Exciting West Coast Eagles forward-ruck Cooper Duff-Tytler has expressed his new-found passion for Perth, the 18-year-old relocating from Victoria ahead of his first AFL season.
Duff-Tytler made his debut in the Eagles’ season-opener against Gold Coast, playing 14 AFL games for the season so far, and has adapted well to the elite-level lifestyle.
“I’m absolutely loving it over here,” Duff-Tytler said.
“I live with Josh Lindsay, we both came from Victoria and he’s been a really good house mate and we both love it over here.
“All the boys have been really welcoming, there’s quite a lot (of players) from interstate who live together so we all catch up frequently and it’s been really good.”
When asked to reflect on his AFL journey so far, Duff-Tytler said he has seen improvements in his game already this year and hopes to increase his consistency in games going forward.
“I’ll reflect on it a bit more at the end of the year, but I’m happy that I’m playing AFL footy and have been able to get back in the senior side, and will hopefully stay in there for the rest of the year,” Duff-Tytler said.
“I think I’ve improved my game from where I was at the start of the year, so if I can continue that into pre-season and become more consistent in games and consistent throughout the year, I think that’s where my growth will come from.”
Now working under the guidance of West Coast’s former elite ruckman Nic Naitanui, Duff-Tytler praised Naitanui and the help he has received with his ruck craft.
“Nic helps all of us, me, ‘Flynny’ (Matt Flynn), ‘Baz’ (Bailey Williams) and Harry Barnett,” Duff-Tytler said.
“Nic has been huge, we will do vision with him about our ruck craft and then work on it out on the track, he’s a big help.
“He came in and played straight away at young age like I have this year, so I’ve definitely leant on him, and he’s given me a few tips and tricks.”
The Eagles have two games remaining in their 2026 campaign, and senior coach Andrew McQualter has expressed to the team the importance of finishing the season strong, setting them up for a good pre-season next year.
“We want to take a scalp and get a win to finish the year, he’s (Andrew McQualter) big on finishing the year strong, it helps to set up the next pre-season,” Duff-Tytler said.
“And we just want to build on our game, and keep going about the processes as we have been and keep building our Eagles identity and make sure we’re playing the way we want to play and bring that Eagles spirit.”
