Where's the club at?
After a couple of tough rebuilding years, West Coast started to get some positive on-field results towards the end of 2009, finishing 11th with eight wins. The list appears young, balanced and brimming with potential with Daniel Kerr, Dean Cox and Beau Waters all to return from injury next season. Quinten Lynch can return to a permanent forward post and with the young midfield's natural development the Eagles are well on track for a return to finals football in the near future. Mark Seaby, Brent Staker, Matt Spangher and Mark Nicoski have struggled for opportunities and are involved in trade discussions, while four high-profile retirements have left the club with flexibility on its list.   

Who they've lost
Chad Fletcher (ret.)
Adam Hunter (ret.)
Tyson Stenglein (ret.)
David Wirrpanda (ret.)
Ashley Arrowsmith*
Liam Bedford*

*rookie-listed

What they need
Mark LeCras was a star for West Coast this season, booting 58 goals, but his likely move into the midfield will make John Worsfold's need for a dangerous small forward all the more pressing. A goal-sneak with genuine pace is the only player West Coast will actively target in the off-season – either during trade week or at the NAB AFL Draft.

Elsewhere, the club will prioritise selecting the best possible player. There is a selection squeeze in the key defensive posts, while the forward line is also accounted for with Mitch Brown, Josh Kennedy and Quinten Lynch all imposing tall options.

Seaby would leave a hole in his wake at most clubs, but Cox and Nic Naitanui can share ruck duties next year with rookie ruckman Will Sullivan now pushing for promotion to the senior list.

Kerr is still in need of a midfield foil to free him from the grasp of the opposition's No.1 tag, but any relief is likely to emerge from the club's young midfield, which is stocked with developing talent.  

Tradeable commodities
Contracted utility Staker, who has played 110 games, appears destined for the Brisbane Lions as he seeks further opportunities. Staker is keen to develop into a midfielder, but he is unlikely to permanently break into the Eagles' engine room and the club has agreed to help him find a new club. Worsfold says West Coast would gladly retain the 25-year-old if a deal can't be struck in the club's interests.  

Seaby, 25, has also been starved of opportunities at West Coast and is trying to get to the Swans. The 102-game premiership ruckman is out of contract and will have to negotiate the pre-season draft if a deal cannot be done.

Spangher this year competed with Eric Mackenzie and Beau Wilkes for the second tall spot alongside Darren Glass in defence. The 22-year-old played his best game for the season in round 22 but a return home to Victoria looms. Mark Nicoski is also reported to be exploring his options.

What the club says
"There are areas we're going to address. Lightning quick, dangerous small forwards – we'll look at maybe adding one of those to the list. But then the other [selections] are going to be about the best players we’re looking at. We think we've got most positions pretty well covered." – senior coach John Worsfold.

Crystal ball trades
West Coast appears likely to try and squeeze its draft picks and tradeable players into a small handful of selections inside the first two rounds, filling the rest of its senior list spots with rookies.

In a draft that has been called shallow, West Coast may call rookie ruckman Sullivan and feisty New South Welshman Ryan Davis onto the main list. The skillful Lewis Stevenson is also highly-rated, while Callum Wilson (four games) and Adam Cockie (seven) played off the rookie list in 2009.

In trade deals, it is likely the club will target the Swans' pick No.22 and the Lions' pick No.28 in trades for Seaby and Staker while parting with their own picks later in the draft. Lion Bradd Dalziell has been linked with a return home to WA but alone would not satisfy West Coast in a swap for Staker.

Carlton has shown interest in Spangher, while out of contract Cat Mathew Stokes is exactly the type of player West Coast will be targeting.

Rate your list, the year that was, and more – The Offseason: West Coast

The 2009 AFL exchange period runs from October 5-9. No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Friday, October 9.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL