Taken with the first pick in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft in June, the dreadlocked Dandenong product arrived in the west with a mature, AFL-ready body and made an impact in the second half of the year.
After four games in the WAFL adapting to playing against men, Culley was called up to debut for the round 18 clash with Hawthorn at the MCG in front of family and friends and laid 11 tackles in a strong first up effort.
The following round Culley had 19 touches and kicked a goal against St Kilda, before being regrettably suspended for a week when the Eagles went to the Gold Coast.
Culley returned for the last round at the Cattery and tallied four games at the top level before heading back to the state league to finish off his year.
Standout performance: Rolling up the sleeves
Culley came with a reputation of thriving at the coalface and he immediately got to work in the clinches on debut against the Hawks.
He had 12 disposals, 11 contested possessions and his seven clearances was an equal team-high with star Tim Kelly.
That’s not to mention his game-high 11 tackles either. It was a very encouraging effort in just his fifth game against men, and he should benefit even further from settling into a full pre-season in the west ahead of next year.
Season averages
Disposals – 13.3
Pressure acts – 24.8
Tackles – 7.5
Clearances – 3.5
Inside 50s – 2.3
