Mitchell Johnson: Can fallen Eagle Andrew Gaff rise to the challenge to help lead West Coast

West Coast faced a giant problem at Optus Stadium on Sunday trying to contain a red-hot GWS outfit.

The 108-43 scoreline did not give home fans much to cheer about other than the continued strong form of rising hope Harley Reid in his first outing in WA at AFL level.

But after Sunday’s 65-point drubbing the players will need every bit of support they can get from the Eagles faithful.

So far, apart from all the hype around Reid, all they’ve heard is negative. How bad they are going to be this season, doom and gloom on the injury front and that another wooden spoon awaits.

Despite what they say about not hearing the outside noise, the players are only human and don’t live in a vacuum.

Yes, the Eagles might finish last again. But as a player, they can’t be thinking like that and won’t be thinking like that.

After a gruelling pre-season, I’m sure there will be plenty of positives. They need to grab hold of every possible positive that is in front of them.

In recent times we’ve seen some huge retirements which has put pressure on the next generation coming through.

It’s not just about on the field either. When you lose experience, you lose the guys who just know how to handle pressure and deflect it away – and even protect the inexperienced players in that team.

For West Coast, it has been a tough transition. Shannon Hurn, Luke Shuey and Nic Naitanui all went at the end of last season, new co-captain Oscar Allen is gone for at least the next two months and Andrew Gaff has been dropped.

I am still optimistic about an Eagles resurgence in the long term under Allen’s leadership. Maybe that’s the ex-sportsman mentality in me. Even when things aren’t going your way, you push through it and find a way.

We’ve long seen Allen has the talent, but he also has that bit of mongrel and passion you want in a player and leader. Unfortunately for him, his body is letting him down at the moment.

For Gaff, there is no shame in being dropped. It happens. The question is, will this inspire him or deflate him?

Coach Adam Simpson wanted him to go back to the WAFL, which is still in pre-season mode, and he will have to prove himself there like every other player has done in the past and will do in the future.

Gaff is a John Worsfold medallist and dual All-Australian. All the stats and accolades are there for the 31-year-old across his 276 games.

But in recent times he hasn’t been able to produce what the team needed him to produce. West Coast need him back at his best in a fast-moving game and it’s that simple.

Reid got through one of the most hyped debuts we can remember last weekend and might be glad the fanfare has dialled down a bit this week.

All the media around the 18-year-old was huge and probably over the top. I say this not because I don’t think he has got it, but more so from a pressure point of view. I worry about putting such a young kid on a pedestal before he’d even played one AFL game.

New CEO Don Pyke has a massive job on his hands but I think his messaging since taking over has been great.

The club is in its worst ever period of results and that’s a tough sell to fans, members and corporate backers of a proud organisation.

Pyke wants these young players to go out there and express themselves on the footy field. If they turn up every week ready to put it all on the line, then the support will always be there for them.

It’s been a struggle for the Eagles and the struggle is probably not over. But this is an opportunity to grow and build something special the hard way.

WA’S NEW ROCC STAR

Off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli might be Western Australia’s most improved cricketer so it was no surprise to see him put his stamp on the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania.

Rocchiccioli, who got his chance early in the season when Ashton Agar was injured and is now keeping him out of the team, took four first-innings wickets and three in the second innings as WA demolished Tasmania by 377 runs to claim their third consecutive title on Sunday.

The haul took his tally to 46 wickets for the season, the most by a spinner.

Rocchiccioli has grabbed his opportunity and played to his strengths by bowling consistently and drawing players into playing false shots. His consistency is key and it looks like he really thrives on the contest.

He will clearly be closely watched now by the national set-up, joining spinners such as Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann jostling to take over from Nathan Lyon one day.

I would like to see Rocchiccioli back up this season with another quality campaign next summer before we get too excited, but top WA born-and-bred spinners have been extremely rare and, at 26, he has plenty of cricket in front of him to reach his potential.

The loss of Cameron Bancrfot to cycling accident before the final did little to slow down the sandgropers who bundled Tasmania out for 186 in the first innings after posting 346 on the back of a great captain’s knock ton by Sam Whiteman.

WA then set Tasmania a formidable target of 537 to win the match after making 376 runs in their second innings. Tasmania collapsed for 160 with Cameron Gannon taking 5-23.

The emphatic win cemented WA as the dominant team of this decade and one of the State’s greatest sides.