After a brilliant career, the veteran backman called time on the eve of West Coast’s finals campaign. Schofield will always be remembered for his remarkable job keeping a tight leash on Jordan De Goey in the 2018 Grand Final, but the premiership hero leaves a lasting legacy as a team-first, combative, loyal and selfless defender who relished the battle and valued club success higher than any individual accolade. Schofield adapted as the situation demanded throughout his 14 seasons, and it was no different in 2020 as he dropped weight following the season restart to be able to stand strong-marking talls and zippy smalls. Ultimately, he only played four matches for the year – finishing on a tally of 194 overall – but bounced back from an early suspension to play the final two home and away matches as the Eagles first secured a finals berth against St Kilda and then defeated North Melbourne to push for the top four.

Standout performance: Standing up to the Saints

When the already injury-hit Eagles lost defensive pillar Jeremy McGovern to a hamstring injury on the stroke of half-time in round 17, it looked like a tough job for Adam Simpson’s men to contain St Kilda’s dangerous forward line featuring Max King, Rowan Marshall and Tim Membrey. The Saints got on top in a desperate final term and had all the momentum but West Coast hung on, with the defensive end only conceding one behind in the final 15 minutes as the Eagles surged to a famous victory. Schofield played his part with eight touches and three tackles – both season highs.

Season averages:

Disposals – 5.5

Intercept possessions – 3.3

Pressure acts – 4.5

Tackles – 2

Kick efficiency - 91.7 per cent