JW: Thanks for your email, Jes. At various stages this season we have played football that would earn us a place in the upper echelon of the competition. However, finals football requires a strong consistency and that’s what we’re working to achieve. Our victories on the road need to be as convincing as those at Subiaco Oval. Winning a premiership is a medium-term goal of this side and given the youth of our squad we believe that we’re on track to achieving that. I do agree that at times there are similarities between the current side and our side of the early 1990s, but we need to find the consistency that marked our successful teams. We can only strive to replicate their feats.
From Jodie: Hi Woosha, my husband is becoming increasingly frustrated with Michael Braun starting on the bench each week. Could you explain why?
JW: Michael has started on the bench just a couple of times this season but he does often begin a game on the interchange bench. While match-ups with our opposition can determine that, we also believe that Michael’s best football is played through the midfield and it is important to rotate players through that part of the ground to maintain momentum. He is often used in a relief or support role to the likes of Cousins, Kerr, Judd and Fletcher if there is not a direct match-up for him. While he may not be required to start on the field, he can be very effective when he gets his run. For this, I believe Michael is enjoying a great season and his position in our top five ball-winners confirms that.
From Les Warner: A lot has been said about Chris Judd's ability and status, but I thought against Essendon he took his game to a different level, that of a leader. He seemed to play with more intensity and made every effort to seek out players who had featured well in different aspects of the game. This role did not detract from his game, in my opinion it strengthened it and he seemed very comfortable with the on-field leadership. How did you see it?
JW: Hi Les, good point. We were most impressed with the manner in which Chris handled his acting captaincy in Ben Cousins’ absence against both Essendon and Port Adelaide. It is most impressive that he can embrace those leadership qualities at just 20 years of age while still playing great footy. Chris has a natural ability for the game and his character demonstrates that he is leadership material. That’s why we awarded him a vice-captaincy role early this year.
From Nicola: Hi Woosha, are you happy about where the Eagles are on the ladder? Who do you think your best player is?
JW: I am a strong believer that you sit on the ladder where you deserve to sit. Some of our performances this season suggest we should be higher than we are on the ladder, while others have showed why we are in 10th position. However, our football has been very pleasing since the mid-season bye, particularly as we work to secure a place in the top eight leading into the finals. Our aim is to become a top four side in the near future and play consistent finals football. That’s what I’d like us to achieve.
From Alex Ierino: Hey Woosha. I am a complete lover of the West Coast Eagles and have been all my life and never will change. Anyway I'd like to ask, what do you think of Guy McKenna after he left to our arch enemies, Collingwood?
JW: Thanks for your support of the West Coast Eagles, Alex. Guy is a good friend of mine and we enjoyed plenty of success together in the past. He had a great opportunity to join the Magpies and while Collingwood is an old foe of our club, Bluey’s ambition is to become a senior coach and he needs to obtain as much experience as he can. There are only 16 clubs in the competition and only 16 senior coaching jobs in the country, so you have to be fortunate to coach the club you played for, as is my situation. Therefore, I support his choices and look forward to seeing how his career progresses. And, with him there, we’ve got all the more reason to enjoy playing them!
