West Coast is reportedly targeting triple-premiership Tiger Nathan Broad as veterans Jeremy McGovern and Jamie Cripps near two-year contract extensions, reports AFL journalist Damian Barrett.
Barrett revealed on Channel 9’s Footy Classified that McGovern is closing in on a new deal that’ll be worth less than what he’s currently being paid.
The four-time All-Australian defender is believed to be one of 12 AFL players who earned over $1 million in 2022 as part of a five-year contract McGovern signed in 2018.
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It comes as the 30-year old is facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines with a hamstring tendon injury sustained during the Eagles’ derby loss to Fremantle that’ll likely require surgery.
Meanwhile Broad, who’s from Western Australia and is set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end, is reportedly in the Eagles’ sights.
“They’re trying to I believe bring Nathan Broad in from the Tigers as a free agent,” Barrett said on Footy Classified.
“They’ve (West Coast) had approaches to Tim English and Aaron Naughton prior to this. They missed out, and some people would say they only went half heartedly at those two players and weren’t all-in on them.”
Three-time Coleman medallist Matthew Lloyd believes West Coast should be more ruthless with list management decisions in a bid to rise up the ladder, having dropped away since the club’s 2018 premiership win including finishing 17th last year.
According to Draft Guru, the Eagles’ 2023 list is ranked the ninth most experienced in the competition in average age and the sixth most experienced in average games played.
Lloyd even suggested the Eagles should only offer McGovern a one-year extension at best”.
“Do they need to be more aggressive as a club?” Lloyd posed on Footy Classified.
“Have they have been too loyal and too complacent as a football club? I just feel like they just need to get high quality (players in), they can’t overpay anybody.
“Who’s been their best young player through the draft in recent years? Oscar Allen, who’s been injured a lot.
“There just needs to be high quality kids of free agents (brought into the club). With all respect (Alex) Witherden, Jayden Hunt and these types, but I feel like they’ve just topped up and they’ve lacked any spark as a football club for a number of years.”
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Footy Classified host and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire highlighted the long road back for successful clubs that have topped up with trades and free agency and retained veteran players, such as West Coast.
“In 2004, the Brisbane Lions went for four (premierships) in a row, and they played one final in 14 years. Hawthorn went for four in a row, and that’s it,” McGuire said.
“Sometimes what happens, when you win a flag, it’s very hard to off-load (players) … Collingwood cut deep in recent times, and have gotten a couple of years ahead of the West Coast Eagles.
“Imagine if (West Coast) said: ‘We’re going to cut Nic Naitanui.’ People would go off their head.”
Naitanui is yet to play a game this season due to an Achilles injury in a key blow to Adam Simpson’s side.
It’s the latest setback in a string of issues that have sidelined the 32-year ruckman, who made just eight senior appearances in 2022.
“They’ve given him a two-year deal at the end of last year, and he hasn’t been seen this year and may not be seen, at best, until the midway point of the season,” Barrett said of Naitanui.
“That Achilles is really troubling him, they just cannot get the conditioning into him.
“It must be said, there is some doubt to (Naitanui returning mid-season) being the case.”
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In addition to Naitanui, the likes of McGovern, Cripps and Luke Shuey also feature on West Coast’s lengthy injury list ahead of the 1-2 club’s home clash with Melbourne this Sunday.
Despite the their current struggles, McGuire backed the Eagles to move back in the right direction in the coming years.
“When they won the flag in 2006, (in) 2007 they finished third, then they went 15th, 11th, 16th and bounced.
“West Coast has got a pretty good knack of going down and copping their way, because they’re such a big and steady club.
“They’re not going to sack the coach, the CEO has been there for 25 years, they’ve got everything under control. They do know how to hold firm and go to the bottom, then bounce back.
“If they bounce back in two years and they’re back up for a premiership, I think that’s the game they’re in.
“It’s not tanking, but it’s the way they do it.”
