analysis
Top 10 South West Football League players to watch in 2021

Whether they are sporting new colours, returning from a lay-off, or ready to take the next step, journalist Jackson Barrett has analysed the list ahead of the 2021 SWFL season and selected the 10 players to keep an eye on across all 10 clubs. 10. Kester Decke (Busselton) Decke was hugely impressive in his first season with the Magpies after landing there due to the cancellation of the Lower South West Football League and appears to be donning the black and white stripes again in another bid for a flag. The mobile ruck/forward has the best vertical leap in the game and is already among the best users of the ball by foot, despite his size. His leap and athleticism mean he can punch above his weight in the ruck department and his firey red hair makes him easy to keep track of. Should only get better with another pre-season in the bank. 9. Denholm King (Bunbury) King is not far away from moving into the realm of South West Football League stalwarts after a stint at Eaton and a premiership in his second year at the Bulldogs, but is still well and truly on the way up. He was not far off winning the Pike Medal on grand final day either, the culmination of a finals series where he contributed in every outing. His versatility makes him one to watch this season, played mostly on a half-back flank last season and could also play a role in the midfield, but the exodus of key forwards could see him thrown up that end - especially after a nice two goal showing during his classy grand final performance. 8. Harry Creasey (Bunbury) Another of the incredibly versatile Bunbury Bulldogs which took them to the 2020 premiership, Creasey’s regular contribution to the scoreboard could prove crucial this year. It is yet to be seen how Jamie Nani puts together his forward line for the flag defence with Jordan Adamson-Holmes looking likely to join fellow talls Samuel Davies and Beau Luzi in leaving the club, but he can rely on the likes of Creasey to find the goals regularly. Like King, Creasey showed his wares during the finals series and is every chance to take the next step. He could also be a nice Hayward Medal dark horse. 7. Chris Andrew (South Bunbury) After injury kept him out of the 2016 premiership side and then an extended break from football, the big ruckman and former South Bunbury captain looks set to make a return in the red V. What his output will be like after an extended lay-off is unknown but his size and ruck craft will be of much use to a Souths side in the midst of a rebuild. Tom Harper and Dale Wilkinson shared duties last year and while both are experienced at the level, Andrew will lighten the load and add some class around the ground. He will also be a huge asset to a group eager to learn. 6. Jordan Falco (Eaton Boomers) Falco’s move to Eaton at the end of the 2019 season was a surprising one having shown so much promise in his time at the Bunbury Bulldogs before having a crack at Peel. But having now settled in and become a regular contributor in a Boomers side that played finals but were left wanting more last season, this might be the year the young midfielder takes the next step. Falco continued to impress last year as a good-sized on baller but with no shortage of skill or agility. He finished 19th in our top 20 players of the 2020 season, and it’s time for him to continue to push on. 5. Mitch Tenardi (Busselton) With the help of some recruits from the Lower South West Football League, the Busselton superstar came desperately close to a maiden Magpies flag last season, and will be one of the key factors in the club having another crack at it again this year. Like almost all of the premium midfielders in the competition, the former East Perth colts representative chips in with the occasional goal is dominant at stoppage, and wins plenty of the footy - plus, at just plenty 21 he has a huge ceiling. 4. Jesse Gribble (Bunbury) Watching an emotional Jesse Gribble collect the Pike Medal after Bunbury’s grand final triumph last October - his first premiership with the club - you could be forgiven for thinking the Bulldogs legend might put the cue in the rack. In the grand final wash-up, Gribble told the South Western Times, “It’s all I’ve wanted since I started playing footy as a little kid and I finally got there.” But it didn’t take long for the game’s best endurance runner to hit the track again, seen pumping out kilometres around Bunbury at the height of summer. A series of new rule changes which will reduce stoppage numbers and put a high price on endurance are set to suit him down to the ground, and he looks as hungry as ever to taste more premiership success while his beloved club are well and truly in the window. 3. Ethan Maguire (Carey Park) One of the big name moves in the off season, Maguire made the shift to Carey Park to play under his Dad, Brett, after the disappointment of a grand final defeat with Busselton. Despite delivering the pass that lead to Jed Kemp’s kick after the siren Maguire will be looking to start the season on a better note than he finished the last one. This year he teams up with Sandover Medalist and Carey Park midfield stalwart Rory O’Brien, forming an all-star cast with vice-captain Aaron Holmes and young ruckman Zane Verhaaf. 2. Brendan Tingey (Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault) A Hayward Medal is a special achievement made even more remarkable when it’s in your first season, playing alongside the previous year’s winner. The impact Tingey had on an already stacked Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault midfield troop was immense, as he established himself as the smartest and most damaging clearance machine in the league. Balancing big personalities who also like to win plenty of their own ball can cause trouble at clubs but Tingey, Jesse Crichton and former Subiaco player Joel Latham seemed to form instant chemistry last season and will all suit up again in 2021. A ball-winning machine with a goal-a-game average? Worth their weight in gold. 1. Jarrod Humphries (Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault) One of the biggest names in country footy has spent the last few years bouncing between WAFL clubs and the Eaton Boomers, but now has a new home at Brunswick Oval. The former Peel Thunder and West Coast Reserves player has performed below his potential for a number of years, but is a red-hot favourite for the league’s leading goal-kicker if he can string some games together. As Brett Hill discovered last year, there is no better service from a midfield in the region than at HBL, with the last two Hayward medallists streaming out of the centre, and with Hill gone, Humphries becomes the primary target. At just 23-years old, the forward still has time to make a career for himself in the big smoke, but for now, he’s our number one player to watch in the South West.

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Top 10 South West Football League players to watch in 2021

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analysisTop 10 South West Football League players to watch in 2021

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Digital

Everyday Digital

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Bunbury Herald

analysis
Top 10 South West Football League players to watch in 2021