This article first appeared in the September 2020 edition of Eagle Eye

At the end of last year, Brendon Ah Chee had a decision to make.

Should he continue busting his gut to force his way into West Coast’s star-studded midfield or seek an alternative path to cement his place in the Eagles’ starting 22?

Most would think that’d be an easy call given the 26-year-old only managed to muster one AFL appearance last year – a round 16 RAC Derby outing against Fremantle at Optus Stadium – but the evidence suggested Ah Chee was on the cusp of becoming a regular senior starter.

Since arriving at the Eagles by way of a trade with Port Adelaide at the end of 2017, Ah Chee was all in on becoming the best midfielder he could be, tailoring every aspect of training program to refine his inside and outside craft in the hope of earning a spot in West Coast’s engine room.

And last year he was, unquestionably, one of the WAFL Eagles’ most solid centre line contributors, averaging 21 disposals, 6.3 tackles and 3.1 marks per game for the inaugural state league side.

But when the club executed arguably the trade of 2019 to bring two-time Geelong best and fairest runner-up Tim Kelly to the nest, Ah Chee, like many other Eagles, was forced to re-think his role.

That’s when he sought out senior coach Adam Simpson.

“I was trying to force my way into that midfield and being a fringe player that’s pretty hard to do, especially with a midfield that’s so talented here at West Coast,” Ah Chee said.

“I would play good WAFL footy and often earn a spot in the 22, but it would often be as a half-forward.

“A lot of people have gone through it, where they are midfielders on the outside and they’re trying to get in and then they earn their spot through form but unfortunately there’s no position in the midfield for them.

“They deserve to play, but there are no spots, so they end up playing in the forward line, which is ultimately a position they’re not really familiar with.

“At the end of last year Simmo and I had a discussion about me focusing on being a half-forward and letting go of that midfield mindset.

“He said that he’d train me as a half-forward for the whole pre-season because there were more spots available there. It gave me a bit more clarity, a clearer direction and goal to own that half-forward spot.

“It just made it a lot easier for me to put all my energy towards that.”

It is safe to say that conversation had a monumental impact on Ah Chee, who earned a spot in West Coast’s round one team and didn’t look back.

The man all too often referred to as a ‘utility’ in the past has been loving life as a bona fide half-forward, registering a career-best 15 senior appearances in 2020 with a finals series on the horizon.

Interestingly, Ah Chee recorded a significant personal milestone upon being selected for the club’s round five encounter with Sydney.

When he strode out onto Metricon Stadium to face the Swans it marked the first time in his career that he had been selected for five consecutive AFL matches.

“That was a little hoodoo that I just couldn’t get past,” Ah Chee jested.

“I was very happy to get past four; I think I played seven straight and then I hurt my back and missed the Collingwood game.

“It was just a little mental win for me to get past the four in a row mark.

“And then I played my 50^th game against the Western Bulldogs, which was also pretty big for me personally.

“Being on the fringe for most of my career, I was proud to grind out 50 games. It made me feel like I really achieved something. I know it’s probably not a special mark for most people across the AFL, but for some blokes it’s huge and for me it was huge.”

Now Ah Chee has another box to tick on the career checklist: playing a final.

In spite of being in the AFL system for nine years, the South Fremantle product has never experienced any September action.

Ironically, should he be selected for West Coast’s home elimination final on Saturday, Ah Chee’s finals debut will take place in October.

But that’s the least of his concerns at the moment.

“I haven’t played in a final yet, so hopefully that’s something I can do this year,” Ah Chee said.

“With that being said, I’m trying not to look too far ahead. Simmo has been telling us to just focus on the task at hand.

“I’m still not convinced that I’m cemented in the starting 22, so I’ve just got to keep performing and proving that I can be trusted to play in a finals environment.”