Campbell Chesser on his emotions upon returning to West Coast Eagles team for first time in 11 months

West Coast winger Campbell Chesser discarded 343 days of nervous energy to provide a rare glint of hope amid the gloom of Saturday’s 83-point loss to Melbourne at Marvel Stadium. That was how long it took Chesser to move from game 32, in last season’s round 24 defeat by Geelong, to game 33 on Saturday. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter described the performance as “a shining, bright light on a dark day”. “I thought he thought he had some really nice moments. It was great to see. He’s had a really hard road Chess, but there was some good stuff we saw from him today,” McQualter said. Chesser’s comeback performance on Saturday was significant given his contract is up for renewal. Lining up on a wing, Chesser began with six possessions in the opening term, and while he faded with the tempo of four quarters — six possessions in the second-half capitulation to the Dees — was content with the comeback. “As a team, we’re obviously disappointed. We didn’t turn up to compete,” he told The West Australian. “Personally, it’s nice to get back in the team, and that’s come off a pretty unfortunate run this year with some injury.” Chesser’s season was thwarted by ankle surgery in February which was complicated by setbacks. But after a strong patch of form in the WAFL, he demanded a recall and did not waste the opportunity. “I was a little bit nervous, but I was also confident in my body firstly, but also in my ability to come in and have an impact,” he said. “Obviously, playing at the level, AFL standard, I haven’t done that for probably a year now. “I had a fair bit of energy coming into the game but I had the confidence in my body from my weeks in the WAFL. “I think I was able to play to my strengths within my role and play my role for the team the best that I could.” Melbourne’s 10-goal-to-three third quarter was a sledgehammer reminder for Chesser just where the team was at in its rebuild. “They stacked them on quickly there and a lot of it came from dominance around the contest, so I’m sure we’ll review that during the week,” he said. Saturday’s loss also settled last position on the ladder with three rounds remaining and the Eagles’ third wooden spoon. “It’s obviously disappointing with that result on the ladder and in the game today, but we’ll review it hard and stick to our process,” Chesser said. “I’m hoping we can just get back to the basic stuff and play our brand. “It’s pretty much as simple as it gets. Just get back to the basics. Do that well and have a crack. “That was pretty much the message from the coach. We can’t expect to win games if we’re not willing to compete.” Chesser returned to the side along with midfielder Tom Gross and young winger Hamish Davis. Gross had been in strong WAFL form and his 13 disposals will give Eagles selectors plenty to think about for Sunday’s home game against Adelaide. Davis wore the sub’s vest and had four possessions in the final term. Chesser watched another comeback story, his good mate Jai Culley making his debut for the Demons. After being selected by West Coast with pick one in the 2022 mid-season draft, Culley was delisted by the Eagles last year after 12 games without a victory. The win drought ended on Saturday. The 22-year-old was given a lifeline by the Demons over the pre-season and after overcoming his own injury battles, amassed 13 possessions, kicked two goals and took seven marks, including a hang over Eagle Clay Hall. “I had a chat to Jai after the game. We were in the same host family when he moved over here to Perth and we were close,” Chesser said. “He played well. He’s got a new opportunity, and he’s grabbed with both hands, and it was good to see him do that.” Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said Culley’s story was an incredible one of “resilience”. The same might be said of Chesser, taken by pick 14 in 2021 but cruelled by a foot injury over his first two seasons. McQualter revealed the selection of ruckman Bailey Williams over Matt Flynn for the challenge of playing on one of the competition’s premier big men, Max Gawn, was made on past clashes between the pair. “Bailey played that role on him last year, to some good effect,” McQualter said. “Max is a special player. A really, really hard task, and we just tried to negate him as much as we could, but we couldn’t get it done today.”