Don Pyke is one of those gifted people who excels at everything he does.
To his contemporaries it was frustrating; a scratch golfer, an outstanding batsman who would doubtless have forged a successful career in cricket had he chosen that sporting pathway.
Hell, he was even tough to beat at table tennis in the club’s Subiaco Oval facility.
Fortunately for the West Coast Eagles it was football that stirred his inner drive and he forged a remarkable career that saw him as a pivotal part of the club’s engine room when it was dominating the early 90s.
Ironically, Pyke’s rare all-round sporting prowess might initially have been an impediment in an environment where Eagles coach Mick Malthouse commanded a role-driven game plan.
Instinctively Pyke was a creative midfielder, one who liked to play forward of the ball and could visualise an opportunity to hit the scoreboard while others were still scrapping on their hands and knees to win possession.
That’s not to say Pyke did not win his share of possessions in the contest, but his football IQ was such that he could anticipate better than most what would happen much further down the linkages of play.
To fit into the Malthouse blueprint, however, there was a requisite for a balance between flair and structure. For Pyke an adjustment was required around the defensive aspects of his game.
Re-programming this outstanding and highly skilled prodigy saw Malthouse deploy him in a run-with capacity and he became something of a prototype for the Eagles style of play; a two-way runner whose immaculate ball use split the opposition open.
In conjunction with Dean Kemp, Peter Matera, Chris Mainwaring, Chris Lewis, Craig Turley and Tony Evans the Eagles boasted a classic and dynamic midfield unit that was relentless and rarely dropped its intensity.
The Eagles played in their first grand final in 1991 after winning the McClelland Trophy as minor premiers with a 19-3 season, including a run of 12 victories to start their campaign.
They finished three games clear of Hawthorn, but the Hawks upset the new kids on the block in the first final played outside of Melbourne and repeated the dose a fortnight later in the Grand Final at Waverley.
Pyke and his cohort responded 12 months later to claim the first premiership in VFL/AFL history by a non-Victorian team.
The Eagles, after a slow start against Geelong won the 1992 premiership, although Pyke’s recollection could be a little dusty after being cleaned up off the ball by star Cat Gary Ablett Sr in the opening minutes.
He was assisted from the ground, but bravely returned to the field.
Personally, Pyke was at the pinnacle of his game in 1993 and 1994, tying the Club Champion Award with Glen Jakovich in the first of those seasons and then finishing runner-up to the star defender in 1994, when the club won its second premiership.
A serious shoulder injury impacted his career after the 1995 season and impeded him to such an extent that he was restricted to just eight games in what would ultimately prove to be his final season at the elite level in 1996.
Cut short at just 132 games, his impact was none-the-less pronounced and he continues to impart his football insights in a coaching capacity where he has left an indelible impression on players at West Coast (assistant 2014-15), Adelaide (senior coach 2016-19) and Sydney (assistant since 2021).
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
