West Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold expects his side to be back up and challenging for a premiership in no time.
The Eagles finished their season in poor fashion on Saturday afternoon at Skilled Stadium, capitulating to a 99-point thrashing at the hands of Geelong.
After starting the season with so much promise, the Eagles have managed to win just four games in 2008 and failed to make the finals for just the first time since 2001.
And while it would appear the immediate future is bleak at the Eagles, Worsfold has a much rosier outlook.
"It is very positive for our football club with the position we are at," Worsfold said.
"I believe we will be able to rebound very strongly and be a better team than we have been this year next year."
"I am not going to predict how high we are going to finish and how many games we are going to win, but there is no doubt we will be a lot better side next year."
The Eagles are likely to have the second pick in November's national draft and reports are already spreading that the club is keen to take talented Perth youngster Daniel Rich.
While Worsfold admitted that the Eagles had already looked at what type of players they were looking at in the draft, he expects the improvement at the club in 2009 to come from his more experienced players.
"We have got ready made players like (Matt) Rosa, (Adam) Hunter, (Brett) Jones, (Daniel) Kerr and (Josh) Kennedy and they will be there next year ready to go," Worsfold said.
"Our draft picks might struggle to get a game for us next year."
Kerr's name is the interesting one that Worsfold included in the group of players that he expects the club's improvement to come from next year.
The 25-year-old still has one-year to run on his contract, but reports have been rife that he is keen to be traded to a rival club at the end of this season.
But Worsfold scoffed at such suggestions and said he was 'excited' about Kerr's future with the club.
"I am very excited that Daniel Kerr will be a long servant of the West Coast Eagles," Worsfold said.
"What you read in the papers is very inaccurate from what Daniel says."
"I am not saying that it is inaccurate from what his manager says, but it is a lot different to what Daniel says."