With a clean slate and a host of young stars, West Coast are attacking this derby with a devil-may-care attitude.

Fremantle have won eight of the past nine contests and are hot favourites.

But the Eagles are ready to cause a stir.

The last time an Eagles group entered a derby with this sort of energy and a breath of youthful air, they produced one of the greatest ambushes in the rivalry’s history.

Derby 58 in April 2024 saw the arrival of then No.1 draftee Harley Reid as a force to watch, the young gun scorching the men in purple with three goals from 19 disposals as the Eagles kicked nine of the first 10 goals.

The other man to star that day was Elliot Yeo, who claimed his second Glendinning-Allan Medal after producing 26 disposals, six clearances and a goal.

While Yeo did feature in the second match against the Dockers that season, he has been out of derby action since and will mark his return to the fray on Sunday at Optus Stadium.

There’s also another No.1 pick making his western derby entrance, and through his first five games, Willem Duursma has shown enough to suggest he could be every bit as impactful as Reid was in his first, having already earned his Rising Star nod.

Fellow draftees Cooper Duff-Tytler and Josh Lindsay will also be eager to ensure their first encounter with Fremantle is one to remember, while promising key forward Jobe Shanahan kicked four goals in Gather Round against Geelong, proving the Eagles just need to get it forward to him and Jake Waterman.

Former West Coast coach Mick Malthouse suggested the pressure of being the favourite, West Coast paying a $7.50 longshot with TABTouch, could work against Fremantle, who would start to cement their place in the top four with a win.

“Every time it’s played there is a genuine rivalry that borders on hatred between the two clubs that takes the clash to a whole new level,” he wrote in his exclusive The West Australian column.

“Freo, having only dropped the one game sit in second spot, but are vulnerable. They will make the eight, but it’s games like this one that will cause Justin Longmuir as much angst as playing a top side.

“The challenge won’t be how the Eagles play; it will be how the Dockers play. History shows these games to be blowouts, or the favourite tightens up, and it becomes a scrap.

“West Coast can win in a scrap, unless Freo absorbs it with a highly disciplined display forward of centre to put a cap on the scoreboard.”

The Eagles will also have the boost of home support, and with 50,000 having shown up for their last Optus Stadium encounter, the Dockers can be assured of a hostile reception.