WEST Coast hopes its Gather Round long haul can help fast-track team development through a grim start to the season.
Last year's wooden spooners have lost all 12 quarters so far and only managed 3.12 on Sunday against the Western Bulldogs in perfect conditions at Marvel Stadium - the sixth-lowest score in club history.
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The Eagles have a bad list demographic, with decorated veterans such as Jeremy McGovern, Tim Kelly and Elliot Yeo at one end. They all played well against the Bulldogs.
At the other end is undoubted talent such as top draft pick Harley Reid.
But there is precious little in between and it shows in their lack of cohesion on the field.
So the Eagles are using the extended stay in Melbourne ahead of Saturday's match against Sydney in the Adelaide Hills town of Mt Barker as a rare in-season chance for team bonding.
"Part of the reason we're here for the week is just to start building that continuity as well. We get to spend a bit more time with each other," McGovern said before Tuesday's morning training in Melbourne.
"The club's identified that this is probably the best preparation for us, for our games and save us a flight.
"We have a lot of Victorian boys as well. There are heaps of positives about it.
"All the dads are enjoying getting a couple of days away from the kids, which is great. Obviously we miss them and love them."
The Eagles had their match review on Monday and McGovern said while it was nothing out of the ordinary, no punches were pulled.
West Coast had the same number of inside 50s as the Bulldogs - 51 apiece - but was mauled around the ground and paid dearly for its inaccuracy.
"We looked at a few things we were pretty disappointed about, all over the ground," he said.
"But we also looked at some small positives ... inside 50s, stoppage looked pretty good at times.
"It was a normal review, but we were pretty disappointed with the way we played."
While West Coast has sprayed 18.35 in its three games, there are broader issues ahead of centre.
"We didn't give the forwards good supply at times, we couldn't lock it in our front half at times, we didn't defend behind it at times," McGovern said.
"It was pretty clear on the weekend, we didn't convert up forward as well as we'd like."
