DON PYKE

1989-1996

Debut: Round 1, 1989 v Essendon

Games: 132

Achievements:
Premiership player 1992, 1994    
Club Champion 1993 (tied Glen Jakovich)
Runner-up Club Champion 1994                
Assistant Coach 2014-2015          
Director 2001-2004        

If ever there was a case of a player adjusting to the circumstances and the game plan of a coach then Don Pyke is that man.

When initially recruited by the West Coast Eagles he was a free-wheeling, ahead-of-the-game goal-kicking rover with Claremont, but Mick Malthouse demanded accountability in his midfield and after butting heads in the first instance, Pyke adjusted.

Not only did he modify his game, he became an archetypal exponent of Malthouse’s methods to such an extent that he shared the Club Champion Award with Glen Jakovich in 1993 and was runner-up a year later.

Highly skilled and with an innate ability to read the game, Pyke was a key element of a dynamic West Coast Eagles midfield which was integral to the premiership success of 1992 and 1994.

A shoulder injury denied him the opportunity for an extended career, but he had a remarkable impact in various roles with the club.