West Coast Eagles co-captain Charlie Thomas has declared her team will use their disappointing AFLW finals exit as crucial motivation to reach new heights in the 2026 season.
Learning from Finals Experience
The Eagles' 2025 campaign came to an end on Saturday with a 41-point elimination final loss to Carlton at IKON Park, where the Blues' experienced players demonstrated their finals pedigree. Thomas told The West Australian that the entire squad now understands exactly what's required to succeed at the highest level after getting their first taste of finals football.
"Now that we've had a taste of it, we know what it's like and we know what it takes," Thomas said. "Carlton played a really good brand of footy. We know what it takes now and will go to work."
The co-captain emphasised that success won't come easily, noting that the team must dedicate themselves to improvement during the off-season. "It's not going to fall in our laps. We never thought it would, but we'll go to work in the pre-season," she added.
Areas for Improvement Identified
Thomas pinpointed several key areas where the Eagles need to develop, particularly highlighting how Carlton dominated early in the third quarter, making a comeback difficult. She acknowledged that weather conditions played a factor, with Carlton adapting better to the wet conditions.
"They piled it on early in that third and made it hard to come back," Thomas explained. "We need to do more work on our fundamentals, more strength in the gym and more running so it all pays off."
The young leader also noted that "the weather played into it. They played really well in the wet weather and knew how to scrap it forward. We'll look to work through that."
Building on Season's Progress
Despite the disappointing finish, West Coast showed significant improvement throughout their second season under coach Daisy Pearce. Thomas highlighted that most of the young list has only experienced growth under Pearce's guidance, creating strong belief in the team's continued development.
"There's only a handful of girls who had played finals up to this point," Thomas revealed. "Now we have 21 who have played and some of our young girls have never experienced playing in finals. So we're all going to be better off."
While acknowledging the disappointment of their final performance, Thomas remained optimistic about the team's trajectory. "It's pretty disappointing to finish off the season like that but there's plenty of positives to take from our whole journey. We'll review it and look to go again next year."
Coach's Vision for Future Success
Coach Daisy Pearce has already identified midfield development as a critical area for improvement. She emphasised the importance of building a midfield that can compete with the competition's best teams.
"We'll keep growing in that space," Pearce stated. "Courtney Rowley's ability to find the footy and be that distributor in there has been missed. That's left a gap in our midfield."
Pearce praised Emma Swanson's contributions and mentioned opportunities given to other players throughout the season, confirming that "we'll just keep working on their craft and I'm sure they'll improve."
The coach believes the initial disappointment of the loss will eventually transform into pride for their overall season performance. Pearce dismissed suggestions that the emotional rollercoaster of nearly missing finals then qualifying after Sydney's loss to Essendon affected their finals performance.
With 21 players now possessing finals experience and a clear understanding of what's required to compete at the highest level, the West Coast Eagles enter the off-season with renewed determination to become a consistent finals contender in the AFLW competition.
