WEST Coast will be given a licence to thrill next season as coach Daisy Pearce backs the emerging side to make the most of its strengths as it seeks to continue a steady rise.
The Eagles made a fast start to their campaign with four victories from their opening six matches before their finals hopes nose-dived with a five-match losing streak to round out this season.
SWANS v EAGLES Full match coverage and stats
But the early triumphs were enough for the Eagles to secure their most wins in a season as well as their highest finish on the ladder amid plenty of promising signs for the future.
"You get an idea of what you think footy should look like, and you're sort of strong about what's important in AFLW, but then there's an element of just getting to know what this team's strengths are and leaving room for that," Pearce said after the Eagles lost to the Swans in their last game of the season.
"Through the course of the year, probably the thing that got our energy going, even though we weren't getting results, was just our ability to play quickly and move the ball with a bit of excitement.
"We've always got to work on our contest method and how we defend, it's important, but our group really feeds off the energy of being able to go at the game."
The Eagles turned over a third of their playing list last off-season as they handed the keys to a new coach and refreshed playing group to lift the club to more than two wins in a season for the first time since joining the competition in 2020.
Much less turnover is expected this summer, but Pearce and the Eagles are buoyed by the prospect of this time finding players from around the country in the first AFLW national draft.
"We're always looking for ways to improve our list," Pearce said.
"But the biggest bit I'm excited about is just getting to work with the youngest squad in the competition. The development within our group that we've seen this year, and to think of another pre-season to go again on that, I'm really excited about.
"But we'll always be really active in trying to improve our list."
While Pearce has high hopes for a young group that has 19-year-old Ella Roberts and 21-year-old Bella Lewis leading the onball brigade, along with 21-year-old Charlie Thomas marshalling the defence, the Melbourne great concedes she was learning on the job in her first season in charge.
"It has been a challenge, I've never worked harder," Pearce said.
"Everything that everyone told me about being a senior coach is true, but I've loved it.
"Just how willing the girls are to learn and how hungry they are to improve, has made my job a whole lot easier, as has a really passionate group of people that I get to work with because it's certainly not a one-person job."
