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I’m not sure what to read into this but it sounds like the club has put on hold discussions with the Eagles about possibly accomodating a number of Eagles players.

This seems to be in reaction to “We have become aware of moves afoot among WAFL Presidents and the WAFC Leadership to take a fresh strategic look at the WAFL competition” he said.

“PFC is very much a player in this , and we expect to have some feedback over the next 4-6 weeks, prior to pre-season training starting.”

Sounds like the noise we’ve been making here and from the club is finally getting through.
www.perthfc.com.au/news/21361/bob-shields-statement

I would be happy enough with the suggestion that the bottom 4 teams (but not Peel, if they are bottom 4) share the interstate players. Whatever name you want to give it, what the club has to avoid is an arrangement whereby we have access to Eagles players that other clubs don't have. That is essentially what defines an alignment to me. To me, it is a no win situation. Firstly, it won't bring success anyway. The Peel flags have seen to that. Oddly, the only equalisation measure the WAFL has successfully taken has been to limit the power of aligned clubs. But that wouldn't stop other club's fans from saying "EP and Peel won flags when aligned, Perth are so crap you can't even manage that." Or, in the event we are successful, then we get no respect or recognition, the same way EP and Peel are scorned. I don't hold with the argument that because the WAFL is a lop sided comp anyway and we get the rough end of the stick with zones, we shouldn't feel any compunction in trying to build success off the back of Eagles players. Two wrongs and all that... 

The latest statement by Shields is just as uninformative as his first one, and it seems he continues to hedge his bets. But I hope the concept of us being the only team to take on Eagles players is dead in the water. The issue won't go away, though. As much as I dislike the Eagles, I am hoping they have a decent year next year. If they fall off the cliff, they won't blame their players, or their coaches, or their game plan, or the number of older players they may have played on just too long. They will want a scapegoat and it will be very convenient to say that their preparation was affected by having their players at different clubs. I expect we are going to under pressure pretty much every year to agree to a full alignment. 

I think you are totally missing the point Ted. No one wants success on the back of any player assistance from the Eagles but we’ve tried doing it the right way and it doesn’t work, you know being polite and all that.

If the WAFC is happy with the status quo and doesn’t really give a fuck about our complaints then you have to find another way.. The competition is as Duffield called it, a competition by name only. So maybe if Perth went into some kind of alignment or host to a bunch of players that made us strong, then that’s going to piss the rest of the so called competition off. While Perth sits on the bottom it’s all hunky dory for the rest of the competition.

Anyway I think it might be starting to get through to the thickheads at the WAFC and other clubs going by Bob’s last statement. I don’t know what else you expect him to say. There is obviously a lot going on behind the scenes and a lot of water to pass under the bridge. Watch this space and stay tuned.

DD do you acknowledge those 3 flags in the  early 2000s as EPFC flags or WCE influenced flags? How about the Subi dominance since that hat trick of EP flags.....is it Subi originated or AFL coffers influenced?

Yep see your point, Perth have played "ball" ....and it's not paid off......time to get creative I reckon....like what Peel, EP, Cl and SF obviously did....and less obvious as Subi have done.....though just don't get pinged financially like SD and WP did....or points fiddling wise like a few clubs  have done in the past....always be someone out there putting a negative spin on ones pursuit for success I guess.....put cotton wool in your ears and put  the blinkers on and  go for it I say.

WCE allocations never worked for us in the past and, IMHO, will not work now. It may help a little if we have total control over which players WE want and where we play them and with no other interference from WCE. Well, that's not going to happen.
Just have a look at the WCE playing list and tell me which players we should pick and what value they would bring to PFC.

thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/w...stribution-c-4225474

The war is over my friends

Why didn't the useless bloody plonkers simply do that in the first place like it was?  

Dazzler wrote:

thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/w...stribution-c-4225474

The war is over my friends

Still a bit to play out over what that looks like. Can’t be Peel and the way EF finished the season I’m not sure they have room and how do EP supporters feel about having a bunch of Eagles players back in the side? I’d say it’s still very much in play that we take the lions share of interstate Eagles players.

Not without a vote of members. 

So we have come the full circle and gone back to the process that was followed prior to the East Perth alignment. Staggering really.