West Coast captain Liam Duggan explains club’s plan to combat 9.30am WST start against Port Adelaide

West Coast will overhaul their entire game day preparation for Sunday’s clash against Port Adelaide to combat being fixtured for the earliest start for an away team’s body clocks in AFL history. The siren to start the clash against the Power will sound at midday in Adelaide but that is 9.30am WST, and local fans will still be having breakfast as the Eagles attempt to win in South Australia for the first time since 2021. West Coast high-performance manager Phil Merriman was so desperate to avoid his players being ill-prepared for the challenge that he addressed the leaders about how to spend this week in the minutes after Sunday’s victory over North Melbourne. “Phil Merriman has already flagged that with a few of us about how we look when we get to Adelaide next week,” captain Liam Duggan told The West Australian in the victorious rooms. “It is a tough one. You’ve got to adjust to the clock a little bit. Some of it is staying on Perth time, but we’re going to be really adamant that our boys aren’t sleeping in too long on Sunday morning and are getting a good feed in. We can’t be at risk of cramping. “The weather’s still quite hot in Adelaide, so it’ll be about getting up early and getting a nice feed in. But with Phil being the pro that he is, there’s already been a conversation looking forward. “There’ll be a bit of a bit more of a group preparation rather than the individual prep, and a couple of rules around it.” Duggan explained that he always wants to be at the stadium two hours before each game, which will be at 7.30am WST. He had two meals before Sunday’s win over North Melbourne, with a large breakfast six-and-a-half hours before the match and a lighter lunch about three hours before the game. That type of preparation will be more challenging in South Australia. West Coast will depart Perth on Friday, like they always do, then train in Adelaide at 10am WST on Saturday as they look to replicate the conditions and adjust their body clocks. The challenge is even greater while daylight saving is in force on the east coast. There have been clear recent examples of how difficult it is for WA teams to adjust to early morning matches. Fremantle lost to Geelong by 78 points last season when it was a 10.10am start. West Coast lost to the Western Bulldogs by 76 points during a 10am start in 2024. WNBL grand finalists Perth Lynx played three matches at 9.30am last season, and their only victory during those was against wooden spooners Sydney Flames. They lost one of those games to Bendigo by 29 points just seven days after beating them by 15 points. The Western Force were also blown away 31-13 during a 9.05am WST game in Fiji during 2024. Edith Cowan University professor of strength and conditioning, Greg Haff, told The West that West Coast players must start changing their sleep routines now to avoid a lacklustre start against the Power. “It’s a time zone problem in terms of getting athletes to adjust their sleep schedule,” he explained. “I’d be pulling my sleep pattern back by 30 minutes each day. Then you can get yourself aligned with the East Coast time. That would be one thing I would recommend. The small change in sleep patterns could make a big difference. Typically, the more time zones you change, the more disturbance you have. “In Olympic sports, we move them across time zones and hold them in a camp before moving them to a new camp but that’s when we’re going to America. A lot of American sports cluster the away games in the new time zones so they don’t have to fly back and forth. That means they can adjust to the time zone.” West Coast have a young group that is still adjusting to playing AFL. Some players will be travelling for only the second time and their round one loss to Gold Coast was played at 3.10pm WST. Duggan said the club would spend a lot of time teaching the squad about how to prepare. “The education will come at start of the week for us, because it is early and it is a two-and-a-half hour time difference,” he said. NO TIME TO ADJUST AND PREPARE? 2024: West Coast lost to Western Bulldogs by 76 points after 10am WST start 2025: Fremantle lost to Geelong by 78 points after a 10.20am WST start. 2024: Western Force lost to Fijian Drua 31-13 after a 9.05am WST start Perth Lynx lost to Bendigo by 29 points in December during 9.30am start, just one week after winning by 15 points. Perth Lynx lost to Canberra by three points on January 4 during 9.30am start despite beating them by 26 points two weeks earlier. LIAM DUGGAN’S PREPARATION FOR 3.10pm game against North Melbourne 8.30am Big Breakfast 12pm Light lunch 1.10pm arrive at Optus Stadium