The West Coast Eagles had hoped that bringing in a coach like decorated former Melbourne premiership captain and three-time All Australian Daisy Pearce would break a cycle of dwelling at the bottom of the ladder, but what has ensued is more than anyone could have expected.
Pearce came in as the club's fourth Senior AFLW coach in as many years, after serving as a development coach in the Geelong men's program in her first year of retirement, 2023.
The young side booted a club-record score against GWS in their Round 5 clash, having already won three of their previous five games (all interstate clashes) -- more than they have ever won in a season.
Ten goals and a total of 64 points meant the Eagles have secured their place firmly in the top eight, a place they haven't frequented in past seasons, (previous highest score was 8.5 against Geelong, three years ago).
So, aside from some gun recruits like second-year star Ella Roberts who slotted three goals, what is it that Daisy has implemented that's made such a mark?
Well, Pearce says "it's a sign of their growing maturity and their connection, they relish the opportunity to spend time together."
"The big growth in this team is the ability to transfer the connectedness off-field to then seeing it in football acts that come through in the game," Pearce said post-game.
Numbers don't lie, and when you compare the data, it's clear that Pearce has put a focus on defence early on, common for new coaches.
They are getting a lot more points from forward half clearances (6.7 points per game in 2023, 14.7 in 2024) and intercepts (7.6 points per game in 2023, and 12.7 in 2024), so their forward press has vastly improved.
Their kick-to-handball ratio has also increased (1.59:1 in 2023 to 2.06:1 in 2024), as has their scores from clearances differential (-16.6 in 2023 to -2 this season), meaning they're stronger around the contest as well.
Outside of the metrics, it is clear the side has gelled, and to nail the off-field culture of a side so quickly is crucial to seeing what potential they have on game day.
Their skipper, Emma Swanson is a star defender, also a three-time All Australian and has been at the helm for six years, another fountain of football knowledge which cannot go unnoticed.
The Eagles will face Port Adelaide on Saturday afternoon in Perth, and Hawthorn the Saturday following in Frankston.