They may have gone down to last year’s wooden spooners on the weekend, but on Monday morning the West Coast Eagles were a hit with students at Castlereagh Education Support School.
Premiership players Elliot Yeo and Liam Duggan, along with Sam Petrevski-Seton, Jack Williams and Luke Edwards, took time out from their training schedule, following a loss to last year’s wooden spooners North Melbourne in the opening round of the 2023 AFL season, to interact with the students.
Principal Jacqueline Burns said her students, all of whom have complex needs, were thrilled with the visit.
“We invited the Eagles to come and spend some time with our students, and how they interacted with the kids was absolutely amazing,” she said.
“All our students have complex communication needs, so they don’t use speech as their primary method to communicate with people.
“So for us to have the Eagles, who the kids only see on TV, come on to the site was just incredible for the kids.
“The fact these young interacted and worked with these kids got smiles, and laughing, and kids who normally don’t want anything to do with people were reaching out for them, moving their wheelchairs closer to them, was incredible.
“We knew the students were so excited because they were all looking and reaching and just watching the Eagles.
“They not only did activities in front of them but they also worked one-on-one with them, and some of these young men have never spent time with kids like ours, and the kids were beyond excited.
“The joy was on the kid’s faces.”
