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Greg Clark has a point to make.
Best on ground and a Simpson Medal winner in his last match for Subiaco, the grand final victory over South Fremantle in 2021, Clark has since had a frustrating two years at West Coast during the lowest ebb in the club’s history.
His 21 Eagles matches were all losses – setting a record unlikely but not impossible to be beaten in the near future – which led to an unsurprising delisting at the end of last year.
But Clark’s return to the Lions, and rapid elevation to the captaincy, could inspire him to reach a new level of performance this year.
Clark is now 26, has 105 WAFL matches and those 21 AFL games under his belt, and is poised to reach the peak of his powers this season. He will wear No.1 for Subiaco this year and has also been adjudged by WAFL radio station SportFM as the No.1 player in the league.
Clark’s leadership skills, ball-hunting prowess and ability to impose himself on matches makes him
the league’s most influential player this year and takes him to the pinnacle of the SportFM top 40 list.
Clark is the most prominent of 12 delisted AFL players who will be in action in the WAFL this year and one of 23 new names on the list.
They include his Subiaco team-mates Luke Foley, Taj Schofield and Jack Mayo while four members of East Fremantle’s premiership team last season have been included for the first time.
Livewire Shark Milan Murdock and premiership captain Matthew Jupp, the most miserly and committed defender in league ranks, were recognised for their substantial roles in the club’s success. Ruckman Brynn Teakle, who may have a short stint in WAFL ranks if he is picked up in the midseason rookie draft in May, is East Fremantle’s highest ranked player with the energetic Jono Marsh in second place. Marsh’s brother Harry was retained but dropped to No.40 because of questions over his availability this season after significant hamstring surgery on the eve of the first match.
Three Sandover medallists are included in the top 10 though WA ruckman Olly Eastland is ranked ahead of his medal-winning team-mates Bailey Rogers and Jye Bolton.
Reigning Sandover medallist Hamish Brayshaw is a key to East Perth’s prospects this season though he could not dislodge Clark and West Perth pair Tyler Keitel and Luke Meadows from the top rungs of the list.
Players were ranked on their form and impact last season, an assessment of their likely role and value to their team this year, as well as the threat they provide to opposition sides.
Every team had at least one selection with the last three premiers, East Fremantle, West Perth and Subiaco, taking up half the selections.
Only seven of the 12 delisted AFL players were named.
Selecting recently delisted AFL players is often a fraught exercise because they have to come to terms with the move to the lower level while dealing with employment and life challenges that are often not part of the AFL environment.
Top 40 WAFL players in 2024
No. Name Club Last year
1 Greg Clark S AFL
2 Tyler Keitel WP 2
3 Luke Meadows WP 3
4 Hamish Brayshaw EP 8
5 Olly Eastland C new
6 Brynn Teakle EF AFL
7 Bailey Rogers C 4
8 Jon Marsh EF 9
9 Jye Bolton C 1
10 Jesse Turner SD 15
11 Milan Murdock EF new
12 Matthew Jupp EF new
13 Angus Schumacher EP 32
14 Mitch Crowden EP 11
15 Luke Foley S AFL
16 Scott Jones EP 16
17 Aiden Clarke SD 26
18 Leigh Kitchin S 18
19 Trey Ruscoe WC AFL
20 Haiden Schloithe SF new
21 Taj Schofield S new
22 Nic Rokhar SD new
23 Ben Sokol S 5
24 Connor West WP AFL
25 Alec Waterman C 12
26 Scott Simpson P AFL
27 Cody Leggett EF new
28 Shane Nelson WP 10
29 Noah Pegoraro WP new
30 Charlie Thompson P new
31 Matt Parker SF new
32 Liam Hickmott S new
33 Aaron Black WP 20
34 Jacob Blight PT new
35 Fraser Turner EF new
36 Anthony Davis C new
37 Charlie Constable P AFL
38 Jack Mayo S new
39 Mitch Schofield EP new
40 Harry Marsh EF 14
IMAGE: Supplied