Boyup Brook’s Luke Hallett drawing inspiration from Carlton’s Patrick Cripps and other Aquinas College alumni

If Boyup Brook’s Luke Hallett is ever searching for inspiration in his football, he does not need to look far to find it. The 17-year-old is completing his final year of school at football factory Aquinas College, which has produced a number of AFL stars including two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe, West Coast’s Liam Baker and Sydney’s Chad Warner. His coaches at the school have included another player to claim the AFL’s highest individual honour in Shane Woewodin and premiership Eagle Will Schofield. But speaking with the Times last month, Hallett — a member of WA’s under-18 side in the ongoing national championships — said his main source of inspiration was another of the school’s famous alumni from the State’s regions. “Patty Cripps is an Aquinas boy, so he was on the same sort of journey I’m on,” Hallett said. Comparisons between Hallett and Northampton product Cripps are easy to draw — while not yet quite as tall as the 195cm Carlton superstar, Hallett’s own powerful 185cm frame means he often outsizes the opponents he comes up against in the Public Schools Association competition or when playing for East Perth’s WAFL colts side. Having also shown great promise as a forward, Hallett said he had no preference over what position he played. “I don’t mind being versatile, I’ll go wherever I have to go,” he said. “Forward or midfield, I’m not really fussed. I’ll go wherever the coaches reckon best suits me.” In between his busy schedule, Hallett managed to find time to feature for his hometown Roos in the Lower South West Football League earlier this year, playing in their one-point loss to Kojonup in the two sides’ first meeting since the 2024 grand final. Hallett, who initially boarded at school but has now made a full-time move to the city, said he always loved heading back home when he got the chance. “I’d never played league down there,” he said. “I played with my brother (Mitchell), who I haven’t played with since about Year 4. That was great. “It was a lot different, being down there against some bigger boys, but I loved it. It was good fun.” After missing WA’s opening game of the championships due to concussion, Hallett was among their best with a two-goal performance in their second, a 76-point loss to eventual champions South Australia. “It was good to get the ball rolling,” Hallett said. “It was good to get a couple of snags, but it was all from the boys up the field doing all the work, I was lucky to get on the end of a few.” Hallett produced another excellent effort as the side suffered a five-point defeat to reigning champions Allies at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Sunday, slotting another three goals. WA will close out their carnival against Victoria Metro at The Good Grocer Park in East Fremantle on Sunday.