West Coast recruit Liam Baker has delved into why West Coast appealed to him, as he made a bold trade move to his home state during 2024's trade period.
Baker was a dual premiership player at Richmond, but was rumoured to leave for a Western Australian club in the off-season despite holding strong odds to lead the Tigers in the future.
The 27-year-old had the decision to either join former teammate Shai Bolton at Fremantle, a club poised for success nearer in the future, or West Coast, who have been a cellar-dwelling team since the turn of the decade.
Joining the Eagles with former interim coach Andrew McQualter was Baker's eventual choice, with a long-term outlook behind the half-back's decision.
"I'm loving being at the club, it's pretty similar to most clubs, I'd imagine," Baker said.
"The boys are really good. We work hard, we have a laugh and and that's it. (I'm) loving being back home, loving the club.
"They're very welcoming, the boys and and the staff. I'm as happy as ever at the moment.
"It's still a high standard here. But the facts are, we're a younger list, so we're not quite there yet, but we're growing, and that's the exciting thing.
"That's why I wanted to come here. I want to be a part of that, and we're only going to get better and better as the younger boys get older, and it's up to myself and a few more of the older boys to keep driving that, which we will do."
Baker admitted he was tempted "a little bit" to join a club closer to premiership success, but drew on past Richmond teammates' experiences before the Tigers went on to create a premiership dynasty.
"I've always loved this club, and I felt like at Richmond I jumped on the end of a successful era, and they always spoke about how good the hard times were when it was tough, now that they end up winning a few flags," Baker said.
"That sort of drove me to come here as well, being part of a group that's that's changing, new style, new coaches, new players.
"I want to ride that wave."
The defender told the media that he didn't come to West Coast to star in the side, but rather play a selfless role that creates a synchronised back six.
The likes of Brady Hough and Reuben Ginbey are no older than 21 but are presumed to be selected in the Eagles' Round 1 clash, with Baker's leadership set to be influential on their development.
"It's not like I'm there to get the ball 40 times and try and be the one-man show off half-back. I'm just going to fit into a role along with (Tom) 'Coley' and Ruben (Ginbey) and (Brady) 'Houghy', the boys down there," Baker said.
"We are still learning to play together, we're a better team when us smaller backs are sharing the footy around and working the ball up, then just a one-man show.
"So it's not like I've come here to be a star half-back. I just want to play my role and tough it out and try and help win games for West Coast."
Baker will face his former side in an unofficial pre-season match on February 17, with his first home and away appearance against Gold Coast in Round 1.
