Seven years after winning a premiership, the West Coast Eagles have officially asked the AFL for special draft assistance.

The Eagles argue that winning 11 games in four years is more pertinent to the argument for needing AFL help than when their last premiership was.

West Coast coach Andrew McQualter and CEO Don Pyke.

West Coast chief executive Don Pyke argues the AFL’s platforms of equalisation, competitive balance, and the concept of ‘any given Sunday, any team can win’, demands that a team that has won one game for the season after three previous years of poor performance demands extra help.

Pyke will meet with new AFL football executive Greg Swann this week when the Eagles fly to Melbourne to play the Demons.

While it is highly unlikely the AFL would consider a compensation draft pick at No.2, West Coast will argue for a range of options to be considered for assistance, including but not limited to: An extra draft pick early in the draft; draft picks the club has to trade; more places on the list; extra rookie list places; extra category B list places and the ability to retain players on the category B list for longer.

The category B list places might not significantly move the dial in performance on the field in the short term but would be attractive to the AFL, which is dealing with an alarming drop-off in indigenous participation. Being able to keep potential AFL players from Indigenous backgrounds for longer, instead of making a decision on them after two years, could help foster talent.

Harley Reid was taken with pick No.1 in 2023.

League chief Andrew Dillon last week all but ruled out the push for significant draft help.

“We understand the view [about the Eagles winning the premiership in 2018], but the metrics are the metrics,” Pyke said.

Pyke said just as the draft was part of equalisation, so too was offering special assistance to poor-performing teams.

“If there is no wish to provide assistance, I think in the future we are removing this as a mechanism for teams in this situation and a departure from equalisation,” Pyke said.

He said the Eagles’ plight was similar to what North Melbourne and Gold Coast endured before they were gifted added selections by the AFL Commission.

Pyke also pointed out that this year’s draft is so compromised that after their first pick (and potentially a free-agency compensation pick for Oscar Allen), the Eagles’ next pick might not be until the late 30s.

In the year the Eagles selected Harley Reid with pick No.1, their next pick, which began as selection 19 at the start of draft night, was pushed out to pick 30 (Archer Reid) after bids were matched for academies and father-son selections.

“We’ll work through all of the possible options with the AFL,” Pyke said.

“North Melbourne, the most recent club to get assistance, ended up with two end of first round picks but the reality now is that [in this compromised draft] that will be at pick 30 or later.”

“We think that if you look at clubs who have recently received assistance, we’re well and truly in the window for that.”

However, Dillon last week cast doubt on the Eagles receiving assistance, pointing to the rebuilds Adelaide – set to play finals for the first time since 2017 – and the Brisbane Lions have performed.

“The blueprint is there in the work Swanny [former club CEO Greg Swann] and the work he did in Brisbane … and if you look at Adelaide at the weekend, they haven’t been in the finals since 2017, but through a lot of hard work, some really good decisions, [and] great trading, great drafting, they are poised now for a top-four pick,” Dillon said.

“They have got where they have got without a priority pick, and I think you can do it.”

The Kangaroos were given a two-year assistance package in 2023. They were handed three end-of-first-round selections in the ’23 and ’24 drafts, and two extra rookie list spots in ’24.

At that point, they had endured four straight seasons in the bottom two, having won a combined 12 games. They are likely to still finish in the bottom three this year.

In 2022, they were also given a second-round pick and third-round pick for 2023, but those had to be traded for at least one player. The AFL also gave North the right to an additional two rookies on the list.

Pyke said he had yet to formally make the request for this year.

“I’m mindful of people saying: ‘Well, West Coast got into this problem, so they should just work their way out of it’,” he said.

“But this is the essence of equalisation. The equalisation across the comp is designed to allow clubs to not spend a long period of time either at the top or at the bottom.

“I think we’d not be doing our duty if we didn’t ask the question about, ‘How do we get any assistance we can?’ if it’s available to help us get out of this and get back to playing competitive, strong footy week-on-week.”

Newcombe signs a bumper extension with Hawthorn

Roy Ward

Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe will be a Hawk until at least the end of 2032 after signing a six-year contract extension.

The reigning Peter Crimmins medallist was already contracted until the end of next season, and now he is committed to the club until he is 31.

Star Hawks onballer Jai Newcombe.

The 23-year-old was selected in the 2021 mid-season draft, threw aside his carpenter’s tools and took to full-time football, where this season he is averaging 22.3 disposals per game, including 5.9 clearances as the Hawks chase a top-four finish and the chance to push for the premiership.

Hawthorn’s national list manager Mark McKenzie said the club saw more improvement to come for Newcombe.

“Jai’s rise from a mid-season draftee to one of the premier midfielders in the league has been a credit to his persistence, leadership and poise at the elite level, and it is fantastic to see him rewarded with this contract extension,” McKenzie said.

“We know that Jai will turn 31 in the final year of this contract, meaning he will still be at the peak of his powers, which is an exciting prospect.

“Having already signed with the club until 2026, this contract extension will allow Jai to continue his rapid rise for many years to come.”

The Hawks face fellow finals contenders Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday at 7.40pm (AEST).