Cancer Council Western Australia has $101,032.45 to spend on research thanks to the West Coast Eagles 2016 Dig Deep campaign.

Club chief executive Trevor Nisbett and Dig Deep player ambassadors Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff had the pleasure of handing over the funds to Cancer Council WA chief executive Susan Rooney at Domain Stadium on September 13.

This year’s Dig Deep take – a combination of money raised from wrist band purchases and fan donations during the club’s Round 18 home fixture against Melbourne – bumped the campaign’s total contribution to Cancer Council WA to more than $1.3 million dollars since its founding in 2005.

Ms Rooney said Cancer Council WA would direct funds raised from this year’s Dig Deep campaign to researchers who were striving to make the charitable organisation’s cancer-free aspirations a reality.

“Research is the only way to improve outcomes for cancer patients, thus, it is critical to fund research so we can move towards a cancer-free future so that people’s worlds aren’t turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis,” Ms Rooney said.

“Previous campaigns have not only funded research, but also support services for cancer patients and their families. Every year Cancer Council WA provides support to more than 35,000 Western Australians going through their cancer journey and all of that is donor funded. That helps us to be by the side of cancer patients when they are diagnosed and throughout their journey.”

Shuey commended the club’s fans and wider WA community for again raising more than $100,000 for the annual Dig Deep campaign.

“It’s a huge effort,” he said.

“This is one more step towards discovering a cure for cancer. It is a cause we hold extremely close to our hearts.”

In addition to its charitable fans, the West Coast Eagles Football Club would like to thank Caltex, its staff and franchisees for again supporting the Dig Deep campaign.

Caltex has now supported the Dig Deep campaign for eight years by providing its stores as sale points for fans to purchase Dig Deep fundraising items.