Prodigal Eagle returns to fast-track premiers' midfield mojo

[Glasgow]

FAST-TRACKING West Coast's ruck recruits will be a priority for new assistant coach Matt Rosa after returning to the west to help fill the void left by Sam Mitchell.

Rosa is back in the Eagles' nest after requesting a trade to Gold Coast at the end of 2015, only days after he was the sub in the Grand Final belting from Hawthorn. 

The 32-year-old takes over stoppage and structures from Nathan van Berlo, who has stepped up into Mitchell's role as midfield coach.

With premiership tall Scott Lycett departed to Port Adelaide and star ruckman Nic Naitanui (ACL) on the comeback trail, Rosa is tasked with building the understanding between new ruck arrivals Tom Hickey and Keegan Brooksby and West Coast's mids.

"A lot of it will be trying to get that chemistry right, so we'll spend a lot of time getting those ruckmen with the midfielders at training, and also finding out their strengths and weaknesses and trying to get them to adapt as quickly as possible," Rosa said. 

"A lot of it is going to be around discussions, we'll be picking their brains and trying to find out what they can and can't do."

Rosa said the Eagles were open to continuing with their two-ruck policy next season, but flag-winning big man Nathan Vardy and Hickey will both be competing for the main role over summer.

"They're both pushing for that No.1 spot and I think they're both going to train that way, they're both competitors as well," he said.

"They'll be having a crack and Tommy's been super impressive, he ran really well in the 2km time trial and he's really keen to put his hand up and play some AFL footy.

"It's going to be interesting pre-season with a few boys battling it out for ruck spots." 

Rosa, who played 39 games for the Suns after 168 appearances at West Coast, believed existing relationships would be beneficial in his new role, for which he prepared by analysing and keeping a diary on his coaches during the second half of his 14-season career.

He felt proud watching the Eagles salute in this year's decider, knowing the pain of 2015, and had no doubt the squad was still hungry.

"Sitting up in the stands to see guys who I played with in 2015 achieve the ultimate, and I knew how much it hurt, I was super proud of what they were able to do," Rosa said.

"They went through their struggles after the Grand Final and they were able to turn it around, which is hard to do.

"The way they've come back in good shape shows they're still hungry and I'm sure they're keen for some more success."

The Eagles sweated through a two-hour training session at Subiaco Oval on Monday, with a host of players on individual programs.

Star spearhead Josh Kennedy (shoulder) pushed through a power of running, while Liam Duggan (knee), Chris Masten (hamstring) and Oscar Allen (shins) were among the players in and out of skills work.