The VFL voted in favour of the inclusion of two new clubs, one from WA and one from Queensland. The WA Football Commission would have to pay $4million up front and had just 160 days to assemble a team and establish its infrastructure.
September 22, 1986:
Ron Alexander appointed inaugural West Coast Eagles coach.
October 30, 1986:
The original 32 players were revealed to the WA football public at aglittering affair at the Merlin (now Hyatt) Hotel.
March 3, 1987:
The West Coast Eagles, in their first official match, overcame Footscray after trailing by 28 points at three-quarter time to win 12.15 (87) to 8.10 (58) in a pre-season
clash.
March 29, 1987:
The West Coast Eagles played their first match for premiership points against Richmond and secured victory with a nine-goal last quarter, winning 20.13 (133) to
the Tigers 16.23 (119).
September, 1987:
The West Coast Eagles finished their first season in eighth position, justone game out of the top five, with an 11-11 win-loss ratio.
October 6, 1987:
John Todd replaced Ron Alexander as coach, despite a debut season which had seen the club beat eventual premiers Carlton, runner-up Hawthorn (twice) and
finished above both Collingwood and Essendon.
October 1987:
Steve Malaxos was adjudged the club’s inaugural Club Champion.
February 3, 1988:
SGIO replaced Burswood Resort Casino as the club’s major sponsor,assuming that mantle with a three-year deal worth $1.5 million.
May 6, 1988:
After leading 8.0 to 3.4 against North Melbourne, West Coast folded to lose by 13 points – 17.8 (110) to 17.21 (123).
July 31-August 28, 1988:
After losing seven games in succession early in the season,West Coast won the final five qualifying matches to sneak into fourth position and its
inaugural finals appearance against Melbourne.
September 3, 1988:
Despite a brave effort, the West Coast Eagles lost the elimination final against Melbourne by two points – 10.11 (71) to 11.7 (73). Centreman Murray Wrensted had the chance to snatch victory with the last kick of the match, but his attempt slewed wide.
October 1988:
John Worsfold was anointed club champion ahead of Guy McKenna, in his first season, and Chris Mainwaring.
March 28, 1989:
Murray Rance was nominated as captain to replace inaugural skipper Ross Glendinning, who retired.
June 4, 1989:
Dwayne Lamb became the first West Coast Eagles player to reach the 50 game milestone in a game against Hawthorn.
July 15, 1989:
Perhaps the darkest day in club history, with the West Coast Eagles being held to just 1.12 against Essendon (25.10) at Windy Hill. West Coast’s solitary goal came in
the second quarter from Chris Lewis and meant the club had a 1-14 record after 15 rounds. Remarkably the players rebounded to beat Sydney the next week.
July 30, 1989:
A 37-point victory over Footscray gave West Coast its second successive victory and lifted it off the bottom of the premiership table.
September 1, 1989:
Trevor Nisbett was appointed football manager.
September 2, 1989:
The West Coast Eagles finished the season in 11th position with seven wins. Below them were St Kilda, Footscray and Richmond.
October 3, 1989:
Michael Malthouse was chosen as the club’s coach, replacing John Todd.
January 26, 1990:
Steve Malaxos was appointed captain.
September 29, 1990:
The club’s finals assault ended at the hands of Essendon in the preliminary final, the Bombers enduring 18.13 (121) to 8.10 (58), which was little surprise given the club had travelled for six consecutive weeks to the east coast.
October, 1990:
Chris Lewis was named club champion.
February 13, 1991:
The dawning of a new era became apparent when tough defender John Worsfold was appointed captain.
March 24, 1991-June 22, 1991:
The West Coast Eagles won the first 12 games of the season, before succumbing to Carlton by three points at Princes Park.
September 8, 1991:
The West Coast Eagles earned the right to host the first final ever played out of Melbourne. Unfortunately, Hawthorn endured in front of 44,142 fans, winning
by 23 points.
September 21, 1991:
After beating Melbourne in the first semi-final at Waverley, the West Coast Eagles backed up with a 15-point win over Geelong to book a place in the club’s first
ever grand final.
September 28, 1991:
After a bold start, kicking the first four goals, West Coast slipped to 53-point loss to Hawthorn in the first grand final played at Waverley, losing 13.8 (86) to
20.19 (139). The game was played at Waverley because the Great Southern Stand was being erected at the MCG.
September 6, 1992:
The West Coast Eagles earned a home final for the second year running against Hawthorn, only this time, after the Hawks had kicked the first four goals,
West Coast recovered to score a 13-point victory in one of the best finals matches in history – 14.16 (100) to 12.15 (87).
September 13, 1992:
West Coast booked a place in its second successive grand final with a 13-point win over Geelong in the second semi-final at the MCG – 20.13 (133) to 14.11 (95).
September 26, 1992:
Trailing by two goals at half-time, West Coast recovered to win by 28 points in the grand final against Geelong to become the first non-Victorian club to win the
premiership. West Coast won 16.17 (113) to 12.13 (85). Peter Matera won the Norm Smith Medal.
October, 1992:
Dean Kemp completed his rise to the top of the club’s playing ranks when judged club champion He polled 46 votes to win by eight from wingman Chris Mainwaring.
September 4, 1993:
After finishing the home and away season in sixth position, in a top six format, West Coast played North Melbourne in an elimination final at Waverley and led by Glen Jakovich, who was the master of his battle with Wayne Carey, the Eagles won 17.18(120) to 11.13 (79).
September 12, 1993:
West Coast was never in the hunt against Essendon in the first semifinal, losing by 32 points to the eventual premier.
October, 1993:
Don Pyke and Glen Jakovich tied for the club champion award.
March, 1994:
The AFL decided to move to a top eight finals system, which was opposed by West Coast coach Michael Malthouse on the basis that more than 50 percent of teams in a 15-side competition would play finals, thus rewarding mediocrity. He was more receptive to the idea of teams being extended to 21-man sides.
May 27, 1994:
Dwayne Lamb, in a game against Sydney at the WACA Ground, became the first West Coast player to reach the 150-game milestone. A member of the club’s inaugural squad, he was also the first player to the 50 and 100 game marks.
September 11, 1994:
The West Coast Eagles hung on for a thrilling two-point victory over Collingwood in a qualifying final at the WACA Ground – 11.16 (82) to 12.8 (80).
September 24, 1994:
A second half blitz, when West Coast scored nine goals to two, saw the team score an emphatic 65-point victory over Melbourne at the WACA Ground – 16.21
(117) to 8.4 (52) – taking the club to its third grand final.
October 1, 1994:
West Coast was rarely troubled in beating Geelong in the grand final, powering to an 80-point victory on the back of a dominant performance, which saw Dean Kemp claim the Norm Smith Medal as best afield.
October 1994:
Glen Jakovich won the club champion award in his own right.
May 14, 1995:
With skipper John Worsfold at his imposing best, the West Coast Eagles pummelled the AFL’s latest acquisition, the Fremantle Dockers, 23.13 to 9.12 on a day when
Prime Minister Paul Keating officially opened a new-look Subiaco Oval.
September 9, 1995:
West Coast lost a qualifying final to Essendon by 19 points at Waverley, scoring only 2.2 in the second half as the Bombers won 11.8 (74) to 8.7 (55).
September 17, 1995:
Michael Brennan retired as the club games record holder, with 179 matches, on a day which was sad for West Coast on another front as North Melbourne eclipsed the Eagles by 58 points at the MCG.
October 1995:
For the third year in succession Glen Jakovich was club champion.
September 8, 1996:
West Coast, after finishing fourth, played Carlton in a qualifying final at Subiaco Oval, demolishing the Blues by 55 points after controlling almost every facet of the
game.
September 14, 1996:
Despite winning in the first week of the finals and Essendon losing at the same time, West Coast travelled to the MCG to tackle the Bombers and were out-gunned in losing 8.19 (67) to 22.12 (144).
October 1996:
Drew Banfield was named club champion ahead of long-serving wingman Chris Mainwaring.
March 29, 1997:
The West Coast Eagles and Sydney played the first match under lights at the redeveloped Subiaco Oval.
May 2, 1997:
Three-time club champion Glen Jakovich made an auspicious return in the game against the Western Bulldogs at the WACA Ground after recovering from a knee reconstruction.
May 18, 1997:
Guy McKenna became the first West Coast Eagles player to reach the 200-game milestone.
May 25, 1997:
Peter Matera celebrated his 150th game in style, with a best on ground performance against Essendon as the West Coast Eagles scored a convincing 25-point victory.
September 7, 1997:
Adelaide out-pointed West Coast by 33 points in a qualifying final at Football Park, on a day when Peter Sumich played his 150th game.
September 13, 1997:
After kicking out to a 32-point break in the second quarter, West Coast was left to rue missed opportunities after being over-run by the Kangaroos and losing a
semi-final by 13 points.
October, 1997:
Peter Matera was named club champion while, on the same night, Mick Malthouse was awarded life membership.
Round 3, 1998:
Chris Lewis played his 200th game and steered West Coast to victory over
Fremantle.
July 6, 1998:
Pugnacious rover Tony Evans, who excelled in the cauldron of the 1992 and 1994 grand finals, succumbed to a series of injuries announcing his retirement after 108 games.
September 12, 1998:
The West Coast Eagles were out-pointed by the Western Bulldogs in a qualifying final, 18.13 (121) to 7.9 (51).
October 25, 1998:
The end of an era as long-serving skipper John Worsfold retired after a 209-game career.
October 1998:
After a stellar season at full-back Ashley McIntosh was named club champion.
July 18, 1999:
Chris Mainwaring, after a two-year battle from a knee injury, worked his way back to play his 200th game.
August 31, 1999:
Mick Malthouse ended speculation about his future when he announced he would return to Melbourne for personal reasons.
September 3, 1999:
The West Coast Eagles produced a magnificent five-point victory over the Western Bulldogs in the first qualifying final at the MCG.
September 11, 1999:
The charge of the West Coast Eagles was terminated by a brilliant Carlton, the Blues winning by 54 points – 18.16 (124) to 10.10 (70). It was Malthouse’s last
game at the helm of a club he steered to greatness.
September 29, 1999:
Ken Judge was appointed coach of the West Coast Eagles.
October, 1999:
Guy McKenna won his second club champion award, a decade after his first.
March 10, 2000:
The reign of Ken Judge started in a flurry, West Coast blitzing the Kangaroos by 43 points in the season-opener at the MCG.
April 2, 2000:
The West Coast Eagles destroyed Adelaide to win by a record 114 points –29.13 (187) to 10.10 (70).
April 16, 2000:
West Coast scored another emphatic victory, this time over Fremantle, winning 28.10 (178) to 9.7 (61).
April 27, 2000:
Veteran Chris Lewis announced his retirement after 215 games.
May 28-August 6, 2000:
Defeat in 10 of the last 11 matches saw the West Coast Eagles miss the finals series for the first time since 1990. The last of them, against Melbourne,
signalled the end of the wonderful career of defender Guy McKenna, who could no longer compete with a back injury.
September, 2000:
Glen Jakovich won his fourth club champion award.
February, 2001:
Dean Kemp and Ben Cousins were announced as co-captains with Peter Matera, Glen Jakovich and David Wirrpunda nominated as vice-captains.
March, 2001:
A pre-season game against St Kilda saw Phillip Read suffer a knee injury that ultimately ended his season before it started. He would be joined by David Sierakowski,
Michael Prior and Chad Morrison before the season was out.
August 25, 2001: An emotional farewell for West Coast Eagles co-captain Dean Kemp as the curtain came down on a stellar 267-game career.
September 5, 2001:
After winning just five of 22 matches, with an average losing margin of 63 points, the tenure of Ken Judge was terminated two years into a three-year contract.
February, March 2002:
Chad Morrison and Phil Read, two important players on the West Coast Eagles list who had endured knee reconstructions in 2001, suffered similar fates again
after seemingly innocuous training mishaps and did not play a game that season.
March 31, 2002:
Former captain John Worsfold began his career as senior coach with a stunning victory over arch rival Fremantle. It was the first of nine successive home game
victories, which was eventually ended by Melbourne in round 19.
September 1, 2002:
A pulsating 17-point victory over the Kangaroos catapulted the West Coast Eagles into the finals series for the first time since 1999.
September 7, 2002:
A 33-point elimination final defeat by Essendon was both disappointing and satisfying with a dozen players tasting September action for the first time.
March 29, 2003:
The West Coast Eagles started the new season with a flourish, defeating Port Adelaide convincingly, 17.20 (122) to 11.8 (74) on a day when Glen Jakovich became only the third player from the club to register the 250 game milestone.
May 10, 2003:
Veteran midfielder Drew Banfield joined a select group of players to reach the 200 game milestone and the club celebrated with a fighting win over Geelong.
May 17, June 15, 2003:
In the space of five weeks the West Coast Eagles defeated 2002 grand finalists Collingwood and Brisbane, at Telstra Dome and the Gabba respectively, to give the club’s push for a place in the finals series real impetus.
June 8, 2003:
Ashley Sampi proved cool in a crisis, steering West Coast to a remarkable draw against the Western Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval. Seemingly beaten when 13 points with a little more than two minutes on the clock, West Coast tied the game after the siren when Sampi marked and converted from about 30 metres.
July 23, 2003:
Months of speculation ended when brilliant young midfielder Chris Judd re-signed for a further two years.
August 30, 2003:
A record crowd of 43.027 turned out for the round 22 Carlton Mid Derby, only to see West Coast thwarted by Fremantle. It was the largest attendance since the ground had been re-configured several years earlier.
September 6, 2003:
The West coast Eagles finals campaign came to an abrupt end against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, the Crows surging to a 56 point triumph – 16.17 (113) to 8.9 (57).
March 28, 2004:
After trailing by 34 points deep in the first quarter, the West Coast Eagles rallied to kick their 2004 campaign off in a high-scoring affair against the Western Bulldogs. The vital signs were good for the visitors, who won just three games on the road the season prior, triumphing by seven points in a nail-biter.
May 15, 2004:
On the morning of the round eight match against Sydney, dual premiership player and four-time club champion Glen Jakovich shocked many by publicly announcing that the game would be his last. With that, the champion centre half-back closed the book on an enviable career that saw him retire as the club games record holder with 276 matches and AFL life membership to his credit.
June 20, 2004:
Phillip Matera had reason to celebrate against the Kangaroos at Manuka Oval, despite the 33-point loss. His 150th game, Matera qualified for life membership of the club – joining his brother, Peter, who played 253 games for the West Coast Eagles, in that elite group.
August 8, 2004:
For the second consecutive season, the West Coast Eagles triumphed over the Brisbane Lions on their home turf – the Gabba, The 14-point margin significantly smaller than 2003’s 69-point mauling, it was the side’s second victory of a five-game winning streak.
September 4, 2004:
The West Coast Eagles could not convert the momentum of their premiership season into a finals victory, succumbing to Sydney 11.9 (75) to 4.10 (34) at a rain-soaked Telstra Stadium – the club’s first match at the Olympic venue.
September 20, 2004:
Star midfielder Chris Judd became the first West Coast Eagle to claim the competition’s highest individual award – the Brownlow Medal. The 21 year-old, who received all-Australian honours for the first time two weeks earlier, polled 30 votes to win from 2003 medallist Mark Ricciuto, who finished with 23.
October 1, 2004:
Judd capped off a stellar season, claiming his first Club Champion Award after finishing third in 2002 and runner-up in 2003. He was also named the club’s player of the finals.
March 12, 2005:
Qualifying for its very first pre-season grand final, the West Coast Eagles met Carlton in an enthralling clash at Telstra Dome. West Coast hit the lead early in the fourth quarter but a late rally from the Blues saw them triumph by 27 points.
March 27, 2005:
The West Coast Eagles opened its 2005 account in fine style, ending a long-standing hoodoo at AAMI Stadium. Down by 10 points at three-quarter time and without a win against the Crows at their home ground since 1996, vice-captain Andrew Embley moved forward to kick three second-half goals and set up a thrilling 11-point win.
April 24, 2005:
Continuing its dominance over Brisbane, the West Coast Eagles handed the Lions a 73-point thrashing for its third win at the Gabba in three years. The win was West Coast’s fifth of an eight-game streak to start the season.
May 29, 2005:
After losing its first match of the season to Collingwood a week earlier, West Coast responded in convincing fashion with a 117-point demolition of Port Adelaide at Subiaco Oval. The 2004 premiers had few answers for the onslaught, which saw West Coast finish the match with 16 goal-kickers.
June 18, 2005:
Hard-working midfielder Michael Braun had two reasons to celebrate the 15-point win over Melbourne at the MCG, becoming the first player from outside of WA to play 150 games for the club.
August 12, 2005:
Having lost two of its three games in the lead-up, West Coast pounded an in-form Fremantle by 48 points in a Carlton Mid Derby televised to a national audience. Star midfielder Chris Judd won his second Ross Glendinning Medal for the year for best afield.
August 27, 2005:
After holding top spot for 18 weeks, the West Coast Eagles conceded the minor premiership to Adelaide with a disappointing eight-point loss. The defeat also ended the Eagles’ 20-match winning streak at Subiaco Oval.
September 2, 2005:
Before 43,302 spectators, West Coast pulled off a remarkable four-point victory against the Sydney Swans in its first final at Subiaco Oval since 1996. Trailing by 14 points at the final change, a five-goal final term including a heroic mark and goal from Adam Hunter booked West Coast a preliminary final berth.
September 17, 2005:
West Coast exacted revenge on Adelaide with a gritty 16-point win over the minor premier at Subiaco Oval, earning a place in its first grand final since the triumph of 1994.
September 19, 2005:
Captain Ben Cousins became the second West Coast Eagle to win a Brownlow Medal in as many seasons, polling 20 votes to beat teammate Daniel Kerr by a solitary vote. The quinella, with the top two players from the same club, was the first of its kind for 79 years.
September 24, 2005:
After Sydney dominated the first half, West Coast fought back bravely to take the lead early in the fourth quarter but didn’t capitalise on opportunities that followed. With just four goals kicked in the final stanza, Sydney made the most of theirs to seal an emotional four-point victory. However, the brilliant Chris Judd was presented with the Norm Smith Medal despite his team’s heartache.
