WITNESSING the hurt felt by West Coast's stars who missed out on a remarkable flag triumph will motivate the Eagles' back-to-back bid next season, according to club champion Elliot Yeo.
Injured duo Nic Naitanui and Brad Sheppard spoke from the heart at the John Worsfold Medal on Friday night after being inducted as life members, both burning with desire to join their teammates as premiership players.
Perhaps tellingly, restricted free agent Andrew Gaff – who was gutted to miss the Grand Final through suspension and will soon announce if he wants to join North Melbourne - made no mention of next year when accepting his fifth-place trophy in the best and fairest.
Sheppard labelled 2018 the "most challenging year of my life" after the anguish of suffering a severe hamstring in the qualifying final win over Collingwood.
"The most consistent part of my life is coming into the footy club with my best mates, who regardless of any situation always put a smile on my face and I always had a laugh with," the underrated defender said.
"I just wanted to say thank you lads, I'm so bloody proud of what we've been able to achieve this year.
"I'm so honoured to be standing here as a life member of this great club and this amazing group and, boys, we're going back-to-back."
Naitanui had more time to come to terms with his predicament after rupturing the ACL in his 'good' right knee in round 17 against the Pies.
The 28-year-old ruckman coached premiership big men Scott Lycett and Nathan Vardy after his injury, helping them combat All Australian duo Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy in September.
Naitanui faces most of next season on the sidelines but will hope to boost the Eagles when he returns in the second half of the campaign.
"Throughout my career I've had my adversity, but I couldn't be prouder of what the boys have achieved this year," Naitanui said.
"Some of those guys who have been around for a while, to see those guys with medals around their necks and some of the young guys … well done to those boys as well.
"We're here to have fun, we're here to enjoy it and that's what I love about the brotherhood at this football club.
"Like 'Shep' said, we better go back-to-back because I want one of those medals as well."
After winning his second-straight John Worsfold Medal and joining some elite company at West Coast, Yeo wanted to share what had been the best week of his life with his unlucky teammates next season.
"I'd like to be in that position again deep in September," Yeo said.
"There were a few boys who got up today and they spoke with a fair bit of heart. You could see they were hurting that they missed out.
"That would be an experience that I'd like to try and cherish and share with some of the boys that were unfortunate.
"I think it will be one of those things that the boys would have that deep desire in the gut for the boys who missed out.
"I don't think it will be spoken about, it will just be sitting there."
