West Coast veteran Jamie Cripps hasn't given up hope of tasting finals action again before his career is out, but guiding generation next is his No.1 priority for the time being.
The rebuilding Eagles will finish in the bottom three for the third straight season - a far cry from their recent glory years which culminated in the 2018 premiership.
Cripps has enjoyed plenty of individual and team success during his 247-game career, but says the past three years have been a challenge.
However, the mass influx of youth at West Coast has at least injected new energy into the club, and Cripps is enjoying his mentor role.
"I just want to help the team as much as I can," Cripps said ahead of Friday night's clash with Gold Coast in Perth.
"And if I have to play WAFL next year to help the team out, that's what I'll do.
"But being out there and trying to help the younger boys coming through, I really enjoy that.
"When I was coming through, I was hanging off Mark LeCras. He was my mentor.
"I was quite lucky to play a few games with him, and I'm still mates with him, which is nice."
Cripps has worked particularly closely with forward prospects Noah Long, Loch Rawlinson and Tyrell Dewar.
The bond is strong, but the generational gap is big when it comes to technology and social media.
"Half the time I don't know what they're talking about," Cripps said with a laugh.
"But it's good to listen to (all the young players) and have a chat in the change rooms.
"They definitely bring a good energy. They're teaching me a few things, which is nice."
West Coast are still in the thick of the biggest rebuild of the club's history, and there's likely to be more pain to come.
But the arrival of the likes of Harley Reid, Reuben Ginbey, Campbell Chesser, Clay Hall, Brady Hough, Elijah Hewett, Long and Jack Williams has sparked hope for Cripps the turnaround won't be too far away.
Hall will become the club's sixth debutant of the season when he lines up against Gold Coast on Friday.
Clay time 🥹 pic.twitter.com/0xHGWwUN8U
— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) July 31, 2024
Jeremy McGovern, Alex Witherden and Liam Duggan return from injury, while Harvey Johnston and Tyrell Dewar were recalled.
Tom Barrass (concussion), Luke Edwards (concussion), Josh Rotham (abdominal), Jack Petruccelle (suspended) and Jack Hutchinson (suspended) were ruled out.
Gold Coast recalled Alex Sexton and Brayden Fiorini.
Cripps is contracted until the end of 2025 and the 32-year-old would love to play finals again, something he doesn't think is out of the question.
"It will turn quickly with the group we've got coming through," Cripps said.
"The young boys we've drafted over the last couple of years are going to play a lot of footy for us.
"Hopefully we'll see exciting times again in the next couple of years."
Gold Coast (9-10) sit two wins and percentage adrift of eighth spot, meaning they will need to win their remaining four games and rely on other results in order to sneak into the finals.
