AFTER a turbulent 12 months, West Coast star Daniel Kerr says the Eagles are looking forward to having their backs to the wall again in 2008.

With fellow midfield musketeers Ben Cousins and Chris Judd no longer around, Kerr admitted this year's pre-season had been a strange experience.

He said the Eagles were prepared to be written off by some critics - but were also looking forward to proving them wrong.

"You always love coming off a premiership season and there is almost that arrogance about you that you have won a flag and you think you are going to do it again," Kerr told the Fairfax radio network.

"This year we are coming in as a team that is underrated because we have lost two of the top five players in the AFL.

"It has been a bit of a weird one this year with Cuzzy, Chicky (Daniel Chick) and Juddy going as well. I got to the footy club, looked around and thought 'Who am I going to have lunch with today?'.

"But there is a kind of backs-to-the-wall attitude that we want to prove some punters wrong."

There have still been some headlines this off-season, with two inquiries, one internal, being held into the culture of the club.

The AFL-sanctioned probe being run by retired Victorian Supreme Court judge William Gillard could lead to sanctions for the club following Cousins' fall from grace.

But Kerr said Gillard's extensive questioning had not taken too much toll on the players.

"It was only 10 guys or so that had deal with all that stuff, the young fellas and most of the mid-range players did not have to answer to anything," Kerr said.

"It has been pumped up in the news a little bit more than what it actually was.

"On my meeting I think I snuck out the back door and the media was out the front, they thought I was in there for an hour and I was in there for 20 minutes. It was not as bad as everyone made out."

The Eagles new era on field begins on February 17, when they take on local rivals Fremantle in what has become a traditional NAB Cup pre-season opener in recent seasons.

Kerr hinted his preference would be to miss the game and ease into the year slowly - but whether coach John Worsfold will afford him that luxury remains to be seen.

"Woosha normally gives us the luxury of skipping one or two NAB Cup games," Kerr said.

"Traditionally I have tried to get out of that one because the Western derbies are a little too heated to play first up.

"Early on sometimes the tempo is very quick and I like to ease in for the season. But after saying this, Woosha will probably have me in first up."