AFL great Tom Mitchell has slammed West Coast after photos emerged of the players showing “poor body language” during their return to pre-season training this week.
The Eagles first-to-fourth-year players hit the track on Monday, along with several senior stars, including experienced recruit Jack Viney.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tom Mitchell says West Coast players show mental weakness
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As is the often the case on the first day of pre-season training, the players were put through a series of gruelling running drills.
Players appeared to push their body to the limits with bodies sprawled out in the goalsquare.
But Mitchell said it was an “utterly embarrassing” look for the club despite acknowledging how hard pre-season training is.
In a short clip posted on Instagram, Mitchell took the Eagles to town for “acting like they are dying”.
“Look at the body language. From all reports, they’ve just done their first running test, 11 x 200-meter sprints, which I’ve done that test before. It’s bloody hard,” he said.
“And don’t get me wrong, AFL pre-season is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.
“But look at the body language. To the far left there, there’s a player on his haunches. Just to his right, a player laying on his back. Below us here, four players on their hands and knees and another player below on his back.
“That is serious mental weakness. There’s no leadership there. Thank God they got Jack Viney to stamp out some of this crap. I could not be more passionate about this.
“They’re basically showing all the opposition out there already. That as soon as it gets hard, we’re going to roll on the ground and act like we’re dying.
“This is an embarrassing image. And this is West Coast in this example. But you see this often with a lot of teams around the league.“
Mitchell, who played for Sydney, Hawthorn and Collingwood during his glittering career, said his teams had rules around showing weakness.
“And the best teams I ever played on actually had rules around this. Not showing weakness,” he continued.
“Again, you’re allowed to forget at times and go to your hands and knees. But get straight up. This is embarrassing for the Eagles on day one of pre-season.”
Meanwhile, Viney was excited to begin his new life as an Eagle, jumping at the chance to join his teammates two weeks earlier than required.
“It kind of felt like the first day of school. I was a bit excited, nervous but excited at the same time, making lots of new friends,” Viney said.
“I rocked up, didn’t quite know where to go, but got pointed in the direction of the change rooms where I quickly met some of my new teammates.
“I think I would have just had FOMO if I was sitting at home in Melbourne, so I definitely wanted to get over here and get amongst it.
“Personally, missing so much footy last year, I’m just keen and hungry to get into training and put in some hard work.
“It was a no brainer to come over, start early and also meet and build those relationships.”
