A young West Coast unit "hungry for some success" has seen a handful of emerging Eagles stake their claim as future leaders of the club.
Home to the third youngest list in the competition, the Eagles are set to commence their first campaign under new coach Andrew McQualter as the Perth powerhouse plans to work its way back into finals contention for the coming years.
McQualter's arrival and the addition of experienced premiership players have buoyed West Coast's prospects for the year ahead, while the club's youth have been among the standouts over the summer.
Speaking to Zero Hanger, West Coast captain Liam Duggan expressed his delight to see the hunger from the club's emerging players.
"It's the first year with 'Mini' (McQualter) and some new coaches, some new players that have come across as mature-age players, which has really helped our group," he said.
"They've brought up the age and experience and then help the young fellas to sort of shine. Hopefully we see some of that in the early parts of the season, we're pretty excited about how it all looks.
"We're really impressed with our young blokes at the moment and what they've been able to do. They're hungry for some success, and we're in a good space with that at the moment.
"We're excited to see what they can do."
Third-year Eagle Reuben Ginbey was among the club's best performers over the weekend in their intra-club contest, with his role down back giving McQualter's rearguard a mix of pace, power and poise.
Duggan has welcomed Ginbey's permanent move to the backline, believing it could place the 20-year-old in line for a breakout year.
"Reuben's been great, I think the move down back has really suited him and how he goes about his footy," the Eagles skipper said.
"He's a big boy. He's built really well, strong, fast and is running anyone off their legs. So having that balance between tall and small back there in his place is great.
"We're so excited about what Reuben can do off the half-back flank. The way we're playing our footy now, we're getting momentum and we're pushing forward. So having him up in the game would be really good."
West Coast sensation Harley Reid put on a dominant display in Saturday's session with his physicality and eye-catching efforts in midfield as he prepares for his second season with the Eagles.
Noted as "a real student of the game" by his captain, Reid has impressed his teammates with his desire to learn and develop his craft.
"He was back up doing his thing. I was on the same team, luckily," Duggan said of Reid's intra-club hitout.
"He's great to work with to be honest. We see the flashy stuff that he does and every time he gets near it everyone gets out of their seats.
"But he's actually a real student of the game. He wants to learn. He asks plenty of questions. He's really keen on developing that side of his game.
"Then when he lets the shackles off he just goes for it and we see what we see. He's got a great balance going at the moment and he's working back into his minutes, but he's certainly primed for another big season."
Alongside Duggan in defence, Peel Thunder product Brady Hough has been a reliable asset with his lockdown craft and ability on the ball.
A "no fuss" footballer, Hough's upside as a two-way threat for West Coast poses has been a joy for Duggan to witness up close over the past couple of years.
"We love 'Houghy', he's certainly still underrated for what he does for us," Duggan said.
"He is a quiet bloke. He goes about his business the right way and no fuss. We love playing with him.
"He had a little bit of a delayed start to the pre-season, but he's back up and firing now, he had a really good performance in our intra-club and was one of our best players.
"He's played a lot of footy already in a short amount of time, and I'm excited to see what the next few years have for him."
West Coast's pre-season run continues this Saturday with a Community Series clash against North Melbourne in Bunbury in the lead-up to a Round 1 bout with the Gold Coast Suns.
