If you didn’t realise the West Coast Eagles are second on the ladder with four wins after six rounds, it’s because Adam Simpson’s side have gone about their business with minimal fuss and clinical execution. Less than two months ago, the competition was writing the Eagles off. Last year’s best and fairest winner Eric McKenzie’s year was over after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and the club was seemingly in a transition period with premiership stars Dean Cox, Darren Glass and Beau Waters drawing curtains on their careers.
 
But now, on the back of an inspirational win against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, West Coast has emerged as genuine finals contenders. Not that the ladder is particularly important at this time of year, but the Eagles sit second behind cross-town rivals Fremantle with their only losses for 2015 coming against the Dockers and the Western Bulldogs. Although their wins, apart from last weekend, have come against Carlton, Brisbane and Greater Western Sydney, their ability to defy injury and stand up in the face of adversity has put the competition on notice.
 
Aside from last year’s Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis, the Eagles midfield is particularly young. And that’s precisely where their improvement has come from during the early part of this season. Classy left-footer Andrew Gaff has taken his game to the next level in 2015, and he has been well supported by a crop of blossoming young midfielders who have begun to build the engine room depth that has been absent in recent years. First round draft picks Dom Sheed (pick 11, 2013) and Liam Duggan (pick 11, 2014) have both made an impact with their poise and polish. Whilst a member of the infamous ‘go home five’, Elliot Yeo, is demonstrating why Brisbane are still seething over losing the prodigious talent. When you add more experienced duo Luke Shuey and Chris Masten into this midfield you get a storng visual of how Simpson is building a midfield with grunt and class.
 
When key defender Mitch Brown joined McKenzie on the sidelines with a season-ending knee injury West Coast had their two best defenders in the stands for the remainder of the season. Undermanned to say the least. But cometh the moment, cometh the man. Jeremy McGovern has taken all before him during the early stages of this year and for someone with only 19 games of senior experience, he is playing at a level that belies his infancy. Some media experts have even suggested he is in All Australian form. Whilst he might need some more runs on the board to enter that conversation, his form in the first six weeks, without ample support around him has been nothing short of brilliant. After another strong performance against quality in Port Adelaide’s Jay Schulz – who was held to just one goal – McGovern is looming as another rookie success story.

Key Players

Less than a fortnight ago, it looked like the injury curse had struck the Eagles once again when Josh Kennedy was taken from the field with a dislocated elbow. But the Coleman medal leader played last weekend and although he was not at his game-breaking best, he still provided a key focal point in attack with nine marks. After six games, big performances against Carlton (10 goals) and Greater Western Sydney (6 goals) has him out in front of the competition in terms of goals with 23.14. Along with Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe, the West Coast spearhead leads the competition in score involvements and is the fourth most gone to player inside the arc. With first choice defenders Steven May (suspended) and Rory Thompson (hip) unavailable for the trip west, one of the toughest tasks in the game looms large for inexperienced pair Henry Schade and Jack Leslie. Given the fact the pair each have just two games of experience at senior level, the difficulty of this assignment can’t be underestimated. In round 23 of last season, Kennedy was at his devastating best against the SUNS, booting 8.2 to tear the game apart.
 
Andrew Gaff’s consistent start to 2015 hasn’t been lost in the football landscape with his ability to run and carry in transition causing opposition coaches headaches. The former pick No. 4 is leading West Coast for metres gained after six rounds with 415.5 metres per game to go with his career-high average of 27.3 possessions. With his class and polish, Gaff does his damage on the outside, which is glaringly obvious when you consider 75.6% of his possessions are uncontested. But that is his role within the West Coast engine room and something he is performing with devastating effect. His outside run complements the inside work of champion midfielder Matt Priddis who is ranked fourth in the competition for clearances at an average of 7.8 per game and second for centre square clearances with 24 for the season.
 
The emergence of Jeremy McGovern during the early part of this season has been more than just a silver lining for the West Coast Eagles, who appeared severely undermanned in the defensive key posts after McKenzie and Brown suffered long-term knee injuries. Not many sides could cope with losing their two most important defenders in quick succession, especially after losing players of the calibre of Darren Glass and Beau Waters in one off-season. But, to say the back six at Subiaco have rallied would be an understatement. McGovern hasn’t been alone down back; with Will Schofield filling a void and Shannon Hurn going about business as usual. Sharrod Wellingham appears to have found a new lease on life across half-back along with Brad Sheppard. Although had it not been for ‘Mitts’ McGovern and his innate ability to chop off opposition forays inside 50, West Coast would arguably not be in the position they are in after six rounds. Given the fact Simpson sent McGovern back to the WAFL early in his tenure for weight and fitness issues, the backman appears to be one of the main beneficiaries of the former North Melbourne ball magnet’s reign.

New Faces

In his opening five matches, Liam Duggan has shown glimpses of the class and polish that saw him drafted in the opening round of last years National Draft. A product of the prestigious St Patrick’s College Ballarat football program, Duggan’s strong maiden pre-season in Perth was rewarded with a debut in round two. Against Greater Western Sydney in round five, Duggan collected a career-high 25 possessions to go with four inside 50s and three score assists. In a similar mould to fellow Victorian Gaff, Duggan possesses a crafty left-foot that has a potent range of depth and penetration.

Key Match Up

The duel between in-form pair Charlie Dixon and McGovern looms as one of the more enticing battles of Saturday night’s clash. Dixon has booted 11 goals in his first three appearances of 2015 after overcoming ankle surgery. His six-goal effort against Brisbane in the QClash was one of the better individual efforts in the SUNS' history. And last weekend, from minimal opportunities, Dixon kicked three goals on All Australian full back Daniel Talia to highlight his class. In the last two weeks, McGovern has kept Port Adelaide key forward Jay Schulz and GWS All Australian full forward Jeremy Cameron to one goal each.