West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has opened up about the difficult decision to drop veteran forward Jamie Cripps, insisting it does not signal the end of the premiership player's career at the club. Cripps, who turned 34 on the day of his axing, will play in the WAFL for the first time since 2014 after being omitted from the Eagles' side to face St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Cripps' form slump leads to WAFL return
Cripps was West Coast's leading goalkicker last season with 24 majors, but has managed just 4.5 from five matches in 2025. The 277-game veteran has paid the price for back-to-back goalless performances against Sydney and Fremantle, prompting McQualter to make the tough call.
“Pretty hard decision if I’m being really honest,” McQualter said on Friday. “Crippa has been such a valuable contributor to our team for so long. But (he’s been) just a little bit down on form in the last couple of weeks. We’ve given Crippa some clear instructions on what he’s got to go away and work on, and being the proud person he is I’m sure he will.”
Cripps will line up for the Eagles' WAFL affiliate against Swan Districts on Sunday. His one-year contract expires at the end of this season, and his axing has raised questions about his future at the rebuilding club.
McQualter backs Cripps to return
Despite the setback, McQualter is confident Cripps has more to offer at AFL level. “It’s a disappointing result for this week, but there’s probably not much more to it,” he said. “He’ll go back and play and I’m sure we’ll need Crippa throughout this year without a doubt. Like most players in this situation, he was disappointed. But he understood. He understands the last couple of weeks he hasn’t had his best games of football. So he’ll go away and he’ll work on it, and he’ll be fine.”
Eagles change training routine
In a shift from their usual schedule, West Coast trained on Friday morning just hours before flying to Melbourne. The change was backed by new high-performance manager Phil Merriman, who previously spent five seasons at Fremantle and stints at Melbourne and Hawthorn.
“We just thought for where our group’s at, if we can try to get an extra session per week it will be really valuable,” McQualter said. “It’s our first go at it today. Speaking to Woosha (Eagles football boss John Worsfold), West Coast have tried every different thing over the years. There’s no perfect method, but from a medical point of view this is no problem at all.”
