Subiaco football operations manager Tim Marley says former Eagle Jack Petruccelle’s was drawn to the Lions’ den to provide some experience and guidance to their legion of young players. 

The club announced the 26-year-old would join their ranks for the 2026 season after being cut from West Coast’s AFL list at the end of this season, after 90 games spanning eight seasons. 

Petruccelle’s signing is just one of Subiaco’s major off-season movements, with three-time premiership coach Jarrad Schofield making his return to Subiaco after departing West Coast’s coaching ranks. 

He will reunite with his former assistant and Cubiaco captain Greg Clark, who also played 21 games in blue and gold before being delisted at the end of 2023. 

Speaking to SportFM, Marley says Petruccelle was drawn to the Lions through his pre-existing relationship with Schofield and provides plenty of experience for its young list. 

“He’s a fantastic signing for the club. We’re thrilled to have Jack on board for the next couple of years. He was really keen to join,” he said.

“He’s still young, 26 with plenty of footy ahead of him, but he’s got 90 AFL games under his belt. He’d had the most AFL games out of the players on our current list, and I think he sits in third in terms of total AFL and state league games. 

“He’s going to be great for the club. He’s very dynamic, has great speed and provides some flexibility for us to play several roles. He’s really keen to share his knowledge. 

“At West Coast, he’s learned from some great players there and he expressed he’s really keen to work with the younger players too, which will be great for the likes of Tyler Senge, Charlie Burke and some of those younger boys on the list.” 

During his time at West Coast, Petruccelle primarily spent time in the forward line, but had brief stints in the midfield, where he earned a reputation for his blistering speed. 

Petruccelle was a handy option in the forward line, where he kicked 71 goals in his 90 games at AFL level. At WAFL level, he booted 40 goals in 36 matches. 

Given his experience, Marley says he expects Petruccelle to be a versatile option for Subiaco. 

“It is probably more a question for Jared but but we see him being able to go through the midfield and then that high forward role and come up a bit,” he said. 

“He’s a hard-working player and he’s got plenty of speed. We should be relying on his dynamic speed and stuff around the footy. 

“I’m sure Jared would probably have his ideas of how he wants to use him, but he’s got great flexibility, so he could probably fill many roles for us at any given time.” 

Petruccelle’s signing also coincided with his former Eagles teammate Luke Foley announcing his departure from Subiaco to rival co-tenant club East Perth. 

Foley spent all of 2025 sidelined with an unfortunate run of injuries and was unable to play any games this season. Marley says it was disappointing to see Foley go but wishes him all the best. 

“He was one of those guys who had a lot of experience, and he was in the leadership group and didn’t get on the park last year,” he said.

“There was an offer there in front of him, but Luke expressed he wanted to move, and he had a difficult year last year with the injury and then the change and uncertainty. 

“He saw his best option was to move on, and when he expresses that he’s not willing to play at Subiaco, you turn our attention to what’s the best outcome for the club and in this situation.

“We worked with East Perth and came to an arrangement that both parties were comfortable with and were able to facilitate that move for Luke. 

“We wish Luke all the best. He’s a great player. I’m sure he’ll play some great footy at East Perth. Hopefully, it’s just not against us in the co-tenant game.”

IMAGE: AFL.com.au