Reuben Ginbey has hit back at Tom Mitchell’s criticism of West Coast’s young players, saying he “couldn’t be more proud” of how they handled a gruelling pre-season time trial.
The Eagles’ first-to-fourth-year players returned to training on Monday with a running test of 11 sprints over 200m, and the group collapsed on the turf after the final effort, AFL.com.au reported.
Retired Brownlow medallist Mitchell called that moment “embarrassing” and said it showed “serious mental weakness”, AFL.com.au reported, arguing that teams he played in had rules against showing weakness in similar situations.
Ginbey: ‘Run until they drop’
Ginbey, a member of the Eagles’ leadership group who finished the test on his hands and knees, had a different view.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the boys. Most people in their life have never run until they can’t stand or spew, but this is a time trial (and) you only do two a year,” Ginbey said on Wednesday.
Read more: Tom Mitchell Slams West Coast Over ‘Embarrassing’ Training Image
“The pressure you put on yourselves is what we love. It’s an elite environment, and I want to see the boys run until they drop.”
“Tom Mitchell had his view, and he’s well and truly got the right to have his opinion as a very decorated player,” he said. “The way we’re looking at it, we thought the boys had a great crack, and the quality of training afterwards – which is more important – was awesome as well.”
Young Eagles put in the work
Ginbey said West Coast’s young players had trained as a large group through October. Eight of them, including Ginbey, Harley Reid and Willem Duursma, spent a week at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas last month.
He singled out Duursma for his physical development and said winger Sam Allen, who is coming back from an ACL injury, won the team’s running test. “He’s an absolute animal,” Ginbey said.
The 22-year-old is entering his fifth season after a quad injury ended his 2026 campaign in Round 13. “The quad’s feeling good. I won’t be in everything before Christmas, just to look after myself a bit more,” he said.
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