Almanac People: Trent West – a study in persistence and coaching

by David Fordyce

 

Trent West retired two weeks ago. West will be proud of his 54-game career at Geelong, the highlight being a very good finals series in 2011. His mobility and athleticism made him a good combination with Brad Ottens.

 

In the 2011 finals series West had 19 hit-outs and a goal v the Hawks, the same v the Eagles, and 25 hit-outs in the GF. (Ottens had 31) His positioning in that finals series was always very good.

 

The start of his career was marked by injuries plus a club record 105 games in the VFL, which only broken by Jack Holmer’s 106^th VFL game last year.

 

In the VFL, West was often played at full forward, which came in handy with a great pack mark he took in the goal square in the last quarter of the 2011 Qualifying Final against Hawthorn which sealed the game.

 

• In 2008 West played 6 games, including the first 5 rounds, then he got a mid-season injury and didn’t come back till 2009, where he only played 1 game.
• In 2010 he came back mid-season but only played 4 games.
• In 2011 he came back in Rd 17 then played every final, with his premiership a reward for persistence.
• In 2012 he carried the ruck single-handedly, with 21 games. That ended in the loss to Freo at the MCG.
• In 2013 West played the first 11 games (rucking with Mark Blicavs) but he got a mid-season injury, and played only two more games – in Rd 19 where he got subbed out and in Rd 23. Vardy returned for that finals series, playing every game from Rd 18, while Blicavs played 22 games including the 3 finals – which began with Geelong’s Qualifying Final loss to Freo at Geelong, and ended with the PF loss to the Hawks.

 

Trent West’s career spanned some great years and he richly deserves to be a premiership player.