souvenir edition • august 6, 2011 25 years strongthe weekend west • august 6, 2011 know the...

Souvenir edition • August 6, 2011

25 YEARS STRONG

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The Weekend West • August 6, 2011

25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: In round 22 last year John Worsfold coached his 210th game for West Coast, which is one more than he played.3 25 YEARS STRONG3

If it wasn’t offi cial before, it is now. West Coast coach John Worsfold has usurped Mick Malthouse as the most infl uential fi gure in the highly successful 25-year history of the football club. The clincher has been Worsfold’s

successful rebuild of his team — a project three years in the making and unleashed on an unsuspecting AFL competition in stunning fashion during the 2011 season.

Malthouse, who made the Eagles a national powerhouse in the early 1990s, coached their fi rst premiership team in 1992 and another in 1994 and never missed a fi nals series during 10 years in Perth, made for a hard target to chase down.

But his dual premiership captain has got him now, imposing his own fi ngerprint on a club not just because of attaining and regaining on-fi eld success, but because of his role in reclaiming the club’s soul.

West Coast rarely lose their way on the fi eld. They won more games in their debut season under Ron Alexan-der in 1987 (11) than any fi rst-year team since. They made the fi nals sooner — in their second year — than any team since.

They played in a grand fi nal in 1991 in their fi fth year, won a premiership in their sixth year and only Hawthorn (four fl ags) have bettered their three in 25 years in the competition.

West Coast have missed the fi nals just seven times in that time, another record no other club of their era has matched.

But they lost their way off -fi eld in the late 1990s and 2000s. While still formidable on the park, a section of

their player group lived like rock stars off it.The way back from those days, which

included two grand fi nals and a premier-ship but unravelled with the sacking of Ben Cousins, the departure of premiership captain Chris Judd and a series of scandals that rocked one of the AFL’s most power-ful clubs to its very foundations, was a painful exercise. The club plunged to the bottom of the ladder for the fi rst time in its history and missed fi nals three years in a row — another fi rst.

Woosha the messiahWORDS: MARK DUFFIELD

INDEXMalthouse looks back 5

Worsfold’s vision 6

The Norm Smith club 8,9

Eagles set standard 10

Priddis’ miracle game 11

Our All-Star team 12,13

25 magic moments 14

Unsung hero 16,17

The unlucky ones 19

The immortals 20

Cummings’ fondest game 21

Every player who’s ever played 22

THE TEAMEditor: Ray WilsonDesign: Steve PennContributors: Mark Duffi eld, Steve Butler, Ray Wilson, Craig O’Donoghue, Dale MillerPictures: The West Australian and Getty ImagesIllustration: Don Lindsay

It took Worsfold to the very edge of coaching credibility. He kept pronouncing that his team was on track when the rest of the football world was convinced the Eagles had reversed their position

from the success-drenched but scandal-riddled days of 2005 and 2006.

Worsfold was subject to criticism and ridicule and his

sacking became a matter of not if but when.

The ‘smart money’ suggested the coach would be axed early this season when it was predicted the Eagles would be staring down the barrel of a 2-6 win-loss record.

Now, you can fi le those theories along with Y2K doom and Bob Hawke’s “by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty” pronounce-ments.

Worsfold, known for his unbend-ing will during a 209-game career when he never left anything on

the fi eld, has now prevailed as a coach.

He hasn’t just remade the Eagles’ playing list, he also has helped rebuild the club’s soul and restored its place in the community.

In that context, West Coast’s 25th anniversary should not just be a celebration of what the club has been but also what it has now become. No person has had more to do with that than Worsfold, the captain who refused to surrender and the coach who refused to bend, winning out over the odds on both fronts.

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25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: In 1991 coach Mick Malthouse’s winning percentage was an incredible 81 after the Eagles won 21 games — but not the fl ag.5

A gruelling six-week travel schedule, including a preliminary fi nal loss to Essendon, saw West Coast travel to Carrara on the Gold Coast, Kardinia Park

to play Geelong before four consecutive fi nals at Waverley Park in Melbourne to fi nish the 1990 season.

“My favourite recollection at Colling-wood is a team photograph from the 2002 grand fi nal, but my favourite time looking back at West Coast was our last six games in 1990,” Malthouse said.

“That to me was the makings of our football club. We had six games away and that was absolutely the makings of our 1991 run (to the grand fi nal) and our 1992 premiership.

“There was no TV on the planes and even an airline strike, but there were no complaints. On the sixth trip of the run we went from Perth to Kalgoorlie, Kalgoorlie to Mildura and Mildura to Melbourne and there was not one complaint.

“The club had never won a fi nal and was the absolute underdog in the semi against Melbourne. But we beat them and I thought that it was not only the guts of the organisation, but the guts of those players.

“What a wonderful testament to courage and sustainability, you just knew we were on to something fantastic.”

Malthouse remains West Coast’s most decorated coach after guiding them through a remarkable 10 seasons follow-ing his move to Perth late in 1989.

The 1980 Richmond premiership defender initially regarded himself a distant third to win the job behind Robert Walls and Wayne Schimmelbusch.

After winning the post, Malthouse was overwhelmed by the WA parochial-ism, both in the vehement dislike for Victorian football and in the way the Eagles players coveted their WAFL teams more than their opportunity in the new national competition.

He recalled a mad rush by players to sit at the same tables as their WAFL team-

mates when he fi rst addressed them. But a new standard was soon established with the help of Malthouse’s confi dantes Rob-bie Wiley (Richmond), Ian Miller (Fitzroy), Tim Gepp (Richmond) and George Young (St Kilda), who had all played in the VFL.

“There were a few hidden snags in the stream, so to speak, that I was very unaware of,” Malthouse said. “One was the fear of and the record at the MCG. I was told at the time that there had been no West Australian side ever, whether it be junior, State of Origin or West Coast or anyone, who had ever won at the MCG.

“I was also concerned when people at the football club told me we needed to be fi ve or six goals better than the opposition to be able to win away and I saw them both as highly negative infl uences.

“It was so wrong to even remotely have those things on your mind. I was told we couldn’t travel (and win), and the game style was skewiff for AFL football as far as I was concerned because it was very off en-sive with no mention of defence.

“And I was just astounded that players had an understanding of who played in the under-19s down at West Perth, but probably couldn’t tell you who played centre half-forward for Essendon.

“But we alleviated all that very quickly. That player group opened up and accepted what I was trying to get across. They embraced it and in the end, they owned it.

“The more we bled for our team, the more we created the team.”

Malthouse was cautious about naming his best players during his time at West Coast.

Leigh Matthews and Wayne Carey are the best two best players he had seen but quickly added that four-times Eagles club champion Glen Jakovich had regularly conquered Carey under his watch.

“I had a real soft spot for Glen, he is a rip-ping bloke and I loved the way he played,” he said. “If he was a centre half-back in Melbourne, he would be voted in the best 10 or 12 players who have gone around.”

He also said Peter Sumich’s 111 goals and 89 behinds (“and another 30 out on the full”) in 1991 was a standout individual performance. Malthouse said the club always remained close to his thoughts.

Eagles take giant strides after road trips from hellThe making of West Coast as an AFL powerhouse came through resilience in defeat in 1990, according to dual Eagles premiership coach Mick Malthouse

WORDS: STEVE BUTLER

WEST COAST FINISHES UNDER MALTHOUSE1990 third1991 second1992 fi rst1993 fourth1994 fi rst

1995 sixth1996 fi fth1997 sixth1998 seventh1999 fi fth

You beauty: John Worsfold and Mick Malthouse hold aloft the 1992 premiership cup. Right: Malthouse with Glen Jakovich.


25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: Steve Malaxos collected 48 disposals against St Kilda in the fi nal qualifying game of 1987 at Subiaco Oval but didn’t poll a Brownlow Medal vote. 6

Very few people were willing to gamble on John Worsfold’s hobby horse last year. But suddenly, the world according to Woosha

is taking shape, much to the delight of West Coast fans and to the amazement of the football universe in general.

Worsfold’s sermons about the potential of the team to challenge for a premiership from 2012 were greeted with cynicism and, at times, ridicule.

After a summer of soul-searching and fact-fi nding, Worsfold has steered West Coast into a position close to where he said they’d be.

And, now, he has a few more proclama-tions that the footy faithful might want to tune in to.

The erudite coach claims his team has two premiership windows in the coming years — one with and one without veterans such as Darren Glass, Dean Cox, Andrew Embley and Daniel Kerr.

“There is an opportunity while these guys are still playing, and I believe there will remain an opportunity when they have fi nished,” Worsfold said. “We’re very comfortable with the players we have been pushing up, the likes of Scott Lycett, Andrew Gaff and Brad Sheppard.

“If we don’t win a premiership with the older guys still playing, then the likes of Beau Waters and Sam Butler might be the veterans in the next premiership. They will be the real senior players and others like Nic Naitanui, Scott Selwood and Luke Shuey will be the 100-game players, and experienced in their own right.”

In measures ranging from methods you’d expect from an ordered, scientifi c mind to simple gut feelings, Worsfold turned himself around as much as the playing group after a tumultuous 2010 which threatened to end his coaching career.

The scientist in Worsfold called for feedback from coaches and players, and

from CEO Trevor Nisbett and chairman Alan Cransberg. He also went outside the square in an eff ort to improve his coaching.

Midway through last season, Worsfold already had changed the set-ups for his lieutenants, and he also invited Ric Charlesworth, a world-renowned strategist and coach, to the club to address the Eagles’ coaching group.

Worsfold also sought the input of the head coaches of the All Blacks. He had a skype session with assistant coach Wayne Smith and met with head coach Graham Henry when in New Zealand over summer.

“Graham didn’t know anything about me or the sport but I just talked to him about coaching to get some diff erent ideas, so I implemented a few things there,” Worsfold said.

“I discussed with him where I felt I was at with my playing group and I appreci-ated talking to someone totally outside our organisation — how he saw things with player issues, dealing with older and younger players, that sort of thing.”

Worsfold also took a more direct communication line to the players, but it wasn’t a go-for-broke approach as sug-gested by some people because he was in the last year of his contract.

“There’s no doubt I was more distant from the players last year even though I still met them regularly one-on-one,” he said. “It was more contrived than natural. I’ve gone back to a more natural feel, a gut feel and communicate with the players that way.

“I was so focused on trying to explain the future of the club I got away a bit from coaching day to day.

“The words were never hollow to me because I was backing in our recruiters and that was a big reason why I was confi dent saying we have got talent going forward. And all of a sudden we went from people looking at the club and asking ‘where is the talent’ to ‘what a talented list’, in one summer.”

WORSFOLD ON GAME PLANSOur game style had to change after the 2006 premiership because our personnel changed. Had we had the same players I would have kept the same style of footy going, no doubt. And it still would have been good enough to win.

Back then some people called it man-on-man, we thought it was 18 blokes in position, never allowing the opposition a loose man. These days, in a nutshell, our style revolves around getting the ball into our forward line and locking it in. If the opposition get it, our aim is to win it back off them as quickly as we can.

We wanted Phillip Walsh (strategist) to join us because we felt he was probably the pioneer of the way the game has gone. I wanted to get our team to play that way because it was an area where we could get better as a team.

ON COACHING VERSUS PLAYINGThe roles are so diff erent. A seven-year-old dreams about playing footy at any level, he doesn’t dream about one day wanting to be a coach. As a player you go home after a loss and say to yourself that at least you did your best. As a coach, you feel it’s totally your responsibility. You ask me whether I’d like to coach for another decade. My answer is yes and no. Yes, because I love the involvement in the game, and no because it wears you down, it is intense and off ers very little respite. The answer could be yes but I might need a gap year!

ON CAPTAINCYBeau Waters is an outstanding leader, so, too, is Josh Kennedy and Shannon Hurn in diff erent ways.

Scott Selwood’s another. We have some outstanding leaders there. Some are stronger on fi eld than off fi eld, all are a little bit diff erent.

There can be a case made where you have more than one captain. That would be possible, especially if you had two guys who were both great leaders in totally diff erent areas and there was no crossover.

ON NAITANUIIf you didn’t know he was 202cm, you’d say he was a real good mover in the way he hunts the footy. His leap is exceptional.

How many times do you see a slow-mo replay almost a full arm higher than big blokes that he’s jumping against? He’s already a good player, already an impact player. He is going to be an exceptional player, not a 30-possession type but doing things to make the team look better.LOOKING BACKOne of strongest memories I have at the club is fi rst meeting Ross Glendinning, Phil Narkle and John Annear, the guys who came back from Melbourne. It suddenly hit home that we were in a serious busi-ness. I’d grown up wearing the No.4 North Melbourne guernsey (Glendinning’s) at training with my junior footy club, so that was pretty special. I loved playing with those blokes and others like Michael Brennan and Robbie Wiley, all the time trying to show that you were worthy of playing alongside them.

Two more bites at a fl agWORDS: RAY WILSON

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25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: In the fi nal home-and-away game of 2006 West Coast kicked 11.1 in the third term against Richmond. 8

PETER MATERA 1992We were a young side in 1991, especially myself and a few others like Dean Kemp.

Playing at Waverley in the grand fi nal with all the greats that I looked up to at Hawthorn, we were a bit shell shocked and they came out and pretty much belted us physically.

The fi rst thing of the 1992 grand fi nal I recall was Gary Ablett taking out Don Pyke in a forward pocket. I was probably about 20m away.

To see Donny go down, he was pretty much out of it. He wanted to get up and keep going and just to see him come back about half an hour later had a big impact on the game.

We went in at half-time 12 points down but we knew that going into the third quarter they were running out of legs. If we stuck at our game plan and did our job individually, we knew we could get over the line.

Dean Kemp’s game was awesome, along with the performance of Brett Heady. Paul Couch was a player who we had to watch and he was going really well in the fi rst half. Brett did a really good job on him.

There was also some personal glory with the fi ve goals that I kicked, particu-larly the one that put us in the lead from outside 50m. It was a great feeling of relief that we were on our way to winning a fl ag.

I remember Peter Wilson’s goal over his head and just the one-on-one battles all day. I think it showed what 21 guys could do when they were committed.

The fi rst 10 minutes after the siren was a bit of a shock in a way. It really didn’t sink in until we were down in the rooms with family and friends.

DEAN KEMP 1994

We prepared for the grand fi nal diff erently to home-and-away games. Our hotel was just across the road from the MCG and we walked to the ground because Mick (Malthouse) wanted us to be among the crowd and soak up the atmosphere.

Eagles fans were encouraging us and Geelong fans were into us saying things that you could never repeat. But we were a tight group and walking to the ground together was a really special moment.

Being a grand fi nal, you always want to get your hands on the ball early so you can build confi dence and keep any negative thoughts out of your head.

I wasn’t sure who I’d play on before Mark Bairstow came my way. He’d played on Peter Matera in 1992 so I thought if I could start well, that may get him think-ing about things he’d rather forget. I was

pretty happy when I got some early kicks.I always thought Geelong would be

better than the fi rst time and have a few tricks up their sleeve, but once we got on top we pulled away. It’s an awesome feel-ing when you know you’re far enough in front and can’t lose.

I’d kicked a goal during the third quar-ter and then got another one in the fi nal term. I was trying to pass the ball to Chris Lewis from about 55m out but the kick went over his head and it kept bouncing and dribbled through. We ran past each other not long after that and I said sorry about the pass, but he said ‘don’t worry about that, I’m rapt’.

I was blown away when they announced I’d won the Norm Smith Medal. You’re standing there among the guys and having a lot of fun and then to hear your name read out is unbelievable. You’ve just won a premiership and you get the Norm Smith Medal, too. It has made my life.

CHRIS JUDD 2005

I remember being incredibly nervous at

the start of that day. I was sitting in the hotel room with Kerry (Daniel Kerr) and we were getting up to go to the toilet every fi ve minutes.

The worst bit was waiting at the hotel, but once you got to the ground, you were just doing what you do. In a funny way, it was almost a relief.

The last fi ve games against Sydney almost seemed like one long game — just one big, long arm-wrestle.

The last quarter went for some time and I was in the contest for the Leo Barry mark at the end.

I remember thinking we were still a chance until he took that mark and that was the last roll of the dice.

The main thing I remember, pretty much from both grand fi nals, was the complete exhaustion at the end of the games.

It was almost as if you’d played every game of the season and every fi nal at once and you were just cooked.

Obviously that year the exhaustion was coupled with the sadness of the fact that we didn’t get the job done. At that point, you can’t stop your mind jumping

The Norm Smith Medal club

ABOVE: Andrew Embley celebrates West Coast’s 2006 fl ag with Beau Waters, left, Ash Hansen, Adam Hunter, Rowan Jones and Sam Butler. FAR LEFT: Peter Matera punches the air after receiving the 1992 Norm Smith Medal from Carlton great Bruce Doull. LEFT: Chris Judd rehearses his speech in 2005. BELOW: Dean Kemp holds aloft the 1994 premiership cup.

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25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: Ben Cousins and Glen Jakovich share the most number of club champion awards with four apiece.9

THE SCOREBOARDS1992 GRAND FINALWEST COAST 16.17 (113) def GEELONG 12.13 (85)GOALS — WEST COAST: P Sumich 6; P Matera 5; T Evans 3; P Wilson 2. GEELONG: B Brownless, G Ablett 3; N Bruns, P Couch, K Hinkley, T Poole, P Riccardi, B Stoneham.BEST — WEST COAST: P Matera, A McIntosh, T Evans, D Kemp, B Heady, P Sumich, J Worsfold. GEELONG: K Hinkley, T McGrath, B Stoneham, P Couch, M Bairstow, G Hocking.

1994 GRAND FINALWEST COAST 20.23 (143) def GEELONG 8.15 (63)GOALS — WEST COAST: T Evans 3; B Heady, D Kemp, P Sumich, P Wilson, S Bond, J Ball, C Lewis, C Waterman 2; D Banfi eld. GEELONG: B Brownless 4; A Wills, G Ablett, P Couch, P Riccardi.BEST — WEST COAST: D Kemp, G Jakovich, D Pyke, G McKenna, M Brennan, T Evans. GEELONG: M Mansfi eld, S O’Reilly, B Brownless, P Riccardi, P Couch, G Hocking.

2005 GRAND FINALSYDNEY 8.10 (58) def WEST COAST 7.12 (54)GOALS — SYDNEY: B Hall 2; A Goodes, A Schneider, A Buchanan, T Kennelly, M O’Loughlin, D Jolly. WEST COAST: A Hunter 2; A Hansen, D Cox, B Cousins, A Embley, M Nicoski.BEST — SYDNEY: A Buchanan, N Fosdike, B Kirk, L Roberts-Thomson, J Bolton, L Barry, A Goodes. WEST COAST: C Judd, D Wirrpanda, D Cox, B Cousins, A Embley, A Hunter.

2006 GRAND FINALWEST COAST 12.13 (85) def SYDNEY 12.12 (84)GOALS — WEST COAST: Q Lynch 3; A Hansen, B Cousins, A Embley 2; C Judd, S Armstrong, A Hunter. SYDNEY: M O’Loughlin, N Davis 3; B Mathews, L Roberts-Thomson, A Goodes, A Schneider, R O’Keefe, N Malceski.BEST — WEST COAST: A Embley, D Cox, D Kerr, C Judd, B Waters, A Hansen, C Fletcher, D Chick. SYDNEY: B Kirk, T Kennelly, A Goodes, T Richards, J McVeigh, N Fosdike, A Buchanan.

down the track, wondering if you’re ever going to get one.

Very few of our players had good games, but we still only lost by four points. The year later, it was like everyone played well and we only won by a point.

I obviously look back with fondness on the premiership we won the year later because it gives you a sense that no matter what happens in your footy career, you’ve really achieved what you set out to do. It’s almost like a bit of a security blanket.

The whole thing about collecting the medal is a real blur. I just remember losing and feeling fl at and exhausted and all of a sudden someone was telling me I had to go on stage.

I don’t want to downplay the impor-tance of the Norm Smith, but when you lose the grand fi nal it’s sort of a side issue because it’s not what you’re there for.

ANDREW EMBLEY 2006

We’d been there in 2005 and the result was extremely disappointing. I think I realised in that 2006 grand fi nal week that it’s just so hard to make a grand fi nal, let alone win one and here we were.

We’d worked extremely hard to give ourselves another chance. I remember thinking we’re not going to let this one go.

We knew how good a team Sydney were and we knew all the games we’d played against them previously had been extreme-ly close.

We’d gone into half-time with a good lead and we were confi dent. We’d been playing good football, but then after half-time Sydney, like all good sides do, came back at us.

I remember Adam Goodes kicking a goal early in the fi nal quarter and it made the game really tight. I looked up at the score-board and thought ‘we’ve got a big game on our hands here’.

It was just an incredible feeling when that siren sounded. I just remember falling to my knees and I had my head in my hands and just couldn’t believe what we’d just achieved. It was a surreal moment.

I felt just total relief. It was one of the most mentally draining games that I’ve ever been involved in.

I was totally surprised when my name got read out for the Norm Smith Medal. You’re just so wrapped up in the moment. I almost forgot there was a winner of the medal.

I ended up being diagnosed with paralysed vocal chords. That particular week heading into the grand fi nal was actually the best my voice had been for three or four weeks. I’d just totally lost it.

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25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: West Coast’s lowest score of 1.12 came on an infamous day at Windy Hill in 1989 when Essendon booted 25.10. 10

When West Coast entered the then VFL in 1987 there was plenty of promise but a pre-miership in the

fi rst few years was built more on prayers than substance.

At that time, if somebody had guaranteed the Eagles three premierships in their fi rst quarter of a century, the club hierarchy would have gleefully accepted.

Flags are tough to come by, just ask Richmond, Melbourne, St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle.

All those clubs have failed to win a fl ag since the competition expanded to take in West Coast and the Brisbane Bears in 1987, and subsequently, Adelaide in 1991, Fremantle in 1995, Port Adelaide in 1997 and Gold Coast this year.

Ten of the last 25 premierships have

come from non-Victorian clubs, with Brisbane and West Coast leading the way with three each.

Brisbane’s came with a rush from 2001-03 while the Eagles were supreme in 1992 and 1994, before snaffl ing their third premiership in an epic one-point heart-stopper against Sydney in 2006.

Under Malcolm Blight, Adelaide snared the 1997-98 premierships while Port Adelaide’s day in the sun came on September 25, 2004 when they beat Brisbane by 40 points. A year later, Sydney (formerly South Melbourne) embraced their fi rst fl ag since 1933.

Hawthorn are the only Victorian club to better the premiership successes of West Coast and Brisbane since the two non-Victorian clubs paid their way to become part of the competition. The Hawks won four fl ags, in 1988, 1989, 1991, 2008, and also lost to Carlton in the 1987 grand fi nal.

While West Coast top the non-Victori-an clubs with fi ve appearances in grand fi nals, the hapless Geelong have been in the frame to win seven premierships but managed only two, in 2007 and 2009. Hawthorn (1989, 2008), West Coast (1992 and 1994) and Carlton (1995) all smashed the Cats’ dreams on the biggest day of the year.

Muscling in on the big boys

WORDS: RAY WILSONTOP OF THE CLASS SINCE 1987Team Premiers Losing GF

Hawthorn 1988, 89, 91, 2008 1987

West Coast 1992, 94, 2006 1991, 2005

Brisbane 2001-03 2004

Geelong 2007, 2009 1989, 92, 94, 95, 2008

Collingwood 1990, 2010 2002-03

Carlton 1987, 95 1993, 99

Essendon 1993, 2000 1990, 2001

Nth Melbourne 1996, 1999 1998

Adelaide 1997-98 —

Port Adelaide 2004 2007

Sydney 2005 1996, 2006

Since 1987, Fremantle, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Richmond have yet to break the premiership drought.* Collingwood also drew with St Kilda in the fi rst grand fi nal in 2010.

Chris Mainwaring jumps for joy as the West Coast Eagles win their fi rst grand fi nal in 1992. Picture: Rod Taylor

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25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: In Chris Judd’s only game at WAFL level for East Perth he kicked fi ve goals and polled top votes in the Sandover Medal.11

For Matt Priddis, the fi rst taste of the big time is especially hard to forget.

The West Coast playmaker made his debut at 21, fi nally earning his shot after being

overlooked in three national drafts and battling negative perceptions over his lack of speed and ball use.

And when the moment fi nally came at a blustery Skilled Stadium in round 10, 2006, it wasn’t just any game.

The Eagles — missing an injured Chris Judd — appeared down and out at the 18-minute mark of the third quarter when they trailed Geelong by 54 points.

But the 2006 premiers produced one of the more remarkable comebacks in AFL history to stun the hosts and triumph by three points, 16.5 (101) to 15.8 (98).

Priddis still rates that game as one of the most memorable of his career.

“Even if my career ended at that one game it would have been a pretty special day for me,” Priddis said.

“I remember at half-time they had massive belief in their ability, their fi tness, the game plan. They just never felt like they were out of it.

“The heroics of Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr, I think that really stood out to me.”

Priddis, the travelling emergency, was told an hour before bouncedown that he

was in the side to replace Mark Seaby. “Before I’d even got on the ground

Adam Hunter had been pushed into the dugout and broke his nose and he had his head wrapped,” Priddis said.

“David Wirrpanda went back with the fl ight and collided with Gary Ablett. It was a really great contest between those two.

“I think from that moment you just really took notice that this is AFL football and the boys who are out there mean business.”

West Coast kicked just four goals in the fi rst half, but two majors from outside 50m from Andrew Embley and another three from Tyson Stenglein were pivotal in the late charge.

Priddis recalls the infl uence of Kerr, whose 31 disposals earned him three Brownlow Medal votes. “He was the complete midfi elder,” Priddis said.

“To be able to win it in close and then to be able to run and carry. He kicked a really good, inspirational goal in that third term and it was just an inspiring performance.”

Priddis, who played just one more match in that premiership year, is now a mainstay of West Coast’s midfi eld and still feels deeply indebted to the club which gave him a rookie position at the end of 2005.

“It’s everything that I dreamt of and wanted to be a part of,” Priddis said.

My dream debutEvery AFL footballer cherishes their fi rst game and the rush that comes from reaching the elite level

WORDS: DALE MILLER

Matt Priddis celebrates his debut against Geelong. Picture: SMG Images

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Know the score: Craig Turley, Peter Matera and Daniel Kerr have all been runners-up in the Brownlow Medal.

Some of West Coast’s contem-porary heroes have edged out four of yesteryear’s top-liners in our Eagles All-Star line-up of the last 25 years.

Skipper Darren Glass, classy forward Mark LeCras, utility player Andrew Embley and on-baller Daniel Kerr all have undeniable claims for inclusion.

And there was also strong discussion on whether Josh Kennedy, in his fourth season, had fulfi lled enough of a residen-tial period to be included. While it appears inevitable that the big forward will one day make the team, he probably needs to push further claims this year and next.

From our All-Star team selected to mark West Coast’s 20th year, Michael Brennan, Chris Waterman, Dwayne Lamb and Michael Gardiner are all unlucky to have lost their spots. Brennan and Waterman are dual premiership players while Lamb was a superb run-with player who each week was handed some of football’s toughest challenges. He also played in the 1992 premiership.

Gardiner, a 2003 All-Australian, loses his place despite 129 games for the club. We’ve gone with only one ruckman because we fi gured that Kerr, Embley, Don Pyke and Tony

Evans deserved their spots on the bench.

The four newcomers came to the selection table armed with glowing references. Glass, captain since 2008, has twice won the club champion award and is a two-times All-Australian. He could easily get the nod from selectors again this season after recovering from his injury-riddled 2010.

Kerr was listed as an emergency in the 2006 line-up which was chosen in August. Since then, he has won All-Australian honours in 2007 and was outstanding in the 2006 premiership. He was runner-up in the Brownlow

Medal in 2005 and, though ineligible, he fi nished top three in 2006 and 2007.

Embley has stood the test of time. A member of West Coast’s 200-club, the veteran has reserved some of his best performances for fi nals matches, with his eff ort in the 2006 grand fi nal rewarded with the Norm Smith Medal.

LeCras, at 24, is the youngest member of the All-Star team. While the talented goal sneak has spread his wings this season with shifts in the midfi eld, he was awarded All-Australian honours last season as a small forward and many critics believed he also should have been named in the team in 2009.

Our Eagles All-Stars Chief football writer Mark Duffi eld and Ray Wilson select the cream of the crop from the past 25 years

BACKS HALF-BACKS CENTRES HALF-FORWARDS FO

DREW BANFIELDBorn: Feb 27, 1974Debut: 1993 Guernsey No: 31, 6Games: 265

GUY McKENNABorn: May 11, 1969Debut: 1988Guernsey No: 17Games: 267

PETER MATERABorn: April 3, 1969Debut: 1990Guernsey No: 30Games: 253

BRETT HEADYBorn: Jan 4, 1970Debut: 1990Guernsey No: 39, 1Games: 156

PMBDGNG

DARREN GLASSBorn: May 14, 1981Debut: 2000Guernsey No: 23Games: 212

GLEN JAKOVICHBorn: March 24, 1973Debut: 1991Guernsey No: 48, 27Games: 276

DEAN KEMPBorn: Feb 17, 1969Debut: 1990Guernsey No: 33, 2Games: 243

MITCHELL WHITEBorn: March 28, 1973Debut: 1991Guernsey No: 47, 31, 12Games: 151

PSBDGNG

ASHLEY McINTOSHBorn: Oct 20, 1972Debut: 1991Guernsey No: 53, 11Games: 242

JOHN WORSFOLDBorn: Sept 25, 1968Debut: 1987Guernsey No: 24Games: 209

CHRIS MAINWARINGBorn: Dec 27, 1965Debut: 1987Guernsey No: 3Games: 201

CHRIS LEWISBorn: March 17, 1969Debut: 1987Guernsey No: 28Games: 215

MLBDGNG

Know the score: In 2006 Sydney beat West Coast 85 points to 84 in the fi rst qualifying fi nal before the Eagles reversed the scores to take the grand fi nal.

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25 YEARS ALL-STAR TEAMB: Drew Banfi eld Darren Glass Ashley McIntosh

HB: Guy McKenna Glen Jakovich John Worsfold

C: Peter Matera Dean Kemp Chris Mainwaring

HF: Brett Heady Mitchell White Chris Lewis

F: Phil Matera Peter Sumich Mark LeCras

Ruck: Dean Cox, Chris Judd, Ben Cousins

Interchange: Daniel Kerr, Andrew Embley,

Don Pyke, Tony Evans

20 YEARS ALL-STAR TEAMB: Drew Banfi eld Michael Brennan Ashley McIntosh

HB: Guy McKenna Glen Jakovich John Worsfold

C: Peter Matera Dean Kemp Chris Mainwaring

HF: Brett Heady Mitchell White Chris Lewis

F: Phil Matera Peter Sumich Michael Gardiner

Ruck: Dean Cox, Chris Judd, Ben Cousins

Interchange: Don Pyke, Tony Evans,

Dwayne Lamb, Chris Waterman

FORWARDS RUCK INTERCHANGE

PHIL MATERABorn: Nov 27, 1975Debut: 1996Guernsey No: 33Games: 179

DEAN COXBorn: Aug 1, 1981Debut: 2001Guernsey No: 20Games: 218

DANIEL KERRBorn: May 16, 1983Debut: 2001Guernsey No: 34, 4Games: 181

DON PYKEBorn: Dec 5, 1968Debut: 1989Guernsey No: 1, 10Games: 132

PETER SUMICHBorn: Jan 11, 1968Debut: 1989Guernsey No: 4Games: 150

CHRIS JUDDBorn: Sept 8, 1983Debut: 2002Guernsey No: 3Games: 134

ANDREW EMBLEYBorn: June 27, 1981Debut: 1999Guernsey No: 32Games: 222

TONY EVANSBorn: June 14, 1969Debut: 1991Guernsey No: 40, 18Games: 108

MARK LeCRASBorn: Aug 30, 1986Debut: 2005Guernsey No: 19, 2Games: 91

BEN COUSINSBorn: June 30, 1978Debut: 1996Guernsey No: 9Games: 238

*For current players, games played before round 19, 2011


25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: Ross Glendinning carved his reputation as a key defender for North Melbourne but was leading goal kicker in his two seasons as skipper of West Coast. 14

1 Wally Matera booted four goals after West Coast came from 33

points down at three-quarter time to beat Richmond by 14 points in the fi rst game on March 29, 1987.

2 Ross Glendinning’s commanding performance against Footscray in

1987 at the WACA when he booted 7.5 to lift the Eagles to victory.

3 Chris Mainwaring was best afi eld on Hawthorn legend Robert

DiPierdomenico in one of West Coast’s most famous victories — against the Hawks on Anzac Day, 1987.

4 Laurie Keene’s 23-disposal eff ort in the semifi nal victory over

Melbourne at Waverley Park in 1990 showed what might have been. Injuries cruelled what shaped as a magnifi cent career, with the ruckman-forward playing a total of only 36 games.

5 Troy Ugle went from villain to hero against St Kilda in round 15,

1990, when his opponent Craig Devonport helped the Saints to a 44-point fi rst-term lead before the nuggety utility player moved forward and kicked six goals in a remarkable West Coast triumph.

6 Peter Sumich kicked a point after the siren to tie the scores and force a

replay of the qualifying fi nal against Collingwood at Waverley Park in 1990.

7 He fi nished the 1991 season with 111.89 but Sumich was on target

when he booted 13.3 against Footscray at the WACA in round 13.

8 One Brownlow vote doesn’t do justice to the unstinting eff orts of

Michael Brennan who six times fi nished in the top 10 of the club best and fairest.

9 Dean Kemp, Peter Matera and Don Pyke starred in the 1992

elimination fi nal against Hawthorn at Subiaco Oval — a classic heavyweight clash which kept West Coast’s premiership dream alive.

10 Tony Evans booted two opportunistic goals in the second

half of the second term to trim Geelong’s lead to only two goals at half-time of the 1992 grand fi nal.

11 Peter Matera twice kicked fi ve goals in a match. One was against

Brisbane in 1995 but his more memorable haul was in 1992 when he set up West Coast’s fi rst premiership.

25 reasons to light

the candlesIt hasn’t been all beer and skittles for West Coast over 25 years but the highlights kept coming

WORDS: RAY WILSON AND MARK DUFFIELD

Ben Cousins in a classical pose as Daniel Chick checks his progress.

Chris Mainwaring and Ross Glendinning in 1987, West Coast’s fi rst season.

Peter Sumich kicked 13.3 against Footscray in 1991.

12 Glen Jakovich racked up 29 disposals and collected the three

Brownlow votes in a masterful performance against Wayne Carey (14 touches) in round 21, 1994, at the WACA.

13 In the fi rst western derby in round 7, 1995, the highly skilled and at times

recklessly brave Brett Heady kicked fi ve goals to earn best-afi eld honours as the Eagles sought to exert an authority on their young rivals.

14 Chris Judd’s star was already on the rise but it became even brighter

when he kicked fi ve fi rst-half goals against Brisbane at the Gabba in round 12, 2003.

15 Daniel Kerr’s four-bounce, running goal of the year against

Fremantle in round 22, 2003. Kerr polled two Brownlow votes in West Coast’s loss.

16 Ben Cousins became the second Eagle to win the Brownlow Medal

in 2005 after Judd’s success the year before. Kerr polled 19 votes, just one behind Cousins.

17 Ashley Sampi reached stratospheric heights with his mark

of the year in 2005 when he sat on the shoulders of teammate Andrew Embley before getting an extra lift from Adem Yze.

18 Michael Braun, Cousins and Kerr were the heroes in an upset

82-point victory over Adelaide at Subiaco Oval in 2005. The Eagles had 227 handballs and 208 kicks to dismantle the Crows who at that stage were eight points and 62 per cent clear on top of the ladder.

19 Daniel Chick’s smother on Ryan O’Keefe and subsequent

handball to Adam Hunter set up a match-winning goal against Sydney in the 2006 grand fi nal.

20 Cousins’ amazing 38-possession eff ort in his comeback against

Sydney at Subiaco Oval in round 16, 2007 — his fi rst match since the 2006 grand fi nal.

21 Dean Cox loves playing football but in 2008 he especially relished

his assignments against Brisbane, when he collected a combined 65 disposals in two games.

22 Nic Naitanui’s three-goal last quarter against Hawthorn on a dark

and stormy night at Patersons Stadium in 2009 offi cially announced the arrival of a new star.

23 With his head swathed in bandages, Mark LeCras celebrated a 12-goal

haul against Essendon at Etihad Stadium in 2010.

24 Josh Kennedy was on a seek and destroy mission against the

Western Bulldogs at Patersons Stadium in round 9 this year when he booted 10 goals.

25 Shannon Hurn kicks like a mule and while he’s normally

fi nding targets from his defensive post he kicked a 65m goal in his debut against Brisbane in 2006, and one of his three majors against Port Adelaide this year travelled the same distance.

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25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: The SCG has not been a happy hunting ground for West Coast who have won only three games there from 16 starts. 16

Few players committed as selfl essly as Rowan Jones who was unsung on the terraces but West Coast’s inner sanctum placed a premium on his performances.

With 30 seconds remaining in the 2006 grand fi nal, with the nerves of 97,431 people at the MCG in a mess, the Eagles led Sydney by a point.

Daniel Kerr had the ball on the wing.Jones was patrolling through the centre

but with the game so tight he didn’t expect Kerr to direct the ball his way. But he did.

Then, the combat began. The ball was running between Jones and Leo Barry who knew a thing or two about being a hero after his epic mark the previous year stopped West Coast in their tracks within seconds of the fi nal siren.

An unsung heroIt was a Rowan Jones moment. There were many throughout his 158-game career but this one was the most pertinent

WORDS: RAY WILSON

Had the Swans defender won the ball, he had the clear ground to take it forward and, at the very least, scramble a point to draw the game.

Jones knew the enormity of the individual battle in this war of attrition.

The Eagle gathered the ball after it spilt free following the chest-on collision with Barry. He shovelled it to Quinten Lynch who got it on to Beau Waters. Seconds later it was out of bounds, and on the throw-in the siren sounded.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say after that game that I was glad to be part of that play,” Jones said. “I thought it was reasonably signifi cant but nothing really got made of it after the game.

“Once I retired, a lot more people have brought it up. It’s nice, and fl attering in a way. Without big noting myself, it was

something I could hang my hat on. It typifi ed my whole career in a way.

“I was never a fl ashy player. It was just a matter of doing things for the team, things that went unnoticed.”

Jones, an investment advisor with Entrust Private Wealth, often has been praised by Chris Judd because of the way he rode shotgun over West Coast’s vaunted midfi eld. He blocked and hindered the progress of opposition taggers and hunters hell-bent on burying the likes of Judd, Ben Cousins and Kerr.

“Given our midfi eld, everybody had to have a role,” Jones said. “A few of us, Daniel Chick, Tyson Stenglein and I, were pre-dominantly there to block and create space because you play to your strengths and we had to be smart enough to understand our role was to do the team thing.

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25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: Favourite son Chris Mainwaring fi nished in the top fi ve of the club champion award fi ve times and was a runner-up three times, but never won the trophy.17

HONOUR ROLLYear Club champion Best fi rst-year player Best clubman Leading goal kicker

1987 Steve Malaxos Chris Mainwaring Glen Bartlett Ross Glendinning 38

1988 John Worsfold Guy McKenna Phil Scott Ross Glendinning 73

1989 Guy McKenna Peter Sumich Geoff Miles Peter Sumich 45

1990 Chris Lewis Dean Kemp Phil Scott Peter Sumich 90

1991 Craig Turley Glen Jakovich Chris Waterman Peter Sumich 111

1992 Dean Kemp Matt Clape David Hynes Peter Sumich 82

1993 Don Pyke-Jakovich Drew Banfi eld John Worsfold Peter Sumich 76

1994 Glen Jakovich Shane Bond Guy McKenna Peter Sumich 49

1995 Glen Jakovich Fraser Gehrig Michael Brennan Jason Ball 43

1996 Drew Banfi eld Andrew Donnelly Tony Evans Mitchell White 37

1997 Peter Matera Josh Wooden Chris Mainwaring Peter Sumich 33

1998 Ashley McIntosh Phillip Read John Worsfold Fraser Gehrig 42

1999 Guy McKenna Laurie Bellotti Dean Kemp Scott Cummings 95

2000 Glen Jakovich Darren Glass Phil Matera Phil Matera 49

2001 Ben Cousins Daniel Kerr Rowan Jones Troy Wilson 40

2002 Ben Cousins Chris Judd Drew Banfi eld Phil Matera 46

2003 Ben Cousins Ashley Sampi Michael Braun Phil Matera 62

2004 Chris Judd Mark Seaby Josh Wooden Phil Matera 61

2005 Ben Cousins Ashley Hansen Andrew Embley Phil Matera 38

2006 Chris Judd Jaymie Graham Dean Cox Quinten Lynch 65

2007 Darren Glass Matthew Priddis Ashley Hansen Quinten Lynch 52

2008 Dean Cox Ben McKinley Jaymie Graham Ben McKinley 42

2009 Darren Glass Chris Masten Beau Waters Mark LeCras 58

2010 Mark LeCras Nic Naitanui Mark Nicoski Mark LeCras 63

“I’m mates with Juddy, and given his stature in the game I’m grateful for his comments.”

Jones retired as a 27-year-old at the end of the 2007 season to pursue a career in fi nancial investment and planning.

“I retired for a combination of reasons but essentially because I wanted to start a new phase of my life,” he said. “My body

was fi ne but in ‘07 I never really cemented a spot in the team and coming off the end off a successful era, there were a lot of young guys pushing up.

“I just think my time had come. I was really happy to play in a side which won a premiership and then go on and get life membership and in hindsight it was the best decision.”

Stop right here. Rowan Jones clears the path for Chris Judd. Picture: Trevor Collens

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25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: Seven times Peter Sumich kicked more than eight goals in a match, with a career-high 13 against Footscray at the WACA Ground in 1991.19

Mark Nicoski could be an AFL legend. He could be as famous as St Kilda’s Barry Breen, Sydney’s Leo Barry, Carlton’s Alex

Jesaulenko or Collingwood’s Ray Gabelich.He could be revered as a West Coast

premiership player. But he’s not. Instead, he’s part of a small club comprising nine men who have played in losing grand fi nals for the Eagles and not gone on to taste the ultimate glory.

Nicoski can remember parts of the 2005 grand fi nal like it was yesterday. He started on the bench and kicked the fi rst goal after receiving a handball from Chris Judd.

But the one part which stands out is his perfect view of Barry taking the match- saving mark.

Nicoski was standing two metres away, perfectly positioned front and square ready for the crumbs and the chance to kick the match-winning goal with just four seconds remaining.

“Amon Buchanan, who I was playing on, fl ew,” Nicoski recalled.

“I thought ‘that’s great because if it comes to ground I am fi rst onto it.’ I was just at the front waiting for the ball to spill so I could pick it up and snap it.

“It wasn’t meant to be. It was pretty shat-tering. I was pretty cut up afterwards.

“A football season is a marathon and you don’t get many opportunities to play in a grand fi nal.

“I thought it could have been my only chance. So far, it’s turned out that it was.”

Nicoski’s 2006 season came crashing down around him in round 14. The left-footer broke his ankle against Hawthorn at the MCG and his immediate thoughts turned to September.

He fought hard, against the odds, to be available for selection. Subiaco allowed him to play in their grand fi nal despite Nicoski having no match fi tness, but the Eagles coaches weren’t prepared to take any risks.

He watched the thrilling win in the MCG grandstand with a friend.

“I remember the siren going and I looked at him and said ‘I’ve got to go’,” Nicoski said.

“I bolted down the stairs to get to the ground. I ran on and it was a little bit hollow because I didn’t play.

“But I went over to my good mate Fletchy (Chad Fletcher), tapped him on the shoulder and he was the fi rst person I congratulated.

“He gave me a big hug and said they’d try to win another one for me.

“That was a pretty special moment because he could see in my eyes that I was hurting.”

Michael Gardiner, Ashley Sampi, Travis Gaspar, Kasey Green and Brent Staker also played in the losing grand fi nal and never got the chance to redeem themselves the following season.

Gardiner has since played in one losing and one drawn grand fi nal for St Kilda. Three grand fi nals, decided by a combined

16 points, and no premiership medal makes him desperately unlucky. The Eagles have played in two losing grand fi nals. The fi rst, in 1991 against Hawthorn, wasn’t as close as the Hawks won by 53 points.

West Coast created history the following season and won their fi rst pre-miership, but Andrew Lockyer, Scott Wat-ters and Dean Irving didn’t get a second chance. Lockyer started in defence in 1991 on Paul Dear, who won the Norm Smith Medal, and later moved into the ruck.

A knee operation early in 1992 cost Lockyer his spot in the team and he never played another AFL match.

Lockyer played in East Fremantle’s premiership the week before the AFL grand fi nal and saw the Eagles create history on television in Geraldton.

“There’s a fair bit of disappointment that I never got the chance to win a grand fi nal,” Lockyer said.

“I’ve never watched the losing one. I’d have loved to have been a part of it.

“But I was rapt for the club and the players.

“There’s a lot of great players who never got the chance to even play in a grand fi nal, so I’m glad I had that opportunity.”

Lockyer and Watters have gone on to enjoy premiership success with Collingwood in vastly diff erent roles. Watters is a Magpies assistant coach while Lockyer works in recruiting from Perth.

Nine Eagles in rightplace at wrong timeAn unlucky group of Eagles played in losing grand fi nals, either 1991 or 2005, but never got the chance to taste the sweetest of all victories the following year

Mark Nicoski leads Nick Davis to the ball. Below: The agony of the 2005 grand fi nal loss. Pictures: Getty Images

Andrew Lockyer, centre, looks on as Peter Wilson tackles Dermott Brereton in the 1991 grand fi nal. Picture: Greg Burke

WORDS: CRAIG O’DONOGHUE


1992B: Chris Waterman Ashley McIntosh Guy McKennaHB: Dwayne Lamb Glen Jakovich John Worsfold (c)C: Peter Matera Craig Turley Chris MainwaringHF: Karl Langdon Michael Brennan Peter WilsonF: Tony Evans Peter Sumich Brett HeadyRuck: Paul Harding Dean Kemp Don PykeInt: Chris Lewis Mitchell WhiteCoach: Mick Malthouse

WEST COAST 16.17 (113) def GEELONG 12.13 (85)

1994B: Ashley McIntosh Michael Brennan David HartHB: Guy McKenna Glen Jakovich John Worsfold (c)C: Chris Mainwaring Don Pyke Peter MateraHF: Brett Heady Jason Ball Peter WilsonF: Chris Lewis Peter Sumich Shane BondRuck: David Hynes Dean Kemp Tony EvansInt: Chris Waterman Drew Banfi eld Ryan TurnbullCoach: Mick Malthouse

WEST COAST 20.23 (143) def GELONG 8.15 (63)

2006B: Beau Waters Darren Glass Daniel ChickHB: Adam Selwood Adam Hunter Brett JonesC: Chad Fletcher Chris Judd (c) Michael BraunHF: Rowan Jones Ashley Hansen Ben CousinsF: Andrew Embley Quinten Lynch David WirrpandaRuck: Dean Cox Tyson Stenglein Daniel KerrInt: Mark Seaby Sam Butler Steven Armstrong Drew Banfi eldCoach: John Worsfold

WEST COAST 12.13 (85) def SYDNEY 12.12 (84)

25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: West Coast enjoyed a record winning streak of 12 games to open the 1991 season before falling to Carlton by three points at Princes Park. 20

The immortals

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CongratulatesThe West Coast Eagles

On their25th Anniversary

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Fan messages

PROUDLY BLUE AND GOLD

1987- Big year for WAIt was the first season theWest Coast Eagles played inthe VFL and the year I wasborn. As a result I am blueand gold through andthrough - my very extensivejumper collection and tattooattest to that! I was there towatch them hold up the cupin 2006 and I will stick withmy boys no matter what!Congratulations West Coaston 25 fantastic years, I lookforward to the next 25! Peta - Nollamara.

CongratulationsBeen a fan for 25 yearsthrough the successful yearsand not so good years, buttake great pride on being aWCE fan. Good luck with thefinals in 2011. Margaret McK

GO EAGLES!Ray Glennon, head of Eaglesfan club Ireland - once aSwan now an Eagle for life!It’s been a long time coming!

25 Solid Years!!Congratulations on thisawesome milestone. Playergreats & Premierships havebeen produced. There’s onlyone team in the West, Blueand Gold is all we bleed!!Lisa Deighton, Ellenbrook.

THE MIGHTY WEST COASTEAGLES

- members of the SouthPerth Whitehouse familysince 1987. 25 years ofdrama and delight.

WELL DONE!Keep going up.

Neil and Rene Henderson.

WE’RE THE EAGLES25 years flying high

Our fans know we always try, we make our opposition cry. Our history is very proud, thefans always cheer very loud.

West Coast Eagles25 years of pure Blue andGold.We have really enjoyed theride.Go The Mighty Eagles !!!!Hedley and Sue Harmer

WEST COAST EAGLESCongratulations you havemade us proud over the 25years. Keep it up.From Shirley, Megan andNaomi Boddington, Stratton.

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0The Weekend West • August 6, 2011

25 YEARS STRONGKnow the score: Dean Kemp and Ben Cousins shared the captaincy in 2001 while Peter Matera, Glen Jakovich and David Wirrpanda were vice-captains.21

Literally and fi guratively, Scott Cummings enjoyed a large profi le at West Coast during his 46 games from 1999 to 2001.

The wise-cracking full-forward was all business though in two games — against Adelaide and Fremantle — in 2000 when he kicked a combined 24 goals.

Against Adelaide at the WACA Ground in round 4, Cummings, who came to West Coast via Essendon and Port Adelaide, booted 14.1 on a night Crows defenders

recalled. “I remember Cuzzy putting a few through my sternum and Brauny and Roo (Matera) just kept putting it lace out in the spot for me.”

Two weeks later, Cummings was best afi eld when West Coast annihilated Fremantle by 117 points, but he was quick to put on record his eff ort in the match following the clash against Adelaide.

“Don’t forget I backed up that 14-goal haul beautifully with one goal at Skilled Stadium the next week,” he joked.

In a remarkable coincidence, while Cummings polled top Brownlow Medal votes against the Crows and Dockers, David Wirrpanda received two votes in each match and Cousins was awarded one vote in both games.

While Cummings, who won the Coleman Medal in 1999 with 88 goals (95 including fi nals), cherishes the memories of both games, his personal favourite is the fi rst qualifying fi nal against Footscray at the MCG on September 3 that year.

“It’s my favourite game of all time because I was playing my 100th, it was my fi rst fi nal, it was at the Gee and it was played in real tough conditions,” Cum-mings said.

“It went right down to the wire (West Coast won by fi ve points) and I managed

to kick a few goals when it mattered,” said Cummings who booted four goals.

He was angry after being de-listed at the end of the 2001 season but it was now

“absolutely water under the bridge” and he harboured no grudges.

“I played my best football at West Coast and I will always hold good memories about my involvement there,” he said.

Cummings remained in Melbourne after his stint with Collingwood and has various media roles but his primary employment is as business development manager in Victoria and WA for structural engineering company Robert Bird Group.

And while he’s been in Melbourne for more than a decade, Cummings remains a committed West Australian and is still on the board of the Swan Districts Football Club.

“I’m a staunch West Aussie and I fl y the fl ag pretty heavily over here, much to my detriment at times,” he said.

Great Scott fi resfor two big hauls

WORDS: RAY WILSON

CUMMINGS’ RECORDYear Club Games Goals

1994-96 Essendon 40 83

1997-98 Port Adelaide 37 102

1999-2001 West Coast 46 158

2002 Collingwood 5 6

Scott Cummings, centre, celebrates with teammates. Picture: Rod Taylor

Scott Stevens, Ken McGregor, Nigel Smart and Ben Hart failed to rein in the rampant Eagle.

His haul remains the goal-kicking record for the club but Cummings acknowledged that he was on the receiv-ing end of a brilliant production line fed by the likes of Ben Cousins, Michael Braun and Peter Matera while Michael Gardiner was a dominant force in the ruck.

“I had six at half-time and got another fi ve in the third quarter,” Cummings

Bank of Western Australia Ltd ABN 22 050 494 454 AFSL 236872. HOST11-K2054

To find out what else we’re doing across our home state, visit WA4EVER.com

Helping the West Coast Eagles soar in their 25th year and beyondWe’d like to thank the West Coast Eagles for helping make us West Australians proud over the last 25 years. And while we’ve only begun our partnership, we’re looking forward to kicking plenty of goals with them, and you, in the future.

11

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25 YEARS STRONG Know the score: Richard Colless, West Coast’s fi rst chairman in 1987, has held the same position at the Sydney Swans since 1994. 22

Scott Bennett 1Zach Beeck 1Shane Cable 1Kevin Caton 1Ian Dargie 1Paul Johnson 1Sean King 1Paul Mifk a 1Glenn O’Loughlin 1Corey Young 1Gerrick Weedon *1Trent Cummings 2Peter Davidson 2Richard Geary 2Derek Hall 2Jordan Jones *2Dale Kickett 2Daniel McConnell 2Michael O’Brien 2Tony Notte 2David Antonowicz 3Matt Connell 3Jason Heatley 3Brendon Retzlaff 3Shane Sikora 3Brent Tuckey 3Glen Bartlett 4Darren Bennett 4Clinton Browning 4Aaron Edwards 4Brad Gwilliam 4Damian Hampson 4Peter Higgins 4Neil Marshall 4

Trent Nichols 4Michael Dunstan 5Peter Melesso 6Koby Stevens *7Adam Cockie 7Todd Holmes 7Chad Jones 7Callum Wilson *7Andrew Gaff *8Tony Begovich 9Bradd Dalziell *9Greg Harding 9Brendan Krummel 9Michael Prior 9Ashley Blurton 10Joe Cormack 10Shane Ellis 10David Sierakowski 10Lewis Stevenson *10Andrew Strijk *11Ashton Hams *12Mitch Morton 12Tony Godden 13Mark Hepburn 13Brent Hutton 13Robbie West 13Ryan Davis 14Jaxon Crabb 15Tim Houlihan *15Craig McGrath 15Jack Darling *16Kane Munro 18Phil Narkle 18Robert Wiley 18

Jamie McNamara 19Ashley Smith *20 Ian Downsborough 20Andrew Macnish 20Michael O’Connell 20Brad Sheppard *20Brett Spinks 21Luke Shuey *22Jeremy Humm 22Todd Breman 23Ilija Grgic 23Don Holmes 23Beau Wilkes 23Laurie Bellotti 24Wally Matera 24Brayden Lyle 26Mark Merenda 26Matthew Spangher 26David O’Connell 27Tom Swift *27 Travis Gaspar 28Richard Taylor 28Matt Clape 29Murray Wrensted 29John Gastev 30Alex Ishchenko 30Damien Adkins 32Brendon Fewster 33Nick Stone 33Shane Bond 34Patrick McGinnity *35Steven Armstrong 36Laurie Keene 36 Mark Zanotti 36

Jaymie Graham 37Troy Wilson 37Stevan Jackson 38Andrew McDougall 38Chad Rintoul 39Ross Glendinning 40Mitch Brown *41Paul Harding 43Dean Irving 43Andy Lovell 43Troy Ugle 43Trent Carroll 45Scott Cummings 46David Haynes 46Ben McKinley 46Scott Watters 46Nic Naitanui *47Adrian Barich 47Chris Masten *47Eric Mackenzie *49Will Schofi eld *50Michael Collica 50Dean Laidley 52Callum Chambers 54Kasey Green 54Paul Peos 55Dean Turner 56Murray Rance 57John Annear 58Scott Selwood *59Josh Kennedy *61Jarrad Schofi eld 63Steve Malaxos 66Phil Scott 66

Andrew Donnelly 68Brad Ebert *69Geoff Miles 71David Hynes 73Phillip Read 74Sam Butler *75Ashley Hansen 78Andrew Lockyer 78Ashley Sampi 78Andrew Williams 84Beau Waters *86Shannon Hurn *89Mark LeCras *91Josh Wooden 96Matthew Priddis *99Paul Symmons 99Karl Langdon 100Brett Jones *102Mark Seaby 102Tyson Stenglein 102Mark Nicoski *103Jason Ball 103Daniel Chick 103Matt Rosa *106Tony Evans 108Daniel Metropolis 108Brent Staker 110Fraser Gehrig 115Craig Turley 115Peter Wilson 117Michael Gardiner 129Ryan Turnbull 129Don Pyke 132Chris Judd 134

Chad Morrison 148Adam Selwood *149 Peter Sumich 150Adam Hunter 151Dwayne Lamb 151Mitchell White 151Brett Heady 156Rowan Jones 158Chris Waterman 177Quinten Lynch *179Michael Brennan 179Chad Fletcher 179Phil Matera 179Daniel Kerr *181David Hart 184Chris Mainwaring 201John Worsfold 209Darren Glass *212 Chris Lewis 215Dean Cox *218 Andrew Embley *222David Wirrpanda 227Michael Braun 228Ben Cousins 238Ashley McIntosh 242Dean Kemp 243Peter Matera 253Drew Banfi eld 265Guy McKenna 267Glen Jakovich 276

* For current players, games played before round 19, 2011

Every player who has ever playedFOR THE RECORDGames played: 580Won: 316Lost: 259Drawn: 5Winning percentage: 54.5* before round 19, 2011

FinalsPlayed: 38Won: 17Lost: 20Drawn: 1

Brownlow medallists2004 Chris Judd 30 votes2005 Ben Cousins 20

Most games as coach243 Mick Malthouse226 John Worsfold45 John Todd44 Ken Judge22 Ron Alexander* before round 19, 2011

Most goals514 Peter Sumich389 Phillip Matera259 Chris Lewis237 Brett Heady236 Quinten Lynch217 Peter Matera205 Ben Cousins* before round 19, 2011

FLYING HIGH

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Remember the past 25 years with this in-depth

behind-the-scenes book, written by West Coast Eagles’

Gary Stocks, which details every player, every game,

and highlights the 25 greatest players and most

significant matches in our club’s history to date.

Pre-order your book at the West Coast Eagles

Team Store or at eQSbSO[ab]`S�Q][�Oc.

More information on purchase details at

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*RRP $39.95. Special pre-order price of $29.95 available until November 18, 2011. Pre-ordered books available to collect from the West Coast Eagles Team Store

from November 23, 2011 or posted out (additional $10.00 postage & handling charge). The official launch date of FLYING HIGH is November 26, 2011.

SPECIAL >@3�=@23@�>@713�

c\bWZ�<]d��&�� SAVE $10

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GET IN QUICK!

First 100 copies ordered

signed by John Worsfold

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Behind every kick, every Eagle, every fan for 25 years.Through good times and bad, we’ve been behind West Australians for over 80 years, and behind the West Coast Eagles since day one.

133 233 sgio.com.auLocal offi ce

souvenir edition • august 6, 2011 25 years strongthe weekend west • august 6, 2011 know the...

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