Why are the West Coast Eagles so disliked out there?

Question

(I just know I am going to hate the answers to this question, but I just have to ask.)

The reason I want to know is that recently a question was asked by someone as to which afl team they hated and noone said WCE, yet every week the knives seem to come out and some of the comments are quite ugly. I need to understand why!!!

Answer 1

They are only hated by those who are jealous of the Eagles achievements.

Remember the Eagles were the first to take the cup out of Victoria. The Vics have never forgiven them for that & will jump at any excuse to rubbish them.

Collingwood, Hawthorn, Roos, Blues etc players have all been up to many unlawful activities - some worse than that of any eagle - but everyone conveniently forgets those goings on!

Those that make ugly or nasty comments about another team are saying mkore about themselves that the team they are rubbishing.

Answer 2

because they are a bunch of druggies

they hate little kids (remember when they wouldnt shake the kids hands on GF day)

and the feral fans on this site

i could go on but i just dont care enough about the tossers

Answer 3

i love the eagles........

A lot of freo fans hate the eagles because they r jealous and so r the victorian teams.

It's just cause the eagles rock.

Ben cousins and other players have caused trouble so that plays some part, but i don't care wat they think, ben cousins is LEDGEND!

Answer 4

Victorian teams have always had a strong rivalry with the West. I remember going to Perth in 1984 and they didn't care what part of Australia you were from - they just said your from the east.

Now that they have built up a thing with Sydney, maybe the rivalry is spreading.

Plus they were such an easy target with Cousins and Chick and Hunter.

Answer 5

They were the first interstate team to win a flag and are regularly in the 8.   Except for this year of course!   But for the majority of the time they have been in the comp,  they're a threat to every other team.

Think of it like when everyone boos the opposition superstar whenever they get the ball.   It's not really a hate thing.   If anything it's a sign of respect.

Answer 6

West Coast have been successful for the majority of their time in the comp, so of course evryone's going to hate them! Take it as a compliment to your team! Every team gets put down by people who don't support it. Don't worry about it, at least it's not as bad as the hate people show towards Collingwood!  

Just so you know, I don't hate West Coast that much, lol =)

Answer 7

Having lived in WA for 17 years, I have experienced the WA mentality to football. When the Eagles started they were promoted as the only WA team and for the whole state to get behind your team and like the SA's, 'kick a Vic'. The people who were 'non-conformists', of course didn't listen to propaganda, and then when the Dockers joined a fair percentage of these "non-conformists' adopted the Dockers. But this early attitude of the Eagles didn't win them a lot of fans, even in WA, and hostility was openly displayed. Thus they were openly despised, a t*t for tat if you like. But they only cope what they dished out, especially after the early wins, with a 'state team'. Of the original team I believe over 1/3 was from the Fremantle area.

Carn the BLUES.

Answer 8

because for 2 years in a row, your mob beat my mob (the mighty crows) in the prelim finals...  (i think it was 2005 and 2006?)

ever since then, i've hated west coast

Answer 9

Don't be so sensitive, club members of 15 other teams HATE them, what do you expect !  The Eagles won a flag in '92 with a VICTORIAN coach 6 years after joining the comp.  Footscray haven't won a flag since 1954, Collingwood is the Afl's crown jewel (money maker) and have won 2 in 50 years.  The AFL have propped up the interstate clubs, Brisbane 3 flags, Adelaide 2, Port 1 .  Its just natural the EAGLES should be, and are disliked.

Answer 10

I have no hate for any club but a very strong dislike for Port!!

I think its just a free for all on the great Aussie sport of stirring!!

I stir Eagles a little more cos they have a great rivalry with swans and I live in WA so I cop the lot for supporting Sydney, I've learnt to get a quick one in wen i can... So very out numbered!

Answer 11

Don't worry about it, not as hated as Collingwood. Just take it as jealousy. They don't like that..

Answer 12

it's the tall poppy syndrome  we Australians are famous for

Answer 13

A bit of good old fashion rivalry in this section and the stirring either comes from some of the Eagles fans or some the Magpie fans it has become a bit of a competition to see who has the thinnest skin and who bites the easiest.

I have fallen into the trap many times.

WA had to pay a huge price to play AFL that's why to their credit SA stuck to their guns and didn't allow the hierarchy to brow beat them into joining.

Also if it wasn't for the financial windfall from interstate clubs then more than one Melbourne football club would have merged.

Answer 14

because for a very long time they were coddled and fostered by the AFL and got away with murder on and off the field while other clubs were doing the hard yards.

now that they have hit a brick wall we shall see what material they're made of.

I suspect that there is some very good material there, the next two or three years will prove one way or the other.

Answer 15

Could be their supporters on Yahoo.

Answer 16

not me.

our boys are great .. sorry this doesn't help, just had to say that :)

all the answers will be about cousins, drugs, etc.

... and we dint play dirty so they cant say that!

and we were the first team out of Victoria to win a premiership!!

EDIT:

BTW Mark L why did you mention Hunter what did he ever do!?!?

Answer 17

I don't dislike the eagles,  i just think their admin buried their heads in the sand,   they would of known about the rumors who was and who wasn't doing drugs.   Those blokes should be the ones that footy fans dislike,  not every player was doing it,  but i suspect sue, that this is where the dislike comes from,   Hawthorn are getting off scott free in that dept though,  i still dont understand why nothing further has been said about those 6 odd players named as drug users.

It is true, footy people now it is, not every one gets sucked in by the spin doctors at footy clubs.

Answer 18

**I didn't realise that West Coast were all that disliked to be honest.  Sure, you're going to get the Victorian fans who don't like to see the interstate teams win but the only other explanation that I could come up with is that in WA if you barrack for Fremantle then you hate West Coast and vice versa, the same as it is in Victoria if you barrack for Collingwood or Carlton or in South Australia between Adelaide and Port Adelaide.**

Answer 19

Given the fact that the Eagles as a team are one of the youngest in the competition, they have probably been the most succesful with a number of Brownlow winners and 3 premierships over 20 years. They have managed to build a bit of rivalry over that time, particularly with Freo and the Bombers.

This could be your classic case of Tall Poppy Syndrome, with people wanting to kick them while they are down. Or perhaps people just love to hate them because of the interstate rivalry thing!