’s been so cool seeing the girls like Zoe Wakfer and Georgie Cleaver all take steps forward. We are building a really strong line that makes it hard for opposition forwards to play against us and that’s exciting.

Q: Your first season as captain, how did you find the leadership and sharing it with Bella?

I really enjoyed this year, especially having the opportunity to lead the team alongside Bella. We are so lucky to be surrounded and supported by many other leaders in the team, specifically Mikayla Western and Dana Hooker this year, as well as the incredible staff that also assisted. Daisy is an unbelievable leader, and having the chance to learn from her every day is both super exciting and truly eye-opening.

Q: Second season being coached under Daisy Pearce, what does Daisy do to really instil belief in this team?

Daisy’s ability to build relationships with us off field is what allows her to then hold us to really high standards on the field, which makes us truly believe in ourselves. The way we trained this year meant we had to get through some really tough sessions mentally and physically, so when we came up against an opposition who are throwing everything at as, it almost feels less hard than some of the training sessions, so we know we can get through it.

Q: With such a dynamic group of girls in ages and experience, how did the team gel together through the year?

We are such a mixture of different personalities in our team, and I absolutely love it. It’s what makes us, us. We spend every second that we can together. Having a bond off the field means when we take the field together there is a level of trust and determination to look after each-other out there. And being each other’s biggest fans. It makes it a lot easier to get through the tough times with the group of girls we have. 

Q: Jess Rentsch spent more time down back this season, what does she bring to the Eagles defence?

Jess is an unbelievable footballer. She is exciting to watch and even more exciting to play with. She’s relentless in the way she goes about it, both in training and games. She’s really maturing and I’m proud to see her get after it the way she has this year. I can’t wait to see what Jess produces in the next 10 years.

Q: This was your fifth season in the league, how do you see the direction of the AFLW and the differences from when you first came into the League?

The standard of footy is rising at an unprecedented pace year after year. We played in some great games this year and the young talent coming through is super exciting. Being part of the tenth season was an incredible experience. Huge credit to the trailblazers who paved the way for us, allowing today’s players to enjoy the rewards of their hard work.

Q: What have you got planned for the off-season?

The off season is a good time of year to rest but also begin preparations for the coming year. As a group, we’re genuinely excited to kick off our build for 2026. While there’ll be time for rest, our hunger to keep growing is stronger than ever. I’ll be spending some time training in the UK, that should be an awesome experience, even in the cold. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.