The West Coast Eagles certainly enjoyed a rocking party at their John Worsfold Medal night. They basked in the glory as their great crosstown rivals – the Fremantle Dockers – were eliminated from the finals. Dockers’ disillusionment deeply hurt by what they considered an unjust loss in an elimination final against the Gold Coast Suns. They were one point short at Optus Stadium. This unforeseen turn of events put a dampener on the Eagles’ lack of success in their own right over the course of the year.
The Eagles had suffered through a historic-low season, winning just one game all year long. With their one and only win being against St Kilda in Round 10 before enduring two major losing streaks. During those same four seasons, the Eagles were still only able to win 11 matches. The terrible performance has led to increased criticism and watchdog attention.
During the medal night festivities, the atmosphere shifted dramatically when David Swallow’s crucial goal for the Suns sealed Fremantle’s fate. Suffice it to say the tension in the room exploded when Eagles supporters cheered their rivals’ downfall.
“Nah, you’re done, you’re done. It’s a long train back to Fremantle.” – Unattributed person in the video footage
Former Eagles player Will Schofield recently aired his grievances with the way the Eagles have approached this. He chronicled the challenges the team continues to deal with. He had the attitude that instead of worrying about what Fremantle did wrong, the Eagles should focus on making themselves a better team.
“It’s annoyed me. Because we watch a really good side in Freo; they’ve got their recruiting right, they’ve got their players right and, yeah they lose, but they’re going about it the right way.” – Will Schofield
Schofield went on to double down on his criticism of the Eagles’ celebrations given the circumstances surrounding Fremantle’s loss. He said he was disappointed with their newsgathering combo of their fun shenanigans versus their other non-waterloo/turf-show upcoming boring season.
“The footage I saw, they’re clapping and carrying on at the best and fairest. Goodness gracious,” – Will Schofield
Even in light of that criticism, one speaker at the event lauded Fremantle’s recruitment and player selection approach. He praised their determination to do the right thing, even in the face of their recent loss.
The events that unfolded that night cemented a keenly felt rivalry that continues to beat at the heart of Western Australian football culture. Fremantle would be hoping to quickly regroup and recover after their finals exit. The West Coast Eagles are wrestling with their own demons as they battle to get back to being competitive.
