It took Cale Morton one running session to realise the stark difference in standards between his former club Melbourne and his new home of West Coast.
Morton was in the top echelon of runners during his five years and 73 games at the Demons, but he struggled to even scrape into the top-10 at West Coast after being traded to the Eagles for pick No.88 last October.
Melbourne’s inability to properly develop their young talent has been well documented over the past five years, with Morton, Jordan Gysberts, Tom Scully and Lucas Cook all top-12 picks who have parted ways with the club.
Former No.1 draft pick Jack Watts appears set to join them after struggling to reach his potential.
Morton arrived into AFL ranks with much fanfare after being selected with pick No.4 in the 2007 national draft.
The 192cm backman produced the goods in his first two seasons at the elite level, averaging 20 possessions a game to go with 21 goals.
But Morton’s fortunes soon began to mirror that of the Demons, who have been mired near the foot of the table for more than six years now.
Morton doesn’t regret his time at Melbourne, saying he learned valuable lessons while at the club.
But he has little doubt West Coast possess a superior environment to help players reach their potential.
“The training standards are a lot higher over here. That’s just what comes with the success of the West Coast Eagles over the past 20 years I suppose,” said Morton, who is yet to crack a game for his new club.
“I think there’s quite a big gap at the moment.”
Morton described it as sad to see so many high draft picks fail to succeed at Melbourne.
But he said it was important for the struggling club to forget about the past and focus on developing their next crop of youngsters, which include recent additions Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney.
The pressure on Demons coach Mark Neeld continues to grow following his team’s woeful 1-8 start to the year, with Sunday’s 90-point loss to Fremantle one of their worst displays this season.
A lack of leadership at Melbourne seems to be one of their biggest downfalls, but Morton said there were no such worries at West Coast, who can tap into the experience of veterans Darren Glass, Daniel Kerr, Andrew Embley and Dean Cox.