Hundreds of moments make up the proud football club we all know and love today.
From a match-winning goal, to a gravity-defying mark, to a solid team-oriented effort, our past on-field achievements have brought joy to supporters across the country and have helped to shape and define the direction our future will take.
Season 2011 marks our 25th year, and to help us celebrate, you were invited to have your say on the historic moments you believe have been the most significant to the West Coast Eagles.
All your votes have been tallied up and we are ready to countdown from moment #25. Stay tuned to westcoasteagles.com.au as we’ll be revealing one moment each week until we unveil the single most defining moment in our history at the end of the home and away campaign.
Coming in at number six is the return of champion midfielder Ben Cousins to football against Sydney in round 16, 2007.
Almost five months earlier, the four-time Club Champion and former captain exited the game and his country to embark on a comprehensive rehabilitation program in California.
It was against the backdrop of the season opener against the Swans that Cousins flew out for the Malibu rehabilitation clinic, having been suspended indefinitely by his club for failing to fulfil his professional obligations.
After five months of treatment, both within that Californian facility and as an outpatient in Perth, Cousins was ready to resume. He had been ready a fortnight earlier, having been welcomed back to the club, but a hamstring strain on the eve of the game against Brisbane cruelly prevented his return.
Two weeks later, he was ready to go. And for those who doubted Cousins’ capacity to slot immediately back into the pressure-cooker environment, there was an immediate answer. After starting on the bench, he was injected into the game about five minutes into the opening term.
When he stood by the interchange gate, many among the 40,000-odd fans stood and applauded. It was an acknowledgment of their deep respect for the path that the veteran had endured, as much as it was their excitement at seeing a much-loved hero back in their team.
Teammate Daniel Kerr remembers the moment clearly.
“I actually came off the ground when he came on, so I knew it was going to be a huge roar and I was so happy for Ben.
“I wasn’t surprised at the way he played, I’d been told by him that while he was away it’s the hardest he’d every trained, running-wise. Ben’s football capability was never questioned, it was whether he was going to be fit enough to play when he came back and he was.
“To come back and have 38 touches and play the way he did just showed football was never really an issue for him. He was a champion.”
