Eagle left 'frustrated and angry' after another horror season

Liam Duggan during the match between West Coast and Fremantle in R20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

WEST Coast co-captain Liam Duggan is "frustrated and angry" after yet another wooden-spoon campaign, but the "warrior" has been praised for his exemplary leadership.

Duggan will notch his 200-game milestone when he runs out for Sunday's clash with high-flying Adelaide (15-5) at Optus Stadium.

West Coast will also use the match to celebrate the careers of Jeremy McGovern (concussion) and Dom Sheed (knee), who both retired earlier this season.

Duggan was just 21 years old and 70 games into his career when he won the flag with West Coast in 2018.

Liam Duggan gets a handball away during round nine, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

That dizzying high has been contrasted by some devastating team lows in recent years.

The Eagles won just two games in 2022, three games in 2023, five games in 2024, and will finish 2025 with just one win to their name unless they pull off an upset over the next three weeks.

Duggan has put on a brave face all year, but the losses have taken a toll.

"Look, he is frustrated and angry," Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said.

"I want to make that really clear for anyone that doesn't understand that.

"He's super frustrated and angry for our position that we're in, and as captain of the football club, he wears that.

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"But he's also level-headed, mature, well spoken and really focused on the process of getting better."

Serious injuries to co-captain Oscar Allen (Achilles), vice-captain McGovern, leadership member Jake Waterman (shoulder) and star midfielder Elliot Yeo (ankle) have robbed West Coast of their best players this year.

It's also meant the leadership burden on Duggan has been intense.

"Duggan has been a warrior for the football club," McQualter said.

"We've asked him to do multiple roles for us throughout the midfield and back line this year, and I think that the leadership burden he's carried has been significant."

The scoreboard on Sunday isn't likely to be pretty for West Coast, but there will be some joy at half-time when McGovern and Sheed do a lap of honour.

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Both players are etched into Eagles folklore for their involvement in the piece of play that won West Coast the 2018 Grand Final against Collingwood.

McGovern, nursing internal bleeding and broken ribs, started the play with a flying mark in defence, and Sheed finished it off with a clutch set shot from the boundary.

"At training on Thursday, everyone had a set shot from where Dom kicked his goal there in 2018 Grand Final," McQualter said.

"They actually kicked it pretty well, the boys. Dom might be overreacting how hard that was.

"No, I shouldn't say that. It was incredible what Dom did in that moment. There was a little bit of pressure, wasn't there?"

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