WHEN Elliot Yeo says the past year has brought him the highest of highs and lowest of lows, you know he means it. And that's before he even considers a difficult year as a footballer. 

Yeo lost his father, Craig, in June last year after a battle with illness and has missed his dad's life advice, footy chats, and the connection they had, with some days worse than others. 

The past year, however, has also seen the midfielder welcome his first child into the world, with 11-month-old baby girl Indiana lifting Yeo as he jumps into life as a hands-on dad. 

A 2025 season wiped out by an ankle injury has been frustrating for the dual club champion, but it hasn't been the primary story of his year. 

"It's been tough losing Dad, but then a couple of months later having the birth of my daughter. It's been like a rollercoaster, really … the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, the past 12 months," Yeo told AFL.com.au. 

"Then on field, it's the first year where I've missed every game of the season, so I wasn't expecting that at the start of the year.

"But I feel like the silver lining is that I've been able to spend a lot more time with my daughter, which is fantastic. I've been home and able to see a lot of milestones that you probably wouldn't if I was away every second week.

"So, it's been tough this year, but it's also been great in the same sense."

Becoming a dad has given Yeo perspective, he said, and been a welcome diversion from the challenges he has faced. 

His energetic personality has come through in his parenting style, with the job of being a dad the hardest but also the best thing he's ever taken on.  

"I think my old man was quite hands-on too, always in the backyard with us when he had the opportunity and always kicking a footy with us. I always thought I'd be something similar and quite hands-on," Yeo said. 

"I'm quite an energetic person as it is anyway, so I feel like I'm going quite well at fatherhood. But everyone has their own way of going about it.

"I enjoy being a dad and it's the best thing ever in the world. It's also the hardest thing I've ever done. 

"The relentlessness of it is wild, but the amount of joy, even pleasure, and seeing every milestone in every developmental stage just makes your heart grow more and more.

"So I'm just really lucky. I just feel like I'm a really lucky person to have a happy, healthy baby."

Yeo said he had leaned heavily on his tight-knit family over the 14 months since his dad passed away, while Indiana had helped him "snap back" during challenging moments.  

"There's just moments where you miss him, and that's obviously the hardest bit," he said.  

"I miss chatting to him and asking him for some advice, life advice, footy advice, everything really.

"I miss that sort of connection and communication that we had because it was pretty valuable to me and he was just so wise with a lot of things, being a bit of an old head he was. I do miss those a fair bit."

While Yeo's on-field challenges this year are secondary, they have been significant in a football sense. 

The dual All-Australian suffered ankle syndesmosis and knee injuries during a pre-season training session and required a second round of surgery on his ankle in May. 

He maintained hope of playing at some stage until he was officially ruled out for the rest of the year in late July, with the frustrations of this season coming after a terrific 2024 that saw Yeo finish runner-up in the John Worsfold Medal. 

While the Eagles' season has finished, Yeo is pushing through two more weeks of work to hopefully prove his ankle will be able to stand up to the rigours of an AFL season next year. 

In the unlikely event that he doesn't hit the required benchmarks, another round of surgery is an option to get him ready for the start of pre-season. 

"I've got a couple more weeks to get under my belt and then we can hopefully tick it all off and cut down and get ready for a big pre-season and avoid any more surgeries," Yeo said.  

"If I have to go under, at least I'll have a plan and I'll be ready to rock and roll once pre-season comes around. 

"But things are looking positive at the moment, so I'm excited by that but also excited to have a break, shut down, switch off mentally and physically, and then get ready for a big year."

After serving as a big-bodied protector for Harley Reid last year and leading the team for clearances (6.6 a game), contested possessions (12.2) and tackles (6.5), it was obvious this season how much the Eagles missed Yeo in an inexperienced midfield. 

Watching on, particularly when opposition teams have targeted Reid, has been yet another test, further fuelling Yeo's desire to get back and play next year so he can partner up again with the young star and support the team's emerging onballers.

"It's been frustrating to not be out there for everyone really, not just Harley," Yeo said. 

"I've obviously got a really good relationship with him, and Harley does get targeted a fair bit, which sitting on the sidelines and seeing that happen frustrates the hell out of me. 

"I was a bit like his bodyguard last year, which was great, and I enjoyed it because I love that stuff and he actually took a lot of the fines that I'd usually get.

"It felt like we had a good little partnership out there when we were playing which was great."

As the most experienced player now on West Coast's list apart from premiership teammate Jamie Cripps, Yeo has felt his purpose shift towards helping teammates, working closely this year with players including Tom Gross, Harvey Johnston and Elijah Hewett. 

He leads best through his physical actions, however, and said he was looking forward to getting back to that when preparation starts for his 15th season.  

After playing his 200th AFL game in 2024, another milestone looms next year for the former Brisbane half-back if he can stay fit. 

The powerful midfielder requires 15 games to play his 200th match as an Eagle, with hopes that he can commemorate that milestone in a special way with Indiana. 

"She came to the first game of the year, and hopefully next year she can come along to a few more," Yeo said. 

"She's been into the club a few times as well and we did a Father's Day photo shoot the other day, which was cool.  

"If I can play a few games next year then I'll hopefully hit 200 games for the football club. If I can hit that milestone, she can run out with me, which would be great."