New Eagle Trent Rivers has enjoyed his first official visit to the club, describing the chance to walk through the doors of the team he grew up supporting as “pretty special”.
Rivers returned to Perth following his trade from Melbourne and spent Monday meeting key figures across the club, including Don Pyke, John Worsfold and Gavin Bell, members of the high-performance team and some of his new teammates.
For the lifelong West Coast supporter, being back in familiar colours made the move feel even more real.
“Yeah, it’s great. It’s obviously the club that I grew up supporting,” Rivers said.
“Seeing inside the four walls is pretty special. I got to do it through the Origin period, but to see it in house, meet all the people, it’s been pretty special.
“I’m really looking forward to being here for the next period of my life.”
Rivers was also in the stands for West Coast’s 2018 premiership triumph, making the opportunity to now pull on the blue and gold himself particularly meaningful.
His move west also comes during a significant period off the field, with Rivers and his partner Paris expecting their first child in the coming weeks.
“Chats started about nine months ago now to see if we could move west and it’s all panned out the way that we could have hoped,” Rivers said.
“My partner’s pregnant at the moment. We’re expecting in about four weeks from now, so that’s really exciting.
“Not too sure what to expect being a dad, but I’m looking forward to what it brings. It’s all going to be a bit of a whirlwind.”
Rivers met with the likes of Reuben Ginbey, Milan Murdock, Jacob Newton, Oli Francou, Lucca Grego and Ryan Maric on Monday and, after getting an early taste of his new surroundings, the 25-year-old is excited about what lies ahead in 2027.
“Honestly, just playing for West Coast,” Rivers said.
“It’s my childhood club. Putting on the jersey today, I got a little bit excited. It was pretty cool.
“There are a lot of young guys, there’s some familiar faces that I haven’t played footy with for a long time, so I’m looking forward to bonding with them again and playing some footy.
“I watched the development over the last 12 months and it’s been huge, so I’m really looking forward to what the club can do in the next few years.”
