NEW FACES: Midfielder Sharrod Wellingham and fellow recruits Cale Morton and Jamie Cripps will add midfield pace at West Coast. Source: Herald Sun
WEST Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold has compared the club's trade spree to when the Eagles brought in Tyson Stenglein and Daniel Chick in the lead-up to the 2006 premiership.
The Eagles won't have a pick in the first two rounds of the national draft and will be the last team to enter the ballot when they have their first selection at 46.
It is a rare departure from West Coast's usual strategy, which has involved largely sitting on the sidelines during the trade period and preserving early draft picks.
The Eagles instead focused on bringing in running players via trades, securing Collingwood premiership midfielder Sharrod Wellingham, along with fellow West Australians Jamie Cripps (St Kilda) and Cale Morton (Melbourne).
In the lead-up to its last flag, West Coast identified a need to add strong bodies and gave up first-round draft picks to trade in Hawthorn hard nut Chick and Adelaide Crows midfielder Stenglein.
"We had a team we felt was very close and we needed to add what was missing," Worsfold said.
"This year's been a little bit of the same philosophy. I think prior to this year we've used our draft picks pretty well, and we weren't going to have a really high pick anyway, so it's a good time for us to go down this pathway."
West Coast's willingness to sit out of the opening two rounds of the draft for the first time is a clear signal it believes its squad is capable of going all the way next year, although Worsfold shied away from the premiership mode tag.
"I don't call it premiership mode, I call it building your list and making it better," he said.
"But if we weren't in really good touch then we might have a really high draft pick and you'd want to take that draft pick.''
Worsfold signalled his intent to add speed to the midfield immediately after West Coast crashed out of the finals with a 13-point loss to Collingwood in the semi-final at the MCG.
Ironically, it was one of the players in the Magpies team who the Eagles had identified as a crucial addition.
"I'm really keen to see Sharrod fit into our midfield mix and watch him develop there," Worsfold said.
"He's got some pace and can play inside as well as outside. He's a good tackling player, so he fills a few things.
"I think he's still got some improvement to come and he's been a solid player for the past couple of years."
The Eagles lost veteran forward Quinten Lynch to Collingwood through free agency, while midfielder Koby Stevens was traded to the Western Bulldogs and half-back Lewis Stevenson to Port Adelaide.
West Coast is likely to make a couple of delistings early this week, ahead of Wednesday's first list lodgement deadline.
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