West Coast defender Reuben Ginbey insists he and his teammates are still loving the game, despite enduring years of debilitating losses.
The Eagles have won just 10 games since the start of 2022 and enter Friday night's match against Essendon on the bottom of the ladder with a 0-5 record and a percentage of 49.7.
Veteran Tim Kelly, who during the pre-season spoke about the need to regain his love for the game, was struggling so much of late he was dropped to the WAFL last week.
Kelly has since won a recall to face the Bombers on Friday night.
Defender Brady Hough, who has been a rare shining light for the Eagles over the past few years, broke down in tears while conducting an interview in the wake of last week's 71-point loss to Carlton.
Ginbey, who is in his third year, has tasted just six wins in his 45-game career.
But the 20-year-old says the mounting losses haven't sucked the love out of the game for him or his fellow young teammates.
"Yeah the losses can get tough at times, but at the end of the day we're still doing the job we love, and we all love playing footy," Gibney said.
"So I think if you have the love for your teammates and love for the game, it doesn't stay that hard.
"Footy teams have form slumps, and we're probably in one at the moment.
"But it doesn't take too much to get out of it. So I think a home game this week, in front of our home fans, is a great opportunity to really lift."
West Coast produced a record-low 77 contested possessions against Carlton last week.
Across the opening five rounds, West Coast are minus-124 in contested possessions and minus-75 in clearances - both record lows for the first five rounds of an AFL season.
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter put his players through a gruelling training session on Wednesday, and Ginbey is backing the group to respond.
The Eagles have been boosted by the return of star defender Jeremy McGovern from a groin injury.
That is a massive dose of good news for Ginbey, who has been forced to play as a key defender at times this year after Tom Barrass's trade to Hawthorn and McGovern's recent injury.
West Coast skipper Oscar Allen has been managed, while Sandy Brock, Bailey Williams and Clay Hall have been axed.
Essendon welcome back Peter Wright, but have lost Nick Bryan (ACL) for the rest of the season.
The Bombers have evened up their season ledger at 2-2 after following up their losses to Hawthorn and Adelaide with wins over Port Adelaide and Melbourne.
