Club hero Luke Shuey had a decorated career with the West Coast Eagles. A premiership player in 2018, a Norm Smith medallist in the same year, and the captain of his side from 2020 through to 2023 - his list of accomplishments goes on, and could continue with the Eagles in the coaches box.
Drafted with Pick 18 in the 2008 National Draft, Shuey was on his way to the Eagles. He suffered a horror run with injuries throughout 2009 that kept him off the footy field at both AFL and WAFL levels. A broken leg, two hernias and osteitis pubis restricted the then 19-year-old to the sidelines.
Debuting in Round 1 of the 2010 season against Brisbane, Shuey famously kicked a goal with his first kick in the AFL. Unfortunately, his luck with injuries continued in his debut season. Only three games into his career, Shuey suffered a knee injury. Set to return halfway through the year, the youngster would be hit with glandular fever which kept him out until the final three games of the season.
In 2011, Shuey made a name for himself as one of the stars of the Eagles. Playing all 25 games for his side, the Eagle averaged 20.1 disposals and a goal a game. That year, he finished second in the Rising Star voting, only losing by seven votes to Essendon's Dyson Heppell.
The 2018 Grand Final was one for the ages. The Eagles managed to come back from being five goals down in the first term in the most dramatic fashion against Collingwood and secure victory. The last quarter heroics of Dom Sheed are the most talked about from the game, but Shuey's performance was nothing short of excellent. With 34 disposals, nine clearances and even managing to boot a goal, Shuey was instrumental in his side's victory. It was all but certain he would go on to win the Norm Smith Medal, awarded 11 votes to take out the award.
Shuey began to suffer recurring hamstring injuries from the 2020 season onwards which resulted in his retirement at the end of the 2023 season. He would retire after a decorated career, playing a total of 248 games for one club.
Although his playing career at the Eagles is over, his time at the club is certainly not. As reported by Ryan Daniels of 7 News Perth, 33-year-old Shuey will be undertaking a coaching role at the club.
Shuey's role will be as either a midfield or development coach at the Eagles. His leadership and experience were two traits that made him an elite player and would help him take the next step in his footy journey.
A number of coaching roles at the Eagles are going through a shake-up of sorts after a season to forget in 2023. Senior coach Adam Simpson has been confirmed as one to remain at the club despite his team's on-field performances, whilst others are being moved around or moved on.
Eagles backline coach Daniel Pratt is set to depart the club, and forward coach Luke Webster is likely to be replaced by current midfield coach Matthew Knights.
The Eagles managed to secure the services of Dr Matthew Inness from the Western Bulldogs. After spending 12 years at the club, Inness made the move to the Eagles as the High-Performance Manager. He was previously in the Bulldogs' high-performance department and was the Head of Sport Science and Physical Performance since 2015.
The West Coast Eagles had a horrific 2023 campaign, finishing with a 3-20 record and a woeful percentage of 53%. The coaching changes should hopefully aid the once-proud club and improve in 2024.
