Ladder position: 4th
Leading goalkicker: Josh Kennedy (59)
Leading possession winner: Matt Priddis (662)
Played every game: Dean Cox, Shannon Hurn, Mark Nicoski, Matt Priddis, Adam Selwood, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey
Debutants: Jack Darling (23 games), Andrew Gaff (17), Scott Lycett (one), Gerrick Weedon (one)
Stats leaders
Toyota AFL Dream Team: Dean Cox (2,366)
Kicks: Shannon Hurn (343)
Handballs: Matt Priddis (386)
Marks: Quinten Lynch (157)
Hit-outs: Dean Cox (716)
Clearances: Matt Priddis (159)
Contested possessions: Matt Priddis (362)
Uncontested possessions: Andrew Embley (331)
NAB AFL Rising Star nominees
Luke Shuey (round two)
Jack Darling (round six)
Andrew Gaff (round 19)
List manager
The Eagles are building a deep midfield, but they could do with an injection of pace. Ideally, they would love to land a fleet-footed midfielder who can rotate forward and regularly kick goals. A player in his early 20s to develop with the club's young core would fit the bill.
Games that shaped a season
Rd 1: West Coast 13.14 (92) d North Melbourne 13.10 (88)
Despite injuries to Mark LeCras (groin) and Chris Masten (knee), West Coast rallied from behind to win in the heat. Dean Cox fought through cramp and was heroic in the club's first round-one win since 2008, giving the team immediate belief.
Rd 9: West Coast 26.19 (175) d Western Bulldogs 8.4 (52)
The match will be remembered for Josh Kennedy's 10 goals and the celebrations that followed, but the performance of West Coast's midfield against a finals-hardened opponent was significant. Luke Shuey booted five goals and had 27 disposals, with Andrew Embley, Daniel Kerr and Matt Rosa all superb.
Rd 14: Carlton 10.7 (67) lost to West Coast 15.13 (103)
This was the win that catapulted West Coast into serious top-four calculations. A loss would have left the Eagles 10 points adrift of the fourth-placed Blues, but the brilliant win, made possible by Scott Selwood's stopping job on Chris Judd, left them just half a game short.
Rd 16: West Coast 14.12 (96) d Geelong 13.10 (88)
The most significant win of the Eagles' resurgent season came against Geelong, which sat atop the ladder when they met. The Eagles opened up a 40-point lead in the first half but were forced to defend grimly against the 2009 premiers to hang on.
Rd 23: Brisbane Lions 11.15 (81) lost to West Coast 13.11 (89)
Needing one win from its last two games to secure fourth spot, the Eagles appeared set for defeat against the Lions in the wet at a venue where they hadn't won since 2006. However, Chris Masten lifted his team as the Eagles kicked eight of the last 10 goals to notch a brave come-from-behind win.
What went right
The most important factor in West Coast's rise was the availability of senior players Dean Cox, Darren Glass and Andrew Embley and the vintage form each produced to earn selection in the 40-man All Australian squad. Quinten Lynch and Mark Nicoski were revitalised and contributed to a highly effective tall forward line, which included first-year dynamo Jack Darling. In the midfield, Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff were outstanding as the Eagles became a leading stoppage team thanks largely to ruckmen Cox and Nic Naitanui's unrivalled combination. With its best players available and the midfield firing, West Coast was able to implement the forward press as well as any team, with a coaching group led by John Worsfold on top of its game.
What went wrong
To jump from last place and into the top four, you can't afford to have a lot go wrong, and West Coast didn't, enjoying a relatively clean bill of health for the entire season. Vice-captain Beau Waters was the major casualty, missing 12 weeks with another serious elbow injury, but he was able to work his way back for the finals. The most crucial injuries came late in the year, with midfielders Matt Rosa (knee) and Daniel Kerr (back) missing the team's qualifying final clash with Collingwood at the MCG. Kerr missed eight games through the year because of hip, back, glute and hamstring complaints.
Critical moment
Josh Kennedy's 10-goal bag against the Western Bulldogs in round nine was a moment for West Coast to celebrate after three tough years, but it was also significant in the context of this season. The Eagles looked like a top-four side in that 123-point win and they played like one thereafter, growing in confidence and winning 12 of their next 14 games.
Most valuable player
Dean Cox remained the No.1 man in a dominant ruck partnership with Nic Naitanui and drove the Eagles' dramatic improvement at stoppages this year. His ability to cover the ground also returned after two years ruined by injury and was never more important than in round 19 against the Western Bulldogs when he took two soaring marks at either end of Etihad Stadium to save the game.
Coach's pet
Scott Selwood led the AFL for tackles this year and emerged as one of the competition's shutdown specialists. John Worsfold had full confidence playing the 21-year-old on much more experienced opponents and he didn't let the coach down. Consistently won clearances and is ready to graduate to more attacking roles.
Next big thing
Given a clean bill of health, midfielder Luke Shuey immediately justified his high rating at West Coast and became an influential member of the midfield, ranking second at the club for clearances and contested possessions. Displayed the ability to turn a game with a brilliant burst, most notably his third quarter against Essendon in round 22.
Needs a big pre-season
Tough onballer Koby Stevens had an interrupted preparation for 2011 but managed to break into a competitive midfield for two games mid-season as a substitute. He has improved and is highly rated; now he just needs a big pre-season to move into the team more permanently in his third year.
Trading places
A host of midfielders and half-backs have performed well in the WAFL this season but have been starved of opportunities, with Bradd Dalziell and Lewis Stevenson playing one game between them despite solid form. It is hard to see Callum Wilson breaking into the Eagles' forward line and he may be forced to seek opportunities elsewhere.
What they said
"It's fair to say I think we've probably outperformed my expectations, but I had big expectations coming into the season. I was really confident that if we played our best football we could make the finals. The leadership group spoke about it a lot before the year that we wanted the expectations to be high."
- West Coast captain Darren Glass
In a nutshell
After being written off and ridiculed at times in 2010, West Coast's resurgence was the most remarkable turnaround since Collingwood went from last to first in 1977.
Overall grade: A
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
