Andrew Gaff: West Coast Eagles should drop veteran after ‘insipid’ effort against Brisbane, says Glen Jakovich

One of West Coast’s greatest-ever players has declared Andrew Gaff must be axed, labelling the effort of the club’s all-time leading ball-winner as “insipid” in what was statistically the worst game of his career. Glen Jakovich singled out Gaff for his six-disposal performance in the Eagles’ 81-point loss to Brisbane, continuing a concerning patch of form for the two-time All-Australian. It marked Gaff’s lowest disposal output in a game since starting as a substitute in the early games of his first-year campaign in 2011. Jakovich took Gaff to task after his lowly effort while playing 83 per cent of game time, calling for West Coast to make a selection statement by dropping the 268-gamer. “Gaff had six disposals. He can’t play football for the rest of the year. He cannot hold a position at AFL (level),” Jakovich told 6PR. “He is a midfielder, he played that whole game in the middle of the ground. “Did I see him go into the backline? Did you see him anywhere else? Was he on the bench for a half? Or was he on the ground? “That’s just an insipid performance.” Gaff has been well down on his career average of 26 disposals per game this year, averaging just 19 touches, and has struggled to help advance the ball at a clip of 200m gained each match. But the Eagles face a dilemma with the contracted left-footer, who is set to earn $750,000 to $850,000 next year to remain among the AFL’s most highly-paid players. When asked who comes in for Gaff, Jakovich said: “I don’t care. You do not play (after a performance like that).” A massive injury list has meant the Eagles have been unable to make statements at the selection table. But after getting through the loss to Brisbane seemingly unscathed and with veteran duo Luke Shuey and Shannon Hurn likely to be in the frame to return from soreness, Gaff could find himself on the outer. The Eagles could have as many as 34 fit players next weekend. Luke Edwards and Harry Barnett were the travelling emergencies for the Lions clash, while Greg Clark (foot), Callum Jamieson (hip), Samo Petrevski-Seton (quad), Zane Trew (concussion) and Isiah Winder (knee) could all be cleared to play. In March, Eagles coach Adam Simpson said Gaff had rediscovered his running power after losing weight over the summer, having bravely playing through an injured ankle for most of last season. “He’s gone away and his running is the same as it was when he was 18, so he is fit. His biggest asset as we all know is his ability to cover the ground, and that’s back,” Simpson said at the time. “Whether he’s back to his best as a footballer or not, I hope so. But he’s now had a really clean pre-season, which he hasn’t had for three years.”