Welcome to ESPN's AFL Debate Club, the column in which our writers and contributors will take one prompt from the week and put their opinion on the record. The kicker? No opinion is immune from criticism!
This week, Rohan Connolly and Jake Michaels debate whether or not the Eagles deserve a priority pick.
Does West Coast deserve a priority pick?
Rohan Connolly: This is a joke, right? I mean, are we really asking this seriously? Sorry, of course we are, but I reckon of all the cases I've seen put forward for specific clubs deserving a priority draft pick, this is the weakest.
Yes, West Coast is having a shocking time of it right now, just two wins from its past 39 games. But it's only two years ago - almost to the day, that the Eagles were still returning the results of a side aspiring to finals, their Round 13 win over Richmond in 2021 putting them seventh on the ladder with an 8-3 record.
You can't have been that good only two years ago and descend to a basket case that quickly, and the Eagles aren't one. Sure, they've made some shocking list management decisions, kept too many favourites going way past their "use by" date, and not recruited particularly well. But that's not about the sort of entrenched disadvantage which should be worthy of a priority pick.
In fact, quite the contrary. West Coast is the very definition of an affluent AFL club, rich in resources, not wanting for anything, so its poor returns of late are hardly the consequence of having to do things on the cheap. Why should it be given an extra leg up for its own bad decisions?
The Eagles have been a club cut a lot of slack by a satisfied supporter base and largely compliant fourth estate. And they've been way too happy to trade on history and reputation. But when the penny finally does drop, rest assured no club is better placed to marshal all resources into putting things right, be that in terms of coaches, staff or players. And that will, in time, deliver results.
Is the club in some sort of danger in the meantime? Of course not. It has the backing of a whole state, only one local rival, and all sorts of expertise, not to mention goodwill, upon which to draw. The last thing it needs is a free kick from the AFL.
Jake Michaels: Ah, priority picks - designed to help lift a club out of football's wilderness and back into relevance. It goes without saying they should be used sparingly.
West Coast is horrible. I mean, truly awful. Adam Simpson's side is anchored to the bottom of the ladder, has suffered 11 straight losses by 40+ points (three of those were by 100+ points) and is not far from slipping below 50 percentage points. I'm still not sure how they actually won a game this year and I'm betting they don't win another!
It hasn't just been this season, either. Since Round 20, 2021, the Eagles have a record of 3-36, conceding over 100 points in 26 of those games, and have looked so far off the rest of the competition it's not funny. We've seen expansion clubs fare better than this.
It's clear the current on-field performance (or lack thereof) would suggest West Coast is in desperate need of a priority pick to help resurrect the club. Do they deserve one? I'd lean towards yes, if, and it's a big if, things don't improve by the end of 2025. That's right, you're not getting one just yet.
There's no hard and fast rule around who can and can't receive a priority pick but I've always felt you are basically disqualified if you've reached a preliminary final in the last seven years, let alone winning a premiership.
Giving the Eagles a priority pick today would potentially set a dangerous precedent in the AFL, basically offering an insurance policy for teams looking to go all-in on a premiership. When they inevitably fall off the cliff -- and each and every one of them will -- they're rewarded with a supplementary top draft pick.
There needs to be a far greater emphasis placed on list management accountability and the AFL isn't just there to bail you out once things go awry. You make your bed, you have to lay in it. Now if things are looking equally as grim in 24 months time, we'll talk.