The West Coast Eagles face what could be the most significant moment in their recent history as the 2025 AFL Draft approaches, with one of the competition's leading experts declaring the club's selections will be club-defining for their rebuild.
Mick Ablett's Critical Assessment
Respected AFL draft expert Mick Ablett has delivered a powerful verdict on West Coast's upcoming draft strategy, emphasizing that the decisions made in 2025 will have long-lasting consequences for the Perth-based club. Ablett, who possesses extensive experience in talent identification and list management, believes the Eagles stand at a crossroads that could determine their trajectory for years to come.
The timing of Ablett's comments coincides with West Coast's ongoing struggle to return to their former glory after several challenging seasons. With the club actively rebuilding its playing list, the 2025 draft represents a golden opportunity to inject elite young talent into the system. Ablett's analysis suggests that getting these selections right could accelerate the rebuild significantly, while mistakes could set the club back even further.
The Stakes for West Coast's Future
What makes the 2025 draft particularly crucial for West Coast is the combination of their likely draft position and the quality of talent available. The Eagles are expected to hold high-value draft picks that could secure them genuine game-changers, the type of players who can form the foundation of a new era of success.
Ablett's assessment highlights the immense pressure on West Coast's recruiting team to identify and secure players who not only possess exceptional talent but also the character and resilience to handle the unique challenges of playing for a club with such a passionate supporter base. The expert noted that in modern AFL football, successful rebuilds often hinge on two or three critical drafts where clubs nail their early selections.
The Eagles' situation mirrors several historical examples where clubs transformed their fortunes through astute drafting. Ablett pointed to recent success stories of teams that built premiership-contending lists primarily through the draft, emphasizing that West Coast has the opportunity to follow a similar path if they make the right calls next year.
Broader Implications for AFL Strategy
Beyond the immediate impact on West Coast, Ablett's comments shed light on the evolving nature of list management in the AFL. The concept of club-defining drafts has become increasingly relevant as the competition grows more even and the pathway from bottom to top becomes more defined through strategic list building.
The expert explained that successful modern rebuilds typically involve a combination of high draft picks, strategic trading, and development of existing talent. However, he stressed that the foundation is almost always laid through the national draft, where clubs can acquire young stars before they become expensive commodities in the trade market.
For West Coast specifically, the 2025 draft comes at a time when several of their veteran stars are approaching the end of their careers, making the injection of young talent even more urgent. Ablett suggested that the club's recruiting team needs to balance immediate needs with long-term planning, seeking players who can develop into the next generation of leaders at the club.
The assessment serves as both a warning and an opportunity for the Eagles. While the pressure to make the right selections is immense, the potential reward is a return to sustained success that the club and its supporters have been craving. As Ablett concluded, the decisions made in 2025 will echo through the club for the next decade, making this one of the most important periods in West Coast's recent history.
