West Coast star recruit Trent Rivers wasted no time meeting his new teammates and touring the club’s headquarters after arriving in Perth this week.
The former Melbourne defender, who was traded to the Eagles for a raft of draft picks alongside veteran Jack Viney, said it felt “special” to don his new colours for the first time on Monday.
Rivers, who grew up supporting the Eagles and was even at the MCG in 2018 to watch the club’s last flag, was welcomed to the club by a group of players including key defender Reuben Ginbey.
“It’s my childhood club. Putting on the jersey today, I got a little bit excited. It was pretty cool,” he said.
“Seeing inside the four walls is pretty special. I got to do it through the Origin period, but to see it in-house, meet all the people, it’s been pretty special.
“I’m really looking forward to being here for the next period of my life.”
The 25-year-old also met up with teammates including Milan Murdock, Jacob Newton, Oli Francou, Lucca Grego and Ryan Maric on his first day.
Rivers had been considered a chance to return to his home state multiple times in recent years, having already won a flag with Melbourne, coincidentally at Optus Stadium during the COVID-affected years.
However, the chance to play for WA in front of fellow West Australians, as well as the needs of his burgeoning family, finally prompted him to seek a move back to Perth.
“Chats started about nine months ago now to see if we could move west and it’s all panned out the way that we could have hoped,” Rivers said.
“My partner’s pregnant at the moment. We’re expecting in about four weeks from now, so that’s really exciting.
“Not too sure what to expect being a dad, but I’m looking forward to what it brings. It’s all going to be a bit of a whirlwind.”
The Eagles gave pick 45, a 2027 second-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick to Melbourne to bring Rivers, alongside veteran Jack Viney, to the club during last week’s trade period.
Rivers revealed he had been watching the club’s development in recent years, including top draft picks Harley Reid and Willem Duursma.
“I watched the development over the last 12 months, and it’s been huge, so I’m really looking forward to what the club can do in the next few years,” he said.
“There are a lot of young guys, there’s some familiar faces that I haven’t played footy with for a long time, so I’m looking forward to bonding with them again and playing some footy.”