Bailey Williams’ six-year deal to play at West Coast has split fans down the middle, but a former Eagles ruck coach has backed the call and says it will provide them stability in the position.

It was revealed on Tuesday Williams had signed a deal to remain at the club until the end of 2032, turning down interest from rival clubs in his home state of Victoria as a restricted free agent.

Williams joins midfielder Tim Kelly as the only players in the more than 30 years of West Coast’s existence to ink a six-year extension.

The contract has divided the fan base, despite Williams’ strong 2026 season, which has him averaging a career-high 28 hit-outs, 10 contested possessions and five clearances as the club’s No.1 ruckman.

West Coast premiership ruckman Turnbull was the ruck coach at the Eagles from 2020 to 2025 and said Williams’ consistent presence in the ruck would help build the club into the next era of success.

“To see the club back him in and him back in the club when the rules have now come to be more in his favour at the perfect time of his life at the footy club, as a 26-year-old, which is the sweet spot of a big man — I think it’s a good decision,” he told The West Australian.

“They need to have the depth in the ruck; they’ve got one at the moment. They’ve got some kids who are predominantly forward rucks, so they’re not really rucks that they’ve got to try to develop. They need to have this stability.

“They’ve got to build their ruck depth, and by having this contract they’ve got one now that they can lock in for six years.

“It’s now the consistency that he can get in his game from just being around the ground ruck as well. What we’ve noticed this year is his ability to ruck both sides of his body at CBs (centre bounces) and being able to put opposition teams and their midfields on the backfoot because he can change that hit.

“It’s probably more going to be around that consistency of being a threat around the ground, of being able to take a mark, push forward when required to give a forward a chop out and kick his goal a game or at least give a strong target up there.

“He doesn’t have to be a champion at all, he just has to be consistent. A consistent effort will set this club and their midfield up.”

Williams’ re-signing comes as the Eagles ruck stocks are in a state of uncertainty. First-round draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler is locked away until at least the end of 2028 because of his initial draft contract.

However, leadership group member Matt Flynn’s three-year deal he signed when he moved from Greater Western Sydney expires at the end of this season.

Flynn has found himself on the outer, having not played since the Eagles’ disastrous 128-point defeat to Sydney in round four.

Harry Barnett is also out of contract at the end of this year and has not played since he turned out against the Giants in round two of 2024 — only his second game.

West Coast’s struggles in the ruck department have been prominent since Nic Naitanui’s retirement because of injury in 2023.

The Eagles have been linked to several potential replacements, including West Australian Tim English, Collingwood’s Darcy Cameron and St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall, with no success.

Turnbull said it was difficult for the Eagles to get any ready-made players that weren’t of WA origin for several reasons.

“It’s never been easy for the club to get an established player into the club from out of Western Australia. If you’re a Western Australian coming back, then maybe ... but to try to grab an established player of any calibre in any position, it has been hard for the Eagles to get them here,” he said.

“The challenge has been for a long period of time: if you came over, you were going to be stuck behind Nic. When Nic finished up, the rules had changed a fair bit in the fact rucks could cross the line, so then it was a different type of ruck that you needed. So a big, strong body.

“And you look at the way the club’s going, some of the players that were potential targets were insides that were in the top eight or thereabouts and in a potential premiership window. So, do you give that up to come back to WA? Or do you stay and potentially win another one? Those players had to weigh that up as well. We all know the Eagles are in a massive rebuilding phase, are building and you can see it.

“It’s tough for that player to come across knowing they’re going to have to cut their teeth in a side that’s going to win a handful of games this year, a few more next year and might be three or four years away before they’re seriously contending.”