Josh Kennedy boots eight goals in his farewell game in front of a packed crowd at Optus Stadium.
Kennedy paid tribute to the supporters after a season-high crowd 50,117 packed Optus Stadium for the occasion and produced a finals-like atmosphere with the game on the line late.
"I've been so lucky over the course of my career with our fans at West Coast, and it brings a tear to my eye sometimes, just how much they actually give to you over your career. I can't thank them enough," he said.
Elliot Yeo and Jack Darling have been elevated into the Eagles' leadership group under new captain Luke Shuey.
"They're both wonderful footballers, but sometimes it takes a little bit more time, we all develop at different rates in terms of leadership," Eagles manager Craig Vozzo said.
"Jack is a quieter, one-on-one type mentor. He has a terrific knowledge of the game and is able to pass that on one-on-one through our forward line.
"Elliot has developed into one of our best players and one of the better players in the game, and is still forming his way of leadership and it's going really well."
The group has expanded from six to seven in 2020, with former captain Shannon Hurn stepping away from an official leadership role.
Shuey will be supported by vice-captains Josh Kennedy and Jeremy McGovern, with ruckman Nic Naitanui and midfielder Andrew Gaff rounding out the group.
Josh Kennedy has enjoyed a fuss-free off-season to date, and hopes are high he can complete a full pre-season for the first time in years and be available for round one of 2020.
"As much as we think we think we need to probably manage Josh over the journey, he actually hasn't had a full crack at pre-season for three or four years," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
"The good thing is he's training (now). It's a good opportunity to get some Ks in the legs again and remind himself what it's like to do a pre-season.
"He's excited about that, and we are as well. We'll manage him the right way, but hopefully, you'll see him on track a bit more in the pre-season."
Josh Kennedy signs a new one-year deal to remain at the Eagles until the end of 2020.
"I'd like to thank West Coast for another opportunity and I'm really excited about another year with this fantastic club and group of lads," Kennedy said.
West Coast names an unchanged leadership group for 2019, with Shannon Hurn remaining skipper for a fifth season.
Hurn will be supported by joint vice-captains Josh Kennedy and Luke Shuey for a third consecutive year.
Star ruckman Nic Naitanui, who was elevated to the group before last season, retains his position alongside Jeremy McGovern and Andrew Gaff after they turned their backs on free agency and re-signed with the Eagles last year.
After being sidelined for the fifth consecutive week due to a hairline fracture in his right kicking leg, Josh Kennedy is adamant he will be back for West Coast's first final.
"I've just got to make sure I get myself ready to go for that first final," he said.
"I'll be able to get through three or four games, whatever it is, we're just giving it enough time to settle.
"Because it was bone, we've just given it an extra couple of weeks to settle down."
West Coast coach Adam Simpson says Josh Kennedy will not be rushed back after revealing the key forward is battling another hairline fracture in his leg.
"We went through this a few weeks ago – it's a very similar injury. We're a bit more aware of the process," Simpson said.
"We've just got to get him right, so however long that takes."
Josh Kennedy is struggling with a fresh leg injury that will almost certainly keep him sidelined from the Western Derby, and possibly longer.
"He just got a fresh knock on the shin which (was) a new incident and unfortunately for him it might push him out for the next week and, hopefully, not the week after," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
"We'll have to assess that. We think it's pretty doubtful this week."
Josh Kennedy is close to breaking Peter Sumich's West Coast goalkicking tally, being only one shy of Sumich's total of 514 goals.
"Suma was a terrific player and he's brought it up a few times. He will always say he did it in 150 games and not over (nearly) 200, so I don't think I'll ever really beat his record," Kennedy said.
"But it will be something that will be quite special I suppose to have your name up on the wall if it does happen."
Josh Kennedy says he is willing to accept spending less time on the ground in a bid to extend his career.
Kennedy has played more than 90 per cent of game time in the last four seasons but injury issues over the past 12 months have caused a rethink.
"I'm not 25 anymore and I can't just keep running out 130 minutes of footy and getting bashed around," Kennedy said.
"The club have been really good with handling it all. I've got this year and next year on my contract, but it would be nice to keep extending it and play as long as I can."
Mark LeCras says having a chat with Eagles teammate Josh Kennedy helped to convince him to play on in 2018 after having endured heavy criticism on his form in 2017.
"He's good like that. He's someone that I'm really honest with. He's one of my best mates," LeCras said of Kennedy.
"It was a funny year going through the ups and downs. I definitely had some thoughts about my future.
"But I've got some guys who I talk to throughout the footy club and who I'm really confident with their opinions and that's probably what convinced me to want to keep playing."
Josh Kennedy undergoes minor knee surgery which will delay his return to football.
"He had a minor procedure to his knee, which is healing really well – the doctors are really pleased with it. It probably set him back a short period, maybe a week," Eagles football manager Craig Vozzo said.
Josh Kennedy rules himself out of the Eagles' 2018 season opener as he continues to recover from ankle surgery.
"We're probably looking at around round three, I think, which is on target at the moment," Kennedy said.
"We've just got to get through training, it's been pulling up really well. Fitness is getting there. I've just got to keep increasing the training loads."
Lance Franklin's final round heroics clinches him a fourth Coleman Medal.
Franklin trailed Josh Kennedy by five goals heading into round 23, but produced a sunning 10-goal haul against Carlton to take his tally to his 69 goals.
Kennedy, who was looking to add his name to the record books with a third consecutive Coleman Medal, could only manage one goal against Adelaide in the final game of the season.
Franklin's fourth Coleman moves him up to equal fourth all-time, alongside Fred Fanning, Doug Wade, Peter Hudson and Tony Lockett.
On the eve of his 200th game against Collingwood, Eagles spearhead Josh Kennedy says he is a realist about his future.
"I'd love to keep playing as long as I can, but most guys who finish up and retire … you probably maybe want to be able to punch out one more year, but you probably call it quits then,” Kennedy said.
"I'd hate to go one year too long where you're trying to get through and your body is too sore.
"Hopefully I can reach those ages of 33 or 34 – that would be nice – but if not, I've always said I want to play until I got to 30 and I'm 30 this year, so anything after this is a bonus, I think."
West Coast has breathed a huge sigh of relief with star forward Josh Kennedy only set for three weeks on the sidelines after hurting his calf.
"It's probably a bit of a relief he's done a soleus, so it's good news so to speak, but we'll miss him for a few weeks," West Coast coach Adam Simpson said.
Josh Kennedy is facing an uncertain stint on the sidelines after hearing a pop when he went down with a suspected calf injury in the Eagles' to Greater Western Sydney.
Kennedy collapsed early in the final term when he tried to change direction in the forward line, only moments after steering through his third goal to put West Coast in front.
"The feedback we're getting is it's a calf. I think he was a little bit worried there early on (that he hurt his Achilles), but I think it's probably calf," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
Shannon Hurn will captain West Coast for a third straight year in 2017, while former Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell will provide support as a member of the leadership group.
Dynamic midfielder Luke Shuey has been elevated to co-vice captain alongside dual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy.
Star duo Jeremy McGovern and Andrew Gaff have also been added to the leadership group with Eric Mackenzie, who was the club's best and fairest in 2014 before requiring a knee reconstruction early the following year, the only omission from last year's group.
Matt Priddis rounds out the seven-man group, which was decided by a player vote, before being ticked off by the football department and then the board.
"Shannon Hurn has been a terrific leader since his appointment as captain three years ago and he has great respect from his teammates," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
"Over the last couple of years Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff and Jeremy McGovern have certainly grown within the group and it has been reflected in the player vote.
"Clearly Josh Kennedy and Matt Priddis have been outstanding leaders for a long time and to have someone of Sam Mitchell's calibre at our disposal will be invaluable."
Luke Shuey caps off his best season at AFL level by claiming his first John Worsfold Medal as West Coast's club champion.
Shuey finished 11 votes clear of Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy and 17 votes clear of last year's winner Andrew Gaff.
"I'm speechless, really. I really don't know what to say," Shuey said.
"I'm so humbled to win this award for a couple of reasons. One, it's named in honour of a club legend who I was privileged enough to play under for five years in Woosha. But two, to win this amongst the calibre of guys I play with, particularly these four, who I look up to and idolise every week."
Andrew Gaff claims his first best and fairest award, pipping last year's Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis for the 2015 John Worsfold medal.
West Coast's three All Australians, Gaff, Priddis and Josh Kennedy finished first, second and third respectively.
Gaff polled 210 votes to win by just four votes from Priddis, who finished runner-up for the fourth time in his career and second year running.
"It's something you play for, to play well in the big games but it doesn't mean too much really," Gaff said.
"Being the best player in the Grand Final when we got flogged doesn't mean too much. We want to get back to that spot next year and hopefully make a better fist of it."
Josh Kennedy's game-high 39 possessions in the Swans' qualifying final against Fremantle is the 11th-straight game where Kennedy had had 30 disposals or more - a modern record.
A frustrated Josh Kennedy was subbed out of the win over Gold Coast to manage his injured elbow.
Kennedy was unhappy with the decision, raising his arms towards the coach's box as he ran to the bench to receive the red vest.
"To get full recovery he needs to get through four-to-six weeks. We've just got to make sure when we see an opportunity to give him a break, we take it," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
"It was a good suggestion from our medical staff. He wasn't too pleased, but I think we get a fresh JK next week."
Josh Kennedy is awaiting the result of scans to determine if he has a long-term injury with his elbow.
"It's a complex injury," Eagles general manager of football Craig Vozzo said.
"So we're going through the assessment phase at the moment. We're still hopeful that we may have avoided a long-term problem but we'll know in the next day or so exactly where that's heading and we certainly haven't ruled him out for the weekend."
Josh Kennedy will make a late dash to Perth on Friday ahead of Saturday's clash with Fremantle after remaining in Sydney for the birth of his first child.
Kennedy did not travel with the team on Wednesday and was absent from the Swans' training session at Domain Stadium on Thursday.
Swans coach John Longmire confirmed that midfielder would be travelling on Friday morning.
"He's coming across, he'll be playing," Longmire said.
"(Partner) Ana was fine, baby's fine. He'll be coming across first thing in the morning. It was his first, a boy.
"It's great everyone's healthy, which is the main thing."
A Josh Kennedy masterclass has seen West Coast open its 2015 account in emphatic style, the spearhead kicking 10 goals as the Eagles steamrolled Carlton by 69 points at Domain Stadium on Friday night.
"He's put on some size," Simpson said about Kennedy after the game.
"He looks stronger for longer now in games. He didn't come off today, and in the last minute he was trying to chase down small defenders.
"I'm not surprised. I'm happy he's kicked 10. But I don't expect him to kick 10 every week."
After being subbed out of the Swans' win over the Saints due to hamstring tightness, Josh Kennedy has been cleared of any serious hamstring injury and is unlikely to miss more than one AFL game.
"His hamstring is tight, he's got a little bit of fluid on the outside of his hamstring but there's no tear in there, so that's a really good sign," Sydney coach John Longmire said.
"It would be fair to say we're not going to put him at risk this week. If he's not any good at the back end of the week, he won't play.
"If he doesn't play this week, it will only be one week."
Scans reveal a depressed fracture of Josh Kennedy's cheekbone that will require surgery.
Kennedy copped a heavy knock to his face in a marking contest late in the 38-point loss to North Melbourne on Sunday night.
It was believed he had just received a black eye and would be right to play this week, however scans have confirmed that he has suffered a depressed fracture of the cheekbone and will need surgery.
The Eagles are hopeful the key forward will miss only a week.
Josh Kennedy is willing to take a pay cut for star West Coast teammate Nic Naitanui to stay at the club.
"He's a superstar. His form might not be showing that at the moment, but the way he can turn the game on and light it up is better than anyone," Kennedy said.
"If I had a million bucks, I'd pay him to get him in my team. I'd love him to stay here and I'd take a pay cut for him."
Outgoing Carlton president Stephen Kernahan laments giving up Josh Kennedy in the trade that landed the Blues Chris Judd.
"I would never knock back what Chris Judd's given our football club," Kernahan said.
"That (deal) went to about the last 30 seconds of the trade period.
"We had picks one, three and 20. We had three and 20 on the table, Richmond had two and 12 on the table.
"Judd was either going to stay [at West Coast] – he didn't want to go to Richmond – so we had to make a call and the only bloke they were interested in the whole time was Kennedy.
"We offered to put up the whole team, just about. And Josh Kennedy, you can't let centre-half-forwards go."
Josh Kennedy says he hopes to modify his infamous stuttering approach during set shots for goal.
"With the stutter, I suppose it's getting to a point where it's probably getting a bit risky and I was probably losing a bit of control on the way I wanted to kick," Kennedy said.
"So that's something I'm working on and slowly coming to this last half of the year trying to minimise it."
West Coast forward Josh Kennedy is set to return to the side for the first time since round five after just one WAFL match.
"AFL footy is more intense than WAFL, but he's good enough to play," Eagles coach John Worsfold said.
"What's the difference with him playing another game at East Fremantle versus playing for us this week? There's no real value in him playing another game of WAFL football.
"We don't expect that he'll be at his absolute best this week, but he'll still be very good."
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
John Worsfold has forecast a return to the 'land of the giants' forward line when Josh Kennedy comes back into the West Coast lineup.
"The first thing we want is to do is have him available to play knowing that he'll be able to contribute and play full game time for the remainder of the season," Worsfold said.
"We ask our conditioning staff to have him fit and ready to play AFL footy and full game time. That's where he's at. He's one of our senior leaders and top-line players, so we would love him back in the side … we're expecting to get him back."
Monday, 13 August 2012
West Coast ambitions to finish in the top four will be boosted by the imminent return of spearhead Josh Kennedy.
"We've got a lot of confidence in Josh that he can come in and play a really important role for us," teammate Andrew Embley said.
"He was in a boot for a while actually, so he wasn't able to do much running. In saying that, over the last five or six weeks he's really built his running program up and he's naturally a very fit person anyway."
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Star Eagles forward Josh Kennedy has admitted he is unlikely to be sighted at AFL level until the finals.
"Probably in about seven weeks I'll be playing, so a couple for East Fremantle (in the WAFL) and then back in," Kennedy said.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
West Coast's decimated attack suffers another blow with forward Josh Kennedy set to miss 12 matches due to surgery after injuring his ankle in marking contest against Richmond.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Andrew Embley have all re-committed to West Coast on the eve of the 2011 finals.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Shannon Hurn and Josh Kennedy have been added to the leadership group at the West Coast Eagles.
"The elevation of Shannon and Josh is indicative of their standing within the squad," senior coach John Worsfold said.
Friday, 8 May 2009
West Coast's Josh Kennedy is ready to play himself into form at AFL level after returning to the side following knee and shoulder injuries.
"Josh will come in and give a great account of himself," assistant coach Daniel Metropolis said.
"He's been playing some good footy and we expect that he'll do well.
"So he'll definitely get the opportunity to do well for us this week and we'd like to think he'll play some consecutive games for us and get some good form up."