AFL great slammed after West Coast prediction backfires

Robert Walls has been slammed by fans after a pre-season prediction came back to haunt him.

Before the season began, the former Carlton and Fitzroy player was asked who he thought would walk away with the wooden spoon in 2018, and he picked the Eagles!

“I reckon West Coast (will win the wooden spoon), they’ve lost a lot of experienced players,” he said on AFL Tonight in March.

“They’ll take a couple of years to get themselves up and going again.

“I think it will be a lean season for the Eagles.”

Then after Round 3 – with the Eagles 2-1 – he softened his stance slightly.

“Did I say that (West Coast would finish last?) One swallow doesn’t make a summer — and let’s face it: yesterday they played a team that had three missing in the last quarter — a pretty good team,” he said.

“Look, I saw them the week before against the Bulldogs and they were pretty good.

“Gee some of those young boys — (Liam) Ryan looked like he’s gonna be a good player for them, (Brad) Sheppard’s improving all the time.

“At this stage, I’ll change my pick for wooden spooner towards St Kilda and Carlton — will that make them happy?”

It didn’t really, and Eagles fans were again fuming when Walls tipped Collingwood to win the grand final ‘comfortably’.

So on Saturday afternoon as the Eagles were toasting their triumph, fans took to social media to remind Walls of his pre-season prediction, and they weren’t particularly forgiving.