Luke Shuey’s name has never been out of place with the greats in the history of the West Coast Eagles.
The silky midfielder is a dual John Worsfold medallist, Norm Smith medallist in the 2018 grand final and a Chris Mainwaring medalist as best clubman.
Today he adds another golden layer to his elite career, joining the select few who have been captain of the club in its 33 years.
Starting with inaugural captain Ross Glendinning in 1987 and then embraced by the likes of John Worsfold, Dean Kemp, Ben Cousins, Chris Judd and Darren Glass, the classy Shuey was endorsed as the club’s 11th skipper.
He ascends to that mantle to replace his close friend, Shannon Hurn, who earlier this week selflessly stepped down as captain to allow for the generation of a new leadership group.
Hurn was a no-nonsense, straight-shooting skipper whose approach to the role was to take a simplistic approach to a game that is so often scrutinised in such minute detail. Train well, work hard, leave nothing to chance and be predictable to each other. Do the basics, control the controllable and let the rest take care of itself.
He will continue to lead in his own inimitable way and Shuey can be guaranteed the two-time all-Australian defender will have his back.
Hurn will enable Shuey, vice-captains Jeremy McGovern and Josh Kennedy and the rest of the leadership group to do things their way, but will continue to play his role.
Shuey, 29, is not unlike Hurn in a lot of ways, mostly in that he leads by the way he plays.
It has been the doctrine according to senior coach Adam Simpson that the leaders need to play well in the big games, in the big moments of those big games. And Shuey has been a champion of the coach’s gospel.
So often in recent seasons when the Eagles have needed to find a match-winning gear, it has been Shuey who has dropped the clutch and hit the accelerator, exploding from zero to 100 in spectacular fashion.
He commands respect within the inner sanctum and it was no surprise that he was endorsed by key football department staff and the playing group as Hurn’s successor. It was even less surprising that recommendation was expediently ratified by the Board.
Shuey will now roll up his sleeves and get down to the nitty gritty of leading the club to a continued era of sustained success.
Luke Shuey snapshot
Born: June 2, 1990
Drafted: No.18, 2008
Debut: Round 1, 2010 v Brisbane
Games: 201
Goals: 136
Football honours:
West Coast Eagles life member 2017
Premiership player 2018
John Worsfold medallist 2016, 2019
Norm Smith medallist 2018
West Coast Eagles vice-captain 2017-19
Emerging Talent Award 2011
Player of the Finals 2019 (tied with Andrew Gaff)
Chris Mainwaring Medal (Best Clubman) 2016
West Coast Eagles captains
Ross Glendinning 1987-88
Murray Rance 1989
Steve Malaxos 1990
John Worsfold 1991-98
Guy McKenna 1999-00
Dean Kemp 2001
Ben Cousins 2001-05
Chris Judd 2006-07
Darren Glass 2008-14
Shannon Hurn 2015-19
Luke Shuey 2020-
