I got so worked up about this I ended up writing this letter and sending it to the club over Facebook:
Dear West Coast Eagles,
I have been a loyal fan for basically my entire life. Not just that, I've been a superfan, a hardcore lover of the club. Not only going to games and training sessions, but religiously keeping up with news of the club, and I help moderate an online forum dedicated to WCE. We have nearly 500 subscribers. Over my time analysing the club I've kept very close track on list management situations and have become a keen observer of young talent through the drafts.
Why I feel the need to tell you all this is because I was absolutely heartbroken by the news that you let out today. Not only the content, which shocked and disappointed me, but also the manner with which it was done. Murray Newman is my favourite player and I had been overjoyed to see his comeback and the work he’d put in to get back to a really good level and play AFL calibre footy. I was absolutely screaming when he kicked his first goal back against the Bulldogs, I’ll never forget that moment. Seeing my favourite player’s career ended with the blunt statement “Also coming off the rookie list is Murray Newman” was not just a shock to the system, but was quite frankly insulting.
I would have been heartbroken by this news alone, but then you choose to drop Brant Colledge and Alec Waterman to the Rookie List. From my perspective, Brant has massive upside and if this is some kind of punishment for his trade request that’s just petty and conniving. And Alec Waterman, who was in great form at the start of the year before he sadly became ill. I would have thought you’d have at least let him run out his contract next year and delist him naturally if he never gets better, but you felt some great need to shunt him onto the rookie list. Leaves a very sour taste and is a move that has been unlike what this great club has done for our players in the past.
All these delistings were poor form in my opinion but nothing compares to what might be the singular worst decision I’ve ever seen by this football club. Keeping Patrick McGinnity. There is no other club in the AFL that would go anywhere Spud McGinnity because he lacks everything that it takes to be a modern AFL footballer. He lacks speed, height, endurance, skill, and composure and performed awfully in every game he’s been a part of in the last two seasons. Mr Spud is also 26 years old, meaning he’s not going to get any better. Ever. The ‘he provides grunt’ argument is flawed, ‘grunt’ isn’t something that is needed in modern day football.
The worst part is that we now go into the draft with picks 23, 31, 62, 75 and 93. You got rid of Brant Colledge and Alec Waterman for picks 75 and 93 in the shallowed draft in history. I truly cannot fathom how this is considered a good decision. If I’m running list management, I delist McGinnity and Tunbridge and upgrade Newman to the Senior list.
*Honestly, today’s news has left me absolutely broken. This is 3 steps backwards as a club in a whole range of areas, from player welfare through to list management through to public relations. I think this will be looked back on as a disastrous day for the football club and could be the difference between winning a premiership and not doing so. *
Regretfully Yours,
damot55, concerned fan