Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett said the two WA clubs had worked vigorously on a joint submission that was requested by the WA Football Commission and will be presented by the end of this month.
Nisbett said the clubs were working on a model that would benefit the WAFL and its clubs, with a series of past approaches rejected by the state competition's stakeholders.
"We got a letter from the Football Commission back in November, which suggested we should put a formal proposal in rather than continually talk about it," Nisbett said, following the Eagles' 25th anniversary season launch in Perth on Wednesday.
"We're in the process of doing that by the end of March, so we'll be forwarding, along with Fremantle, a proposal to have standalone teams in the WAFL.
"We know there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before then.
"We’ve got to convince the WAFL competition and the clubs that it's going to be good for not only their competition, and uphold the integrity of their competition, but it's also going to be good for WA football."
Nisbett said the two AFL clubs, whose players are currently allocated among the nine WAFL sides, had been working on different reserves side models for the past six years.
He said any side would have to play for premiership points and be able to compete in finals.
"We wouldn't undermine the integrity of the competition," he said. "You're in it to win.
"In the past, there hasn't been a lot of consideration by the WAFL, because they believed that we haven't had the right model.
"We've been working vigorously on that to try and get the right model in place."
Nisbett said there were endless positives for the two AFL clubs, primarily having control of their players in the early stages of their development.
"When you're drafting a young player, particularly from a Melbourne club, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have him try and adjust to two football clubs, several coaches [and] lots of different people - it's a hindrance to his development," Nisbett said.
"It's something that we've had to do as a joint venture with Fremantle. Both clubs, and particularly football departments, are keen to have players under their control at all times."
The Eagles launched their 25th season at the Burswood Entertainment Complex on Wednesday morning in front of more than 800 corporate partners, members and supporters.
New chairman Alan Cransberg, senior coach John Worsfold and inaugural coach Ron Alexander addressed the crowd, with two-time premiership player Michael Brennan unveiled as the club's new No.1 ticket holder.
Brennan, whose son Jacob is embarking on his first AFL season, said the club's 25th year would be significant following the last-placed finish of 2010.
"It's an important year in the club's history and the fact I was there involved in the very first game, it's terrific to be asked to be the No.1 ticket holder," he said.
"I'm not close enough to make any predictions, I just think it will be important for the group to have a few wins early to give them confidence.
"There's a number of people out there who really feel for the side when they're struggling like they have been.
"But that's why we're so keen and positive about taking a step forward this year."
Jacob Brennan is a $92,500 defender in the Toyota AFL Dream Team competition
