West Coast recruit Jack Graham has been torn to shreds after suggesting that travel is part of the reason the Eagles have been underperforming.

Speaking on radio station 6PR, the former Tiger said Richmond had “an extra training session” but at West Coast “obviously” the travel came into play.

“You have a day, which is a travel day, probably when we do have the sessions, you know, we’re touching the footies enough, but it’s just f****** really executing the fundamentals, even if it is a low-touch session, it’s like, ‘Alright boys, we’re not going to be going quick here, but let’s make sure we hit every handball, hit every kick’,” Graham said.

But expert commentator Kane Cornes wasn’t buying it.

“Here’s a thought... don’t worry about the travel day, get on the training track,” Cornes said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.

Gun Eagles forward Jake Waterman has also weighed into the issue, with a brutally raw admission about training standards.

“It’s not the quantity of training but the quality when we’re out there that we need to improve. I say we really need to amp it up at that level,” he said on 6PR.

“We’ve got such a young list at the moment where we have all these young guys and a few of them don’t understand what it’s like to train AFL standard.

“Footies are allowed to hit the deck, but how are you applying yourself to follow up with the intensity like it’s a game.

“That’s something that myself as a leader and others, we’re trying to set the scene in that regard.”

Waterman said in some regards it feels like the club has taken “a step back” this year but says there is a positivity around the team to improve.

“I’ve felt like the club has gone through darker times, although we have performed really poorly, there’s an element of optimism within the club and an urge to want to get better, and we have to show that,” he said.

“We just need to be more consistent cause what we’re dishing up at the moment is pretty disheartening.”

In their defeat to Carlton, the Eagles recorded the lowest number of contested possessions since records began while allowing the Blues more than 100 more disposals.

Waterman said the numbers were alarming but is confident they can be fixed.

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“It’s pretty embarrassing. It nearly blew my head off hearing that,” he said.

“We could get nothing going. Some of the stuff we saw in the review is pretty alarming, but with a slight increase in concentration, we can stop some of their ball movement.

“Mini (coach Andrew McQualter) is really really positive; they are so many elements that aren’t good enough and not up to standard, but he’s got a great knack of leaving us with some optimism and what to get out on the training track and fix it.”

- With The West Australian