A NEW look West Coast Eagles and boom recruit Xavier Ellis made a loud and clear statement with a demolition of staunch rival Fremantle in a one-sided NAB Challenge clash at Joondalup on Tuesday. The Eagles thrashed a lacklustre Dockers from the opening moments and Ellis turned in a stunning start to his time to trigger hyped celebrations of a new era under rookie coach Adam Simpson. West Coast stormed to an 84-point thumping of last year’s runners-up 2-20-10 (148) to 10-4 (64), with 14 separate Eagles goal-scorers. Ellis, 26, joined in a possessions feeding feast against the blue chip Dockers midfield battery. The former Hawthorn star joined regular prolific West Coast ball winners Matt Priddis, Chris Masten and Luke Shuey in racking up big possessions, but it was a cleaner and creative retention and movement that stood out with the reinvigorated Eagles.
