EVERYONE knew Ella Roberts was going to be a star when she was drafted in 2022. But one part of her game needed to change to go to a new level.

Known for her high leap at the footy and contested marking prowess, for her first few years in the AFLW Roberts would more often than not come down in a heap.

She didn't realise she was doing it, but once it was pointed out, described in the club walls as "falling like a sack of spuds", and vision was shown, it became a conscious improvement area for her.

"Our midfield coach, Hamish Brayshaw at the time, just got into me about it, and I genuinely have his voice imprinted on my brain, just being like 'Keep your feet, keep your feet, keep your feet', and it was something that I was unaware I was doing, and I was fully not conscious of it, and then I'd watch footage back and be like 'Why the hell am I on the ground for the 17th time this quarter?'" Roberts told AFL.com.au.

"And then subconsciously it kind of just flicked a switch and I feel like I would say that's probably one of my strengths nowadays, is I can go up, but if I don't mark the ball, I can get it off the ground. Being able to keep your feet kind of gets you in for a second chance at the footy and, yes, I have been working on that."

It's no surprise that since Roberts has locked in on keeping her feet, she has been named All-Australian twice and won back-to-back West Coast best and fairest awards.

It has taken her from a player with a lot of potential, to a consistently impactful presence on the field, at just 21 years of age.

Minimising the potential for injury has also been a big positive in the conscious push to land like a cat – something the Eagles more broadly are focused on, given the importance of keeping Roberts on the field.

"Also, just landing on the ground, who wants to do that?" Roberts said with a laugh.

But the club is widening its scope of reliance. Keeping a star like Roberts available is crucial, but the developing spread of talent at West Coast has been a key driver in its improvement in recent years.

There is a clear brand developing through the list, and as a result, on the field, with a focus on height and the aerial game.

"I think Daisy (Pearce) was pretty clear that she had a game plan for us when she came along, and last year we were slowly able to work on the defence, and then this year it's kind of more the offense type of thing," Roberts said.

"The contested marking side of things does work in our favour, so we're obviously going to try and utilise that the best we can, and I think last year we were one of the higher teams for that state, so I think we're going to go after that again this year and play to our strengths."