WEST Coast has come a long way.

From a side that couldn't find the goals back in 2020, it has become an attacking threat in 2025 after some meticulous recruiting and the establishment of a thoughtful game style.

The Eagles hold the unfortunate record of lowest average score in AFLW history, with its 14.2 points per game in that 2020 season. Just one player on the list – Hayley Bullas – kicked multiple goals for the season (she kicked two), and they averaged 1.8 goalkickers per game.

All in all, scores were hard to come by for the inaugural Eagles.

In the proceeding years, the club's attack did improve, between 2021 and 2024 average scores floated in the 20s, but this year its scoring has skyrocketed.

Averaging 42.9 points per game, the Eagles have equalled, or broken, their highest ever score twice, and landed their biggest ever win in round seven and cracked it again in round eight.

There are two key aspects to this improving attacking performance: personnel and style. The kinds of players the club has been able to recruit have become serious threats, but it's all been off the back of a strong system in which they have been able to thrive.

Personnel

Just five players from West Coast's first list build are still there today – Kellie Gibson, Dana Hooker, Sophie McDonald, Belinda Smith and Emma Swanson – signalling the significant shift in profile in recent years.

In the side's very first win, the forward line was populated by the likes of Emily McGuire, Ashlee Atkins and Imahra Cameron.

Now the forward line is taller, younger and more versatile. It's players like Ella Roberts, Jess Rentsch and Lucia Painter who headline a young, talent-packed list.

The 2022 Telstra AFLW Draft was the start of the shift. Roberts (pick No.14), Lauren Wakfer (pick No.15), Abbygail Bushby (pick No.24), Zoe Wakfer (pick No.36), Emily Elkington (pick No.43), Jaide Britton (pick No.47), and Mikayla Western (pick No.53) were all added to the side.

Now, all but Elkington – who was delisted at the end of 2024 – are important contributors every week, and with the exception of Zoe Wakfer, who has made her name as a tough key defender, they are getting dangerous ahead of the ball.

Ahead of the 2023 season, they also brought in Amy Franklin via trade from Fremantle.

Then, in the draft later that year, Rentsch (pick No.2), Kayley Kavanagh (pick No.14), Georgie Cleaver (pick No.39), and Matilda Sergeant (pick No.42) were added. Again, all have played their part in the current version of the Eagles, excluding Sergeant who was delisted at the end of 2024.

In that same off-season, the Eagles traded for Roxy Roux, Alison Drennan and Annabel Johnson – two additions to defence and a hard-running midfielder.

And most recently, Painter (pick No.7), Charlotte Riggs (pick No.24), Lucy Boyd (pick No.53) and Kayla Dalgleish (pick No.57) were added via the 2024 draft. All but Boyd – who has battled injury – have made an immediate impact.

The Eagles have essentially rebuilt their list with three big draft hauls, and a few experienced additions sprinkled in.

But players with potential are one thing, establishing a style of footy that brings out the best in them is another.

Style

Last year it was clear that new coach Daisy Pearce had started to make her mark. The Eagles were moving the ball in space more efficiently, they were getting the ball forward more and putting up a more consistent fight throughout games.

They won four games in a season for the first time in their history and kicked their highest ever score. But the condensed season and a young list meant they faded late in the year.

This year, it's another leap forward. Defensively, they’ve locked things down, conceding two fewer goals per game, but it's in attack that they've really drawn the eye. With a commanding presence in the air, the Eagles have made contested marking their brand and recorded five wins with a month still to play.

Franklin (178cm), Painter (174), Riggs (179), Roberts (176) and Lauren Wakfer (180) fly at the footy without fear and have the capacity to stretch defences for height.

That contested marking style is apparent right across the field – Cleaver, Zoe Wakfer and Charlie Thomas are equally dangerous in the air down back – and it has allowed West Coast to link lines more effectively.

Averaging a season-high 8.8 contested marks per game, that transition footy is on show, recording a club-high 34.6 inside 50s per game (six more than last year), and 500 more metres gained each week.

For West Coast, finals have never been a realistic prospect. But now, in its seventh season of AFLW, that tide is ready to turn. With a talented list, an attacking game style and some wins on the board, the Eagles are better placed than ever to take that big step forward.