It’s round 18, and as football clubs reach the pointy end of the home and away season, it’s common for most to only have one thing on their mind: September. The pressure, hype and expectation that surround teams in the top eight at this point in the competition is near stifling, so it’s understandable when footballers develop intense cases of tunnel vision.

But Beau Waters is an exception to this rule. Whilst he clearly exhibits his passion for the game week after week, continually putting his body on the line and proving he is one of the competition’s toughest and most fearless defenders, the West Coast Eagles vice-captain still has the ability to shift his focus and look at the bigger picture.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Waters would know that while he dons his official club attire like the rest of his team, the hard-nosed defender is the only player to permanently have a gold daffodil pinned to the collar of his West Coast polo.

The daffodil is the official symbol of Cancer Council WA, a charity for which Waters has been an ambassador for the past eight years.

And with this weekend marking the West Coast Eagles’ eighth annual Dig Deep Day, a match the club dedicates to raising funds for Cancer Council WA, Waters couldn’t be prouder of the club’s longstanding relationship with the charity, and admits that his involvement is what keeps him grounded.

“It’s our eighth year having Cancer Council WA as a charity partner, it’s been a great relationship between West Coast and Cancer Council and fortunately I’ve been able to be a part of it.

“I got involved with Cancer Council when I got to the club, just through the opportunity that the club gave us to get involved with charities. I think most people have been affected by cancer in their life in some way, shape or form.

“It’s been a great cause and I’ve really tried to invest as much time as I can, and with that you get to hear people’s stories and follow their journeys.

“I have a great relationship with young cancer survivor Chloe Cutts, who is actually our number one junior ticketholder as well. I’ve got a great relationship with Chloe and the whole Cutts family.

“I’m actually heading there for dinner tonight,” Waters adds.

“But that’s just one of the relationships I’ve gained, and there have been numerous others. It’s just a testament to those people and how resilient they are and the things they’ve been able to get through, it gives me great grounding in my life as well.”

Waters has proudly been at the forefront of the club’s annual Dig Deep Day fundraising campaign, which has seen West Coast raise more than $800,000 for Cancer Council WA over the past eight years through the sale of a Dig Deep fundraising item each year. But the ever-humble Waters insists that the real ambassadors of Dig Deep Day are West Coast Eagles fans.

“The public have really been the true ambassadors of Dig Deep Day, they’re the ones who have supported the cause by donating, purchasing the fundraising item and helping get behind cancer research,” he says.

This year’s fundraising item is Dig Deep wristbands, which are available for five dollars at Caltex outlets, the West Coast Eagles Team Store and around the ground on match day.

But West Coast are making this Dig Deep Day bigger and better this year, raising even more funds through a special edition Dig Deep guernsey that the team will play in on Sunday’s match.

“I can’t take credit for the idea of the new guernsey,” Waters confesses.

“Caltex actually funded the guernsey, so a big thanks to Caltex for helping us raise more awareness and funds for Cancer Council WA. But I’m normally renowned for fashion faux pas, so designing a new guernsey is definitely not my doing.

“But the great thing about the guernseys is that they’ll be auctioned off after the game, so fans can jump on to the website after the match and start bidding on their favourite player’s dirty guernsey. Every player is signing their guernsey as well, so you can pin it up in your pool room, or wear it, whatever you like really,” Waters jokes.

“The guernseys are a slightly different take on the standard home guernsey, with Cancer Council WA’s logo, the Dig Deep slogan on the front, and with a bit more yellow to reflect the Cancer Council WA’s official colour of hope.

“This is the first year we’ve worn a new guernsey, and the goal umpires will be waving yellow flags this year as well. Hopefully we see a lot of the yellow flags down our end on the weekend.”