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.

Through the horizontal rain and gale-force winds of a dark Saturday night, the loyal crowd at Subiaco Oval was feeling the heat as their team battled Hawthorn in 2009.

With the lead changing countless times throughout the game, it wasn’t until the final quarter that Eagles fans started to breathe a little easier, all thanks to Nic Naitanui.

The second-gamer erupted into the final term to kick three goals in 15 minutes and sealed his team’s resulting 20-point victory over the reigning premier in silky smooth style.

Naitanui looks back on his first home game for the West Coast Eagles fondly.

“That first goal was pretty amazing, it was my first goal in AFL footy,” Naitanui said.

“I didn’t get much of the ball during the game, but in the last quarter it kind of fell in my hands, I got a lucky smother and I got around and actually kicked on my left foot which is something I never thought I’d do.

“I ended up kicking two more in that quarter. It was wet and windy, it was a stormy day. The second one I think Ebo’s just kicked it and it’s spilled over the back and I’ve soccered it through.

“The third one I was lucky enough to intercept a handball, but I was a bit stupid, I tried to bounce it to myself in the wet and it didn’t really come back up, so I had to pick it up and then just roll one over the ground.

“It was an amazing feeling after the game, just walking off and all the fans were going crazy. The ones who toughed it out in the rain with their rain jackets were just pretty happy and it was an awesome way to start my first home game at Subi.”

Senior coach John Worsfold said the game proved that Naitanui was more than a one-dimensional player.

“His pace, his ability to collect the football off the ground and still accelerate away from an opponent, his follow-up, his hunger to follow up contests. That was probably the exciting thing to see,” Worsfold said.

“Probably initially everyone thought  he would just be a good tap ruckman who would maybe go for a spectacular mark now and then, but he started to show us that he had the ability to impact at ground level as well.”

Click here to watch Naitanui’s teammates and coaches pay tribute to his efforts against Hawthorn.