The WAFL will revert to a nine-team competition next year after West Coast confirmed to the WA Football Commission that they would not enter a team in the league.
But the fate of West Coast’s surplus and developing players remains unclear given that no existing club is willing to enter an alignment with the Eagles.
Instead, groups of up to five spare players are likely to be allocated to one or two clubs - probably Perth and East Perth - or sent off to play at amateur level.
West Coast averaged 10 listed players in their reserves team this year.
The proposed model is expected to be confirmed by the end of October with WAFC chief executive Michael Roberts saying it would be addressed as soon as this Saturday’s WAFL grand final was over.
“West Coast have said their preference is not to have a team,” Roberts said.
“And no club has an interest in going into an alignment. They don’t believe it works.
“We now need to work through the various models, whether an alignment, housing players at a club, whether they scatter players or they go and play somewhere else such as amos.
“We have a few weeks to nut that out.
“We don’t have a hard deadline but we want to know what we are doing by the end of October.”
Fremantle’s alignment with Peel has been considerably more successful as it prepares to enter its 10th season though Thunder officials are cautiously examining whether they could revert to a standalone club in 2023.
Roberts said West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett had confirmed the Eagles would not seek another WAFL alignment but were open to a less formal relationship with one or more clubs.
West Coast have had three alignments - with Claremont in 1999 and East Perth (2000-01) and (2013-18) - but entered their own team in the league in 2019 and this year.
They were forced to withdraw from the WAFL last season when the AFL responded to the COVID crisis by banning all listed players from State leagues.
“Trevor has been quite open in saying they are not after an alignment anymore,” Roberts said.
“They understand that it doesn’t work but they are open to a relationship with no strings attached and where they wouldn’t need to hire the coach or tell players where they have to play.
“I think that has sparked interest with a couple of clubs.
“West Coast just want their players housed somewhere and if that means the majority of their players don’t play senior football, then so be it.”
Roberts confirmed that a revamped player points system was imminent with the points cap likely to be reduced but player values also being slashed.
The new model is likely to place equal value on games played in the AFL, WAFL and other State leagues rather than providing a loading on returning AFL players.
Transfer fees are also likely to be slashed, meaning that returning AFL players are less likely to be tied to their original WAFL clubs.
