In a disappointing season for the club and its members, it is good to know many of our supporters can still find the silver lining.

Below is a selection of the many letters and emails we receive each day, proving that the West Coast Eagles has the most loyal and passionate members of any club in the AFL competition.

Further to my negative comments last week, I have to say (despite a loss) I really enjoyed the Eagles effort against Geelong.  Very pleased to see great leadership from Beau Waters and an improved attitude from the players.  Sorry to see Adam Selwood injured, he was doing so very well on Gary Ablett.  Keep up the good work.

Barb Manning

I don’t know if this will be read by anyone, but you will find the vast majority of supporters would be backing "Woosha" and the team. Yes, we want to win more games and YES it is frustrating to see the guys trying so hard without reward, but it will be our turn in the next couple of years. Premierships are earned not given, there are a lot of teams in the AFL that wish that they had had the success that our club has enjoyed since we invaded the "Big V" in the late  80's. To all the members, I say: KEEP THE FAITH and GO EAGLES!!!

Bernie Oliver
18-year member

We would like to say that we were very impressed with John Worsfold coming out on the news last night to say what he said. It is about time! Travelling home from games, some of the supporters are just wingers!  Takes all my time not to say anything to them. We will be there for the Eagles and I think three cups in the time since they commenced is terrific. So in future if I hear any disgruntled comments from Eagles supporters, I will say “well go and join another club as I know there are plenty of people trying to get Eagle tickets.” Still going to the games and watching for 2010. All the best to the West Coast Eagles for 2011.

Judy Evans (#008198)

To my beloved West Coast Eagles FC,
My name is Karen Moore. On Tuesday 27 April Mark LeCras and Matty Priddis presented my friend Yvonne Bali at a Rotary in Osborne Park with three derby tickets and a magnificent signed, framed guernsey as she was a guest for the Random Acts of Kindness TV show. She really loved the surprise! Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity! Kind regards,

Karen
PS I BELIEVE!!!

Good onya,

Yes fans get frustrated, but we have to be realistic. There are 16 teams all vying for the top. As long as the Eagles keep trying they will get my vote. Looking forward to the youngens getting a few games under their belts, we have a solid foundation there...

Joan Edwards

We are extremely pleased that you have shown faith in John’s coaching ability and made a statement about it. I hope this will stop supporters and members being unreasonable by expecting John to do the impossible by being on top of the ladder with a very young and comparatively inexperienced squad. We wish John and the coaching staff all the very best.  We know that they will prove the critics wrong soon.

The Hamilton Household

I was lucky enough to win the In The Wings draw for the game today. I want to thank you very much, there is nothing like going to a game. Even though we didn't win it was terrific to see our team live and in action! My son and I noted all the improvements in the younger players and it is great to watch that growth and development.

As the prize winners, Rachel (from membership) made us feel very special. She went out of her way to welcome us with warmth and a friendly approach. She is a great ambassador for the Eagles! Thanks again, the prize allowed me to treat my son to a memorable afternoon at the footy. It was much appreciated. We believe... that you value your members. No wonder your members speak of the team with loyalty and show commitment, supporting the Eagles as they evolve further! Go the mighty Eagles!

Julie Delaney (In the Wings Member)

Dear West Coast,

Very pleased to see Woosha has the full support of the board and all Eagles players, why wouldn't he. People must realise Eagles have had 20 wonderful years, three premierships, a few ups and downs, but as I tell my family you must take the good with the bad, you can't expect miracles with the young team we have. Given time Woosha will have them up and in contention for finals. I will stick with them through thick and thin, I won't be like a lot of others and jump ship, I have supported them from day one and will support them till the end.

GO WOOSHA   
GO EAGLES

Dear Sir/ Madam,

My husband and I recently travelled to Melbourne for the round 16 clash between WCE and ESS at Etihad. My purpose of this letter is to congratulate WCE for an excellent game and especially the after match function at the Victory Room. It was great to hear from the coaching staff and players after a good win. Some of the players even mingled with the crowd for a while after the speeches/interviews which was a great thing for the oldies and kids alike! I wish we had such activities after the game at Subiaco, but I guess to do so we need a new stadium. The facilities at MGC & Etihad were also excellent compared to Subiaco, with more food and beverage options. We are already planning on another trip to watch the boys play in Melbourne. I will definitely keep an eye out on the information on the newsletters on the activities available in Melbourne. Thank you.

Yours sincerely, Lesley Dobson

Trevor,

Thank you for the newsletter put out yesterday and for your support of John Worsfold. As members, we should all support our coach; we have had many, many good years and now the time is that things are not exactly as we would like, we must support our club and give our total loyalty. We are not the coach or the coaching team and are not privy to the big picture.  As a club, we have come a long way and achieved so much.
Thank you and all the best,

Dayle Gilbert

Hi West Coast Eagles,

I would just like to take the opportunity to say a massive thank you to all involved in arranging the after-match function following last Saturday’s game at the SCG.  I am a second year member and was fortunate enough to attend last weekend’s game and function.  I live about two hrs north of Sydney in Maitland (west of Newcastle) and it is pretty hard to keep up with the news over here, let alone get a chance to meet the players.  Just to get to watch them play is usually a once a year thing, if that as some years they don't get a Sydney game.  And TV coverage is pretty thin too, unless you have Foxtel (which I don't). 

To be able to meet and get autographs from guys like Cox, Embley, Priddis, Nic Nat and others was a great thrill.  I also had the chance to chat with Trevor Nisbett during the function and really appreciate the time he took to speak with me. Again, thank you to the players and staff for what you did.  You have made this Eagles fan very happy to be a member and keen to continue the association with the club for a long time to come.

Kind regards and GO THE EAGLES!!!

Hi,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank both you the West Coast Eagles and John Worsfold for giving my husband and myself the pleasure of being members of this magnificent club. We have been members since the club's inception and have enjoyed the highs and lows of the club. My husband is actually a heart transplant patient of some two years now and his enjoyment at witnessing the grand final win of 2006 was a moment I will never forget and the joy on his face when that final siren went is a moment I will always treasure. We are not one of those members who only stick with winners and while we don't like losing (especially to that purple lot). We attend come rain or shine and will be there when the good times come around again. John Worsfold is a wonderful man and as far as we are concerned he can stay until he decides he has had enough. Once again thank you so very much for all the enjoyment and may the good times come soon. C'mon the Mighty Eagles.

Kind regards
Jan Cluning

I am so pleased Woosha and his young Eagles has the full support of the CEO and board members. I drive to each home game from Busselton and, win or lose, I enjoy watching these young boys, playing against seasoned men, grow bigger and stronger with every game. I travelled to Melbourne to see the team enjoy their win at the MCG against Melbourne and attended the function after the game. The boys were very happy with their win. I too am excited about the next few years and look forward to the journey.

Anne Faithfull

Mr Trevor Nisbett and the WCE Team,

I write to express our thanks and gratitude for the services and opportunity provided to our son Cooper Kilpatrick who was the West Coast Eagles mascot in round five against Sydney Swans. Being an interstate junior member is sometimes difficult because we cannot get Cooper to any of the junior events, so we emailed WCE and asked if Cooper could be the mascot.

To our surprise and excitement we received a prompt and favourable response. During the months of anticipation between being accepted and being the mascot, we received fantastic communication and support from Claire McDowall (née Ryan) who kept us in touch, assisted with any queries and organised the clothing, tickets, footy record mention etc. I can't recall the last time I received such great customer service from anywhere, and in this case it was for an outstanding and free opportunity.

On the big day, everything went exactly as we were notified and again we were overwhelmed by the generosity and support offered by all members of the WCE team. This included the board members, John Worsfold, Beau Waters and many other individual players and the runner all who took the time to stop and introduce themselves, welcome Cooper and ask him a bit about himself. At the after-match function, all players were fantastic and very generous with autographs and photos and again many recognised Cooper as the mascot and asked him if he had enjoyed the opportunity.

Can you imagine how it feels to be a nine-year-old boy and have Andrew Embley (and others) say "Hey you were our mascot today, did you have fun?", or a staff member Megan Williams say "You were the coolest mascot we have ever had!".

All too often elite sports people and teams are given the rough end of the stick in the media, but we can't thank you enough for the unbelievable opportunity you provided our son. Our experience and the service and generosity you extended is unrivalled in our eyes and we have been telling anyone that will listen how great you all are.

Cooper described Saturday as 'the best day in his life' and we wanted to pass this on to you and your fantastic team. Thank you to all of the team at WCE, particularly Claire, you have done yourselves proud. 

Cooper, Sam and Andrew Kilpatrick

Hi Leigh,

Each time we go to a game, I think to myself... I must email Leigh... The reason being is that we get to the game about 40 minutes before bounce-down so we get to see Auzzie. It is such a spectacular thing to witness... the flight of a wild animal that is also our mascot. It is such a shame that they don’t show this on TV for people to see her, Leigh, as there have been times over the years that people around us don’t know what is about to happen, and so wonderful to point her out and see them enjoy her as much as we do. I love that she wants to land on the football but the handler makes her swing around again... it makes me laugh to see her do as she is asked, and then when she comes in for the landing with her feet out... just amazing.

Can you imagine the flight of Auzzie being shown on the TV?  Can you imagine Geelong bringing out a cat (hang on, I’ll just get my binoculars to see it!) or the Bulldogs doing the same thing? (get the binoculars again!)

I also think it is excellent the way John Worsfold goes to the centre of the ground to shake the umpire’s hands.  Such a sportsmanlike gesture, and one that I appreciate too. 

Rick the Rock Eagle is so much fun, Leigh.  He is such a fun mascot.  I haven’t witnessed any other mascots, whether in WA or the east who play with the crowd in such a fun way, rather than giving them stick, the way that Rick does. His antics are so much fun to watch, and the kids love him... let alone the rest of us.

I also love the bounce-down countdown, Leigh.  That is so good... and people get into the spirit by counting with the numbers. All in all, as you can tell, Gary and I have a wonderful day at the football, taking in everything that makes the day such an event.  And, even better when we win, Leigh.

I just thought I’d email and say how much we appreciate all the work that goes into the day that has to be worked out beforehand, to make the days run as well and be the event such as they are for us.

Regards
Sharon Hardman