Glen Quartermain: How historically bad West Coast Eagles can use draft assistance to fast-track rebuild

West Coast list boss Matthew Clarke now has two pairs of kings in a game of AFL trade and draft poker. What happens next will determine how quickly the Eagles can begin their climb back up the ladder. It’s a good hand - they’re not aces - but it can get even better. It’s a hand they have to maximise as Clarke confronts the most critical trade and draft period the Eagles have ever had. The AFL’s decision to grant West Coast an assistance package – that includes an end of first-round selection and four extra rookie spots per year across the next three seasons – marks a crossroad for the club. They now have three first-round draft picks and it is likely to turn into four when Oscar Allen moves to the Brisbane Lions on a big long-term deal. That would give the Eagles a hand of 1, 2, 15 (tied to Hawthorn), 19, 20, 33 and 51 (the latter two selections also both tied to the Hawks). Not forgetting West Coast is also expected to land picks further down the chain for Campbell Chesser and Liam Ryan who have indicated they want to join Carlton and St Kilda. Even though pick 15 and on will be pushed back in a compromised draft – a point West Coast CEO Don Pyke said in a statement on Tuesday had happened in recent years and was a major factor behind their submission – it still represents a golden opportunity. Remember, politics permitting, Tasmania’s first draft is coming in 2027 when the new team will receive six of the top 13 picks. Now that will be a compromised draft. So the Eagles have some decisions to make. Do they bundle up 15 and 19 and secure a third pick inside the top 10? Remember, there is even more room to move in the draft because clubs can now trade selections up to two years in advance. That means they can trade picks in the 2025 draft as well as 2026 and 2027. Do they use a rookie spot for a Category A mature-age player such as Collingwood pair Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell or even big Texan Mason Cox if no other club wants them? All of a sudden it’s looking a little Richmond-esque from last year. Not as strong but getting closer to the Tigers’ hand of 1 (Sam Lalor), 7 (Josh Smillie), 12 (Taj Hotton), 14 (Jonty Faull), 21 (Luke Trainor) and 23 (Harry Armstrong). Remember how Tigers’ fans celebrated that haul? The Eagles now have the opportunity to draft youth early - Cooper Duff-Tytler has been compared to Luke Jackson and Tom De Koning, while classy South Australian on-baller Dyson Sharp and Victorian country utility Willem Duurmsa, are also in the offing - and still bring in mature-age talent. It enables the club to continue to build from the bottom up and still go hard at experience.