Party time: The scene as the final siren rang on West Coast’s epic 2018 grand final win over Collingwood. Photo: AFL MEDIA

WEST COAST
2018 record: 19 wins, 6 losses (1st)

THE INS
Tom Hickey (St Kilda), Josh Smith (Collingwood), Keegan Brooksby (South Adelaide), Xavier O’Neill (Oakleigh Chargers), Luke Foley (Subiaco), Bailey Williams (Dandenong Stingrays), Jarrod Cameron (Swan Districts), Harry Edwards (Swan Districts), Patrick Bines (Melbourne Tigers – SEABL), Brodie Riach (Altona Gators – Big V)

THE OUTS
Scott Lycett (Port Adelaide), Eric Mackenzie (retired), Mark LeCras (retired), Malcolm Karpany (delisted), Luke Partington (delisted), Ryan Burrows (delisted), Callan England (delisted), Tony Olango (delisted), Tarir Bayok (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
Where do you begin with the premiership team? The Eagles forward line is arguably the most potent in the AFL with Liam Ryan, Jamie Cripps and Willie Rioli swooping at the feet of Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling. All five players, and the retired Mark LeCras, kicked at least 20 goals last season – the equal most of any team. Having Nathan Vardy drift forward, as Hickey will undoubtedly do, too, in the absence of Nic Naitanui and Lycett, adds another string to the bow of their attack, which was ranked No.5 in 2018. In fact, their use of big men last season was unparalleled when you consider how brilliant Jeremy McGovern, Tom Barrass and Will Schofield were in helping ensure West Coast also had the fifth-best defence. You could almost say the Eagles have singlehandedly revived the importance of the big man. Their tall timber saw them rank No.3 in the league for contested marks on differentials in 2018. West Coast’s midfield is also one of the best in the AFL, batting very deep with the likes of Elliot Yeo, Andrew Gaff, Luke Shuey, Jack Redden, Dom Sheed, Lewis Jetta, tagger Mark Hutchings and Chris Masten all rotating through. Their never-say-die attitude which saw them fight back from precarious positions in both finals against Collingwood is invaluable and instils the faith in themselves that they can win from any situation in the most high-pressure matches. They must also be commended for winning the flag despite key players Ryan (12 games), Kennedy (11), Naitanui (10), Barrass (six), Andrew Gaff (six), Luke Shuey (five) and Darling (four) missing big chunks of the season due to injury or suspension.

THE WEAKNESSES
Perhaps their biggest concern is their ruck department. It will be fascinating to see how they recover from the brutal double punch of losing Naitanui (knee) and Lycett (Port Adelaide) in one hit. Hickey has proven to be a serviceable ruckman over the years, but can he team up with Vardy and replicate the career-best form Lycett produced when Naitanui went down? That will be fascinating to see. The Eagles also snapped up former Gold Coast ruckman Keegan Brooksby to further bolster their ruck division.

ONE TO WATCH
When Gaff presumably returns to the senior team in round three, it will be one of the most talked-about moments of the 2019 season. For all intents and purposes, Gaff should be a premiership player, but a moment of madness which saw him break Fremantle youngster Andrew Brayshaw’s jaw late in the season denied him that dream and earned him an eight-week suspension instead. How will Gaff respond to instigating one of modern footy’s most infamous moments? That will be a hot topic of discussion next year and will ensure all the eyes of the footy world are on him in his first couple of games at least. The round four derby against Fremantle could be one of the most daunting chapters of Gaff’s career.

UNDER THE PUMP
Understandably, there are few candidates for this category after such a spectacular finish to their season, so new boy Hickey gets thrown in the deep end. As previously stated, with Naitanui and Lycett out of the team, all of a sudden the pressure and expectation will be on him to ensure a seamless transition to an equally effective ruck tandem with Vardy. Excitement machine Ryan has produced some unwanted headlines for his club in the off-season, and he would want to make sure that he is in the right frame of mind come the start of the season or he might find himself on the outer before he knows it.

BEST 22
B: Tom Barrass, Will Schofield, Liam Duggan
HB: Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern, Brad Sheppard
C: Jack Redden, Elliot Yeo, Dom Sheed
HF: Liam Ryan, Jack Darling, Jamie Cripps
F: Nathan Vardy, Josh Kennedy, Willie Rioli
R: Tom Hickey, Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff
Inter: Lewis Jetta, Mark Hutchings, Chris Masten, Tom Cole
Emerg: Daniel Venables, Jake Waterman, Jackson Nelson, Keegan Brooksby

It’s unclear as to whether Naitanui will feature in 2019 after he ruptured his ACL in round 17, so for now he is left out of the 26. Hickey takes his place in the meantime. And fancy being able to welcome back Gaff, Sheppard and maybe Naitanui after winning a premiership? West Coast has a lot about which to be confident next season.