As guernsey no.9, I have been fortunate enough to be worn by some true legends of this great game of ours, as well as some players who aren't quite household names.
The first three years of my career as a West Coast Eagles guernsey were erratic at best.
At the club’s launch on October 30, 1986, I was handed to Glenn O’Loughlin, a premiership player with WAFL club Subiaco.
It was unfortunate for Glenn that he was already reaching the end of his time as a footballer when the Eagles formed, and he managed just one game in the then VFL competition. It was in round eight of 1987 against St Kilda and it was a forgettable game for both the team, who lost by 48 points at Moorabbin Oval, and Glenn, who managed just eight disposals.
Glenn decided to hang up the boots that year and I moved onto Brent Hutton who had been selected in the 1987 national draft when the club was permitted to increase its squad from 35 players.
Brent and I managed 13 games over 1988 and 1989 before the former Swan Districts player retired due to back problems.
After this bumpy start, I was well and truly rewarded by my next partnership with Peter Wilson who had been traded from Richmond.
Peter arrived at the same time as the likes of Dean Kemp, Brett Heady and Peter Matera, and we achieved incredible success together throughout the 1990s, culminating in a grand final in 1991, which was soon followed by the 1992 and 1994 premierships.
Peter Wilson
When Peter retired at the end of the 1995 season, I was pulled on by Brayden Lyle. We managed 11 games together in 1996 before the South Australian returned home with teammate Shane Bond.
Their former SANFL club, Port Adelaide, had just joined the AFL competition and in exchange for the pair, West Coast secured ruckman Michael Gardiner with the no.1 selection in the national draft. What a coup!
There’s a fair chance you would have heard the name of my next partner, Ben Cousins.
Cuzzy had already played for two seasons before we teamed up in 1998 and together we played 200 games for 108 wins, three draws and 89 losses.
After his debut at 17 years old, Ben developed into one of the premier midfielders in the AFL, managing the close attention of taggers every week and becoming a driving force for the team.
Together, we won the 2005 Brownlow Medal, the 2006 premiership and the Club Champion Award in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. We were also selected in the All-Australian team six times, as well as winning the 1996 AFL Rising Star Award.
While nothing comes close to the highlights I experienced with Ben, these were tempered by several highly-publicised off-field incidents, which ultimately led to a one-year ban from the AFL Commission for bringing the game into disrepute. Upon his return to football, Ben was selected by Richmond in the 2008 national draft and he played for the Tigers for the next two seasons before his retirement.
My current partner is also no stranger to the spotlight. Nic Naitanui has been a constant source of fascination for the media and fans alike, even before he made his AFL debut.
Few others having the damaging impact the flying fijian has at stoppages and he was named All Australian in 2012. The big fella has continued his development and is now clearly one of the best players in the league, it's great to be on his back when he's taking mark of the year too!!
Jumper no.9 timeline
1987 Glenn O’Loughlin 1 game (lost 1)
1988 Brent Hutton 8 games (won 4, lost 4)
1989 Brent Hutton 5 games (lost 5)
1990 Peter Wilson 19 games (won 14, lost 5)
1991 Peter Wilson 22 games (won 18, lost 4)
1992 Peter Wilson 14 games (won 12, lost 2)
1993 Peter Wilson 22 games (won 13, lost 9)
1994 Peter Wilson 24 games (won 18, lost 6)
1995 Peter Wilson 16 games (won 10, lost 6)
1996 Brayden Lyle 11 games (won 6, lost 5)
1998 Ben Cousins 23 games (won 12, lost 11)
1999 Ben Cousins 22 games (won 12, lost 10)
2000 Ben Cousins 17 games (won 7, drew 1, lost 9)
2001 Ben Cousins 22 games (won 5, lost 17)
2002 Ben Cousins 23 games (won 11, lost 12)
2003 Ben Cousins 23 games (won 12, drew 2, lost 9)
2004 Ben Cousins 17 games (won 8, lost 9)
2005 Ben Cousins 24 games (won 18, lost 6)
2006 Ben Cousins 22 games (won 18, lost 4)
2007 Ben Cousins 7 games (won 5, lost 2)
2009 Nic Naitanui 10 games (won 5, lost 5)
2010 Nic Naitanui 22 games (won 4, lost 18)
2011 Nic Naitanui 23 games (won 16, lost 7)
2012 Nic Naitanui 22 games (won 15, lost 7)
2013 Nic Naitanui 11 games (won 6, lost 5)
2014 Nic Naitanui 20 games (won 10, lost 10)
2015 Nic Naitanui 23 games (won 17, drew 1, lost 5)
2016 Nic Naitanui 15 games (won 10, lost 5)
NB The history of jumper no.9 includes only players who have represented the club at senior level during qualifying rounds and finals.
Does West Coast history float your boat? Visit our history section for a detailed timeline, club records, every game ever played and more.
