WEST Coast will be known as Waalitj Marawar in the upcoming Sir Doug Nicholls Round, while the club has also unveiled a new look Indigenous guernsey that could help break a supposed curse on the club that had been floated by super fan and prominent actor, Ernie Dingo.
The club will use the name Waalitj Marawar, which means 'Eagles of the West' in the local Noongar language, for Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which this season will be played in rounds 10 and 11.
The club has followed the lead of Melbourne (Narrm), Port Adelaide (Yartapuulti) and Fremantle (Walyalup), who changed their names for Sir Doug Nicholls Round in recent years, while Adelaide announced earlier on Tuesday they would be known as Kuwarna during the round this season.
The club's new Indigenous guernsey has been designed by Yamatji artist Loretta Egan, a lifelong Eagles fan and the niece of renowned actor Dingo.
Last year, Dingo claimed the club's recent run of defeats could be traced back to the unveiling of a previous Indigenous guernsey, used in 2019 and 2020, which featured the Noongar spirit Waugal. Dingo said the design included features "that you're not supposed to put on the jumper".
"If we look at it from a blackfella point of view, that it's a spiritual thing that is stopping our game at the moment," Dingo told Yokayi Footy.
"A young nephew of mine, he designed the jumper for 2019, he put the so-called Waugal on the front but when he put the Waugal on the front he went a little bit further and put feathers and stuff that you're not supposed to put on the jumper.
"Having the snake on there is fine but he had gone a little bit further and I think that's where it all stemmed from. They put a sacred object on the jumper without clearing it through the cultural side of it all."
The 2024 guernsey has been designed by Egan and influenced by former club champion Chris Lewis.
"The 'Ngularl' is the wedge-tailed eagle in Wajarri language, surrounded by the map of WA - the home of the Eagle - where it stands proud and strong, facing east ready for anything that comes its way," Egan said.
"The circle in the centre represents the Eagles' nest. The U-shapes around the circle represent people sitting around the home of the Eagles. The four stars represent the four premierships we have won.
"The Eagle tracks up the top signify the Eagles players leaving their mark wherever they play. The other circles represent other AFL clubs."
