The 2014 season was the West Coast Eagles' 28th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), the premier Australian rules football competition. The 2014 season also marks the first season of the club's reserves affiliation with the East Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). West Coast finished thirteenth in the previous season, despite having made the finals in the two preceding seasons. At the end of the 2013 season, previous coach John Worsfold retired, after twelve seasons in the position, and was replaced by Adam Simpson, who had not coached previously at AFL level. Darren Glass was retained as captain for a seventh season, with Josh Kennedy and Scott Selwood as vice-captains. However, Glass retired from football after round 12, and was replaced by five acting co-captains: Shannon Hurn, Kennedy, Eric Mackenzie, Matt Priddis, and Selwood. Undefeated in the 2014 pre-season competition (which used a different format to previous years), West Coast started its season against the on 23 March. The club failed to qualify for the 2014 finals series, finishing its season in ninth place, with 11 wins and 11 losses. Priddis won the highest individual award, the Brownlow Medal, Beau Waters won the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, and Mackenzie was the club champion winning the John Worsfold Medal. No players from West Coast were selected on the All-Australian team.
Darren Glass was initially named captain of the West Coast Eagles for a seventh season, having taken over from Chris Judd from the 2008 season. Scott Selwood and Josh Kennedy were named vice-captains, while Dean Cox and Matt Priddis were also named to the leadership group. Beau Waters, who had been sole vice-captain for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, stepped down from the role to concentrate on his recovery from persistent shoulder injuries. Leadership positions were voted on by the playing group as a whole, and confirmed by the senior coach, the match committee, and the board. Darren Glass announced his retirement from football prior to round 13 of the season. Five players were named acting co-captains for the remainder of the season: Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy, Eric Mackenzie, Matt Priddis, and Scott Selwood.
West Coast delisted Bradd Dalziell and Cale Morton at the end of the 2013 season. Murray Newman was also delisted, but was redrafted by the club with pick 38 in the 2014 Rookie Draft. Brad Dick, Andrew Embley, Ashton Hams, Daniel Kerr, Mark Nicoski, and Adam Selwood all retired from AFL football at various stages during and after the season. During the trade period, player Xavier Ellis joined West Coast on a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent. Midway through the season, in August 2014, West Coast signed former professional baseball player Corey Adamson, adding him to the rookie list under the three-year non-registered rule, which allows clubs to recruit players who have not been registered with an AFL-affiliated competition. He had previously played underage representative football for Western Australia.
The club's longest-serving senior coach, John Worsfold, resigned on 5 September 2013, after twelve seasons in the position. A number of candidates interviewed for the position, notably West Coast assistant Scott Burns, assistant Adam Simpson, assistant Peter Sumich, and assistant Leigh Tudor. Simpson and Sumich, who had previously been an assistant under Worsfold, progressed to the final interview before the club's board, with Simpson announced as the club's new coach on 3 October 2013. A number of other coaching staff also left the club at the end of the 2013 season, though their departures were unrelated. Assistants Scott Burns and David Teague left to join and , respectively, while strategy coach Phil Walsh left to fill the same position at , and was replaced by Don Pyke. After Adam Simpon's appointment as senior coach, former player Brady Rawlings and former and player Adrian Hickmott were made assistant coaches, joining Justin Longmuir. Two previous West Coast players, Adam Selwood and Jaymie Graham, and another former North Melbourne player, Daniel Pratt, were also appointed to development coaching roles.
National Draft selections:
Rookie Draft selections:
Unlike previous pre-season tournaments, the 2014 NAB Challenge did not have a grand final or overall winner, instead consisting of "18 games in 18 days", with each team playing twice. West Coast began by defeating by 84 points at Arena Joondalup, and also won their second game, against at Blacktown International Sportspark.
Home team's score listed in bold:
<small>source: West Coast Eagles, 11 August 2014</small>
Seven West Coast Eagles players have so far been cited by the Match Review Panel during the 2014 season, with Patrick McGinnity, Luke Shuey, Darren Glass, Mark LeCras, and Josh Kennedy receiving suspensions:
<small>Source: AFL Tables, 11 August 2014</small>
<small>Source: AFL Tables, 31 August 2014</small>
<small>Sources: AFL.com.au and AFL Tables, 31 August 2014</small>
Carry-over points accrue following a sanction. For example, 123.45 points would draw a one-match suspension, with 23.45 carry-over points (for every 100 points, a one-match suspension is given).