As part of All the Way West, the club continues to recognise a Member of the Round at every West Coast Eagles home and away match in 2026 — celebrating the people who carry the club’s story, spirit and belief through every era.
For Round 2, we proudly spotlight Brian, a member whose connection to the Eagles runs all the way back to the club’s birth — and even further, to the origins of football pride in Western Australia.
Where it all began
For Brian, being a West Coast Eagles member is inseparable from the history of WA football itself.
“To really know what it means to be a WCE member you need to go back to where we started,” he says.
Before the Eagles entered what was then the VFL, Brian still vividly recalls the 1986 State of Origin clash at Subiaco Oval, when WA defeated a powerful Victorian side.
“One of the best football games I ever saw,” he says. “That was the moment we knew it wasn’t a dream.”
From that belief, the West Coast Eagles were born. Brian was there from the very start, attending the club’s first-ever game against Richmond and witnessing the belief quickly turn into results.
“I’ve been to nearly every home game since over their entire journey,” he says.
What followed was unprecedented. Grand Finals by the club’s fifth season, premierships by its eighth, and a team that didn’t just represent a city, but an entire state.
“Hence our name ‘West Coast’,” Brian explains. “The Eagles carried the hopes and dreams of all of WA.”
Moments that defined a lifetime
Across decades of following the club, two moments stand above the rest.
The first came in 1992 - the Eagles’ maiden premiership.
“That was our America’s Cup moment,” Brian says. “Taking the cup for the very first time out of the clutches of the Vics was something that can never be repeated.”
The second was the unforgettable 2018 Grand Final, when the Eagles fought back against Collingwood.
“We were dead and buried, but somehow managed to snatch victory from nowhere,” he says.
While he was fortunate enough to be there in 2018, it’s that first flag - the one that proved WA belonged - that remains his greatest moment.
Game day, done right
Brian’s game day ritual is all about enjoying the fellowship of other West Coast members
“My wife and I like to get to the stadium early and enjoy the hospitality and atmosphere in the River Room,” he says.
Eyes on the future
Among the current group, one player has particularly caught Brian’s attention: Reuben Ginbey.
“He shows that desperation, courage and desire that you want to see in every player who pulls on the jumper,” Brian says. “He shows up every week and is someone in the mould of the great ‘Gov’, someone that we can build our backline around.”
A message from the heart
If Brian could speak to the playing group before they run out, his message would echo the origins that shaped the club.
“When a player pulls on the WCE jumper, they become an adopted West Aussie,” he says. “They carry the hopes of our state.”
“It’s not about just putting on a show. It’s about playing with that true WA pride of those who went before. And if they do that, we’ll always have their backs — win, lose or draw.”
Through All the Way West, stories like Brian’s remind us that being a member is about more than attendance or results. It’s about belief, history and a shared identity that stretches across generations and across the state.
Nominate yourself or another member to be a Member of the Round in 2026 here.
