AFL No.1 draft pick Willem Duursma is already relishing the prospect of trying to supercharge West Coast's rebuild alongside fellow top selection Harley Reid.
And the 18-year-old Gippsland Power product is brimming with confidence as he eyes a hero-and-sidekick partnership with Reid in the west.
"If I'm Batman," Duursma quipped, after being presented his first Eagles jumper by Reid at Wednesday night's national draft.
"He gave me a big hug on stage, so we're ready to get cracking, us two."
Coming off a horror one-win season in Andrew McQualter's first year as coach, West Coast bolstered their young talent stocks with high-end picks Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler.
Bids for Gold Coast academy product Zeke Uwland and Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean were matched by those clubs before the Eagles settled on Calder Cannons ruckman Duff-Tytler at pick four.
Duursma and 2023 No.1 pick Reid could soon be housemates when the new Eagle moves to Perth, with the latter to play an important role mentoring his new teammate.
The pair will be key figures in McQualter's attempt to lift West Coast off the bottom of the ladder.
"We'll complement each other really well," Duursma said.
"He gets his hands dirty under there and I'll help him on the outside a fair bit, for the start at least.
"The sky's the limit, I think."
Duursma, from the town of Foster, about 170km south-east of Melbourne feels well prepared for the move to Perth and the fanfare that will come with it.
"I've seen Harley do it and it's definitely pretty full-on, but I'm pretty excited and I'm ready to go," Duursma said.
"Footy takes you to amazing places and there's a lot worse places to go than Perth to play footy.
"You're doing the thing that you love, so I can't complain at all."
Duursma is also prepared for a steep learning curve as he joins a West Coast team that has won just 11 games over the last four seasons.
"I've seen Harley and (others) go through it and I know it's not easy, but you've just got to look on the bright side and think positively," he said.
"They're only going to get better ... so I'm really keen."
Duursma's older brothers Xavier (pick 18, 2018) and Zane (pick four, 2023) were also first-round draft picks, and are now established players at Essendon and North Melbourne respectively.
Older sister Yasmin plays AFLW with Carlton, but the younger sibling now has some bragging rights.
"I was dishing it to them already but it's pretty special," Duursma said.
"They've all had their fair share of special moments, so it's nothing to take away from them that I went pick one."
Duursma chose football over basketball as a teenager and was heavily involved in the dance school run by mum Susie, most recently featuring in a twist on the classic tale of Rapunzel.
"If you ask Mum, it's been more helpful to me than training for footy, but it has helped," Duursma said.
"I've developed a bit of a sidestep and smooth movement, so I guess it has helped."
Duursma is the fourth player taken by West Coast with the No.1 pick at a national draft and just the second this century, after Reid in 2023.
The Eagles previously picked Drew Banfield (1992) and Michael Gardiner (1996) with the top selection.
