Shannon Hurn entered his second season as Eagles skipper and had another solid season marshalling the side. There are few in the AFL with a more damaging kick, he is one of the most reliable defenders in the game, and the value of his leadership is immeasurable.

He registered the seventh most kicks for the year for a genuine defender, with the Eagles always keen to get the ball into Hurn’s hands when looking to propel forward out of defence. He was the sixth-ranked player across the AFL for rebound 50s and the fifth-ranked Eagle for one percenters in 2016.

2016 season highlights

Kicks: 21 vs Western Bulldogs Rd 11

Handballs: 10 vs Adelaide Crows Rd 23

Disposals: 26 vs Adelaide Crows Rd 23

Marks: 9 vs North Melbourne Rd 16

Tackles: 4 vs Port Adelaide Rd 9

Goals: 1 vs Fremantle Rd 20

AFL Fantasy: 100 vs Fremantle Rd 20

Matches to remember:

Round 8 v St Kilda

West Coast smashed St Kilda by more than 100 points in round eight, but the Eagles defence was particularly stingy, conceding just 29 points for the day. The Eagles kept the Saints' scoring efficiency at 37% for the day, and Hurn was one of the better performers down back. He racked up 17 disposals, including five inside-50s and rebound-50s, highlighting his ability to impact both ends of the ground.

Round 10 v Gold Coast

Gold Coast struggled to contain West Coast's power in round 10, and the Eagles defenders were on-song, particularly Hurn. Hurn's abaility to get away from his direct opponent was telling; he had 19 possessions - 17 of which were uncontested. But it was his ball-use that was elite against the Suns. Using the Sherrin both out of defence and in attack, Hurn linked up the Eagles in transition and helped West Coast to 32 scoring shots. He had four rebound-50s, four inside-50s, took six marks and finished off his good work with a goal to effectively kill the contest early in the third term.

Round 16 v North Melbourne

The Eagles hadn’t beaten a top-eight opponent yet and Hurn stood up in what was the biggest game of the year to date. The Eagles looked to use Hurn at every opportunity and the Eagles’ skipper reeled in nine marks for the afternoon and used the ball with pin-point precision. He finished with 19 disposals, two tackles, five rebound-50s and had three one percenters.