MITCHELL JOHNSON: Fremantle would not benefit from wildcard, Eagles should appoint Jarrad Schofield

Well another disheartening season has come to an ugly end for West Coast, with Saturday’s predictable thrashing at the hands of Geelong at the Cattery.

Far better Eagles teams than this one have struggled at GMHBA Stadium - with West Coast last winning in Geelong in 2006 – and particularly with key defenders Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass missing it was hardly a shock.

Kardinia Park has long been a graveyard for the Eagles and I don’t think the 93-point loss should mark the end of the line for interim coach Jarrad Schofield.

Schofield’s 2-5 record in his seven-game stint doesn’t exactly scream “pick me”, but it was a very difficult situation he was thrust into.

While Schofield would have loved a couple more wins, I think he definitely deserves a longer opportunity and the chance to run his own pre-season and put a proper stamp on this group.

There are a few interesting things I have noticed since Schofield was handed the reins ahead of round 18.

A big one for me has been seeing how the players have resonated and responded to his style of coaching.

Schofield seems to be a bit more hands-on with this group of players and it seems they have wanted and needed that different approach.

The Eagles obviously have a long way to go and there might be another significant overhaul of the list over the off-season.

It’s also a situation Fremantle probably should have never been in after looking a strong chance to finish top four just a few weeks ago.

But I think there have been some positive signs that Schofield’s style of old-fashioned, hard-nosed coaching, tied in with some new school, is what might just do the trick and start dragging West Coast back up the ladder next season.

At 49, he is very experienced as a coach now. He had success with Subiaco in the WAFL and was an assistant coach at Port Adelaide and the Eagles.

When you are a struggling club in the AFL, there is no miracle worker out there anyway. North Melbourne have found that out after two seasons with Alastair Clarkson.

It’s not going to be overnight success and Eagles fans will need to be patient with the work that needs to happen with this squad.

And from a fans’ point of view to the players, they just want to see that effort out there. The never give up attitude and the desire to keep improving. Showing that you are not prepared to back down in the heat of the battle.

Meanwhile, Fremantle will be wondering where it all went wrong.

Relying on the results of other teams is never what you want but Fremantle held their fate in their hands after Carlton lost to the Saints but could not deliver against Port Adelaide4.

I know some Dockers fans who weren’t even interested in cheering the Eagles to beat Carlton last week to give their own team a better chance!

It’s also a situation Fremantle probably should have never been in after looking a strong chance to finish top four just a few weeks ago.

Fremantle have a young list and we all keep hearing they will be very good in two or three years. What the Dockers have done this season should excite the fans despite Sunday’s heart-breaking loss to Port Adelaide.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said recently the league would look at a wildcard weekend going forward, with the teams that finish from seventh to 10th to play off to decide the last two spots in the final eight.

I’m happy with the way it is to be honest. Every club gets 23 games to put themselves in a position to play finals.

If Freo were to get a wildcard spot for finishing ninth, it would mean having to win five straight-away finals instead of four to win the flag. And losing your week off before the finals.

The concept might help decrease the number of dead rubbers late in the season between teams who can’t make it, but it ultimately just means more games in the season and sort of defeats the purpose of the current system in place.

With the constant changes in the game, it certainly can’t be ruled out. But there’s other things the AFL need to sort out before worrying about introducing a wildcard round.